Percival Wheritt "Perry" Werden (July 21, 1865 – January 9, 1934) was an American

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. He was a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

St. Louis Maroons The St. Louis Maroons were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1884–1886. The club, established by Henry Lucas, were the one near-major league quality entry in the Union Association, a league that lasted only one ...

(1884),

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

(1888), Toledo Maumees (1890),

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(1891), St. Louis Browns (1892–1893) and Louisville Colonels (1897).

Career

Werden played as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

in 1884 where he had a 12–1 win–loss record (leading the Union Association in winning percentage at .923), 16 games, 16 games started, 12 complete games, 1 shutout, innings pitched, 113 hits allowed, 61 runs allowed, 31 earned runs allowed, 1 home run allowed, 22 walks allowed, 51 strikeouts and a 1.97 ERA. During this season, he helped the Maroons win the first and only Union Association pennant. An arm injury moved Werden to first base and in 7 seasons he played in 693 games, 2,740 at bats, 444 runs, 773 hits, 109 doubles, 87 triples, 26 home runs, 439 RBI, 150 stolen bases, 281 walks, .282 batting average, .359 on-base percentage, .414 slugging percentage, 1,134 total bases and 5 sacrifice hits. Werden had a remarkable minor league career. For the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

of the Western League in 1894, he hit .417 with 42 home runs. The next season, he improved in both categories, hitting .428 with 45 home runs. These were astounding home run totals for the time (helped by the short outfield fence distance at their home field): for example,

Sam Thompson Samuel Luther "Big Sam" Thompson (March 5, 1860 – November 7, 1922) was an American professional baseball player from 1884 to 1898 and with a brief comeback in 1906. At , the Indiana native was one of the larger players of his day and was known ...

led 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 s ...

in home runs with 18 in 1895. No one would hit more than 29 until

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

hit 54 in 1920. Werden retired with a career .341 batting average with five home run titles in the minor leagues. He died in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

at the age of 68, and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Werden, Perry 1865 births 1934 deaths Baseball players from St. Louis Major League Baseball first basemen Washington Nationals (1886–1889) players Baltimore Orioles (AA) players St. Louis Maroons players Toledo Maumees players St. Louis Browns (NL) players Louisville Colonels players Memphis Reds players Lincoln Tree Planters players Des Moines Hawkeyes players Topeka Golden Giants players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Toledo Black Pirates players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players St. Paul Saints (Western League) players Memphis Egyptians players Fargo (minor league baseball) players Hattiesburg Tar Heels players Vicksburg Hill Billies players Indianapolis Indians players Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers 19th-century baseball players

Career

See also

Sources