Henry E. Larkin (January 12, 1860 – January 31, 1942) was a professional baseball player who played
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for 10 seasons (1883–1893).
At age 24, Larkin started his career with the
Philadelphia Athletics in 1884. On June 16, 1885, he
hit for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League B ...
. That same year in a single game he recorded four doubles, still a major league record that has been tied many times, but never broken.
He played six years with the club, usually hitting above .300. His 7th season he switched leagues to the
Players' League, and was the
Cleveland Infants
The Cleveland Infants were a one-year baseball team in the Players' League, a short-lived Major League that existed only for the 1890 season. Owned by Al Johnson, the Infants finished , their lone season, with 55 wins and 75 losses. Their home ...
' star first baseman, hitting .330 and knocking in 112 RBI. He also managed the club in
1890. When the league disbanded, he returned to Philadelphia, and later finished his career with the
Washington Senators. He averaged a .303 batting average for his career. Unlike other power hitters of his era, Larkin hit more of his home runs on the road than at home – 35 versus 18.
[James, Bill, ''The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'', Simon & Schuster, 2003]
See also
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List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
In baseball, a doubles is recorded when the ball is hit so that the batter is able to advance to second base without an error by a defensive player. In Major League Baseball (MLB), the leader in each league (American League and National League) ...
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List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
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List of Major League Baseball player-managers
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Founded in 1869, it is composed of 30 teams. Each team in the league has a manager, who is responsible for team strategy and leadership on and off ...
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List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
In baseball, a hit is credited to a batter when he reaches first base – or any subsequent base – safely after hitting a fair ball, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice. One hundred seventeen different players have record ...
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List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
In baseball, completing the cycle is the accomplishment of hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. In terms of frequency, the cycle is roughly as common as a no-hitter; '' Baseball Digest'' calls it "one of th ...
References
External links
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1860 births
1942 deaths
19th-century baseball players
Major League Baseball first basemen
Philadelphia Athletics (AA) players
Cleveland Infants players
Philadelphia Athletics (AA 1891) players
Washington Senators (1891–1899) players
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading Actives players
Allentown Kelly's Killers players
Easton (minor league baseball) players
Ashland (minor league baseball) players
Altoona Mad Turtles players
Lancaster Chicks players
Hazleton Quay-kers players
Allentown Goobers players
Pottsville Colts players
Major League Baseball player-managers
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