Joshua M. Devore (November 13, 1887 – October 6, 1954), was a professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player who played

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

in the major leagues from –. He would play for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Boston Braves. Devore resided in Seelyville, a small community in

Vigo County, Indiana Vigo County ( ) is a county on the western border of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 105,994 . Its county seat is Terre Haute. Vigo County is included in the Terre Haute metropolita ...

during his early pro baseball career, getting his start in what was known as the Trolley League in Terre Haute, Indiana. Due to his quickness, Josh was known as "The Seelyville Speed Demon." In his prime, Devore was an expert bunter and baserunner who was adept at drawing walks, and he was an effective leadoff man for the Giants' pennant-winners of 1911 and 1912. In the off-season, he owned and operated a boxing gym in

Fontanet, Indiana Fontanet (also Fountain, Fountain Station, or Hunter) is an unincorporated census-designated place in central Nevins Township, Vigo County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It lies along Baldwin St., northeast of the city of Terre Haute, the county ...

. Devore stood at just 5'6".

Career

As a teenager, Devore played for the Meridian Ribboners of the

Cotton States League The Cotton States League''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: The Official Record of Minor League Baseball'' – Lloyd Johnson, Steve McDonald, Miles Wolff (editors). Publisher: Baseball America, 1997. Format: Paperback, 672pp. Language: Englis ...

, hitting poorly the two years he was there. However, in 1908 he moved the Eastern League and hit .290 for the

Newark Indians The Newark Sailors, later known as the Newark Indians, were a minor league baseball team in the early twentieth century. The team played its games at Wiedenmayer's Park in Newark, New Jersey. Newark played in the Eastern League between 1908 and ...

. He joined the New York Giants in September, just in time to watch them lose a playoff game to the Chicago Cubs and finish second in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. Devore's first year as a regular was 1910, which was also the only year he hit .300 in the majors. In 1911, he finished second in the league with 61 stolen bases. In the 1911 World Series, however, Devore went 0 for 3 in steal attempts and batted .167. In the following year's World Series, he improved to .250, but the Giants lost for the second straight time. Devore was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, then to the Philadelphia Phillies in

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the ...

. In

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, he was traded once more, to the Boston Braves; he arrived in time for the "Miracle Braves" stretch run which saw them win the National League pennant and

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. However, Devore batted .227 for Boston and was released the following January. He spent 1915 in the

Ohio State League The Ohio State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in numerous seasons between 1887 and 1947, predominantly as a Class D level league. League franchises were based in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Histo ...

and played in various minor leagues until 1924. He was a player-manager for Grand Rapids of the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

in 1920 and 1921. In a 7 year, 601 game major league career, Devore compiled a .277

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(520-for-1874) with 331 runs, 11 home runs, 149 RBI and 160 stolen bases. Devore died at the age of 66 and was buried at New Marshfield Cemetery in New Marshfield, Ohio.

References

External links

Josh Devore
- Baseballbiography.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devore, Josh 1887 births 1954 deaths Baseball players from Ohio Boston Braves players Charleston Senators players Cincinnati Reds players Grand Rapids Billbobs players Grand Rapids Homoners players Grand Rapids Joshers players Huntington Babes players New York Giants (NL) players Philadelphia Phillies players Major League Baseball outfielders Maysville Angels players Meridian Ribboners players Minor league baseball managers Newark Indians players People from Hocking County, Ohio Topeka Savages players Chillicothe Babes players

Career

See also

References

External links