Frank Chance (1946)


Date of Birth: 9/9/1877
Date of Death: 9/15/1924
Birthplace: Salida, California

Prior to being signed by the Chicago Orphans/Cubs in 1898, Frank Chance played college baseball and semi-pro baseball.

Chicago Cubs

In 1898, Chance joined the Cubs, playing in 53 games with them that season. He suffered from injuries that limited his playing time and he didn't play in over 100 games in any one season until 1903. In his first full season in the major leagues, Chance batted .327 with 144 hits, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 81 RBIs, and 67 stolen bases in 125 games. A fast base runner, Chance led the National League in stolen bases in 1903 and 1906.

In 1905, Chance was made player-manager of the Cubs, a position he held through 1912. He led the NL in on-base percentage in 1905. He finished the season with 124 hits, 16 doubles, a career high 12 triples, 38 stolen bases, a .316 batting average, and an on-base percentage of .450. The next year, he led the NL in stolen bases with 57. He had a career high 151 hits, 24 doubles, and a .319 batting average in 1906. That year, he played in a career high 136 games.

Chance batted .293 in 1907. He had 112 hits, 19 doubles, and 35 stolen bases in 111 games. He had a career high 27 doubles in 1908, and he batted .272 with 123 hits in 129 games.

Chance's playing time dropped to 88 games in 1910. He batted .298 with 88 hits. He played in just 31 games in 1911 and 2 games in 1912.

Chance and his teammates Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers formed a very effective defensive infield that became known by the expression "Tinker to Evers to Chance," with Tinker at shortstop, Evers at second base, and Chance at first base.

During his baseball career with the Cubs as player-manager, Chance led the team to the National League pennant four times (1906-1908, 1910) and to two World Series (1907, 1908). His record as a manager of the Cubs was 768 wins to 389 losses.

New York Yankees

After 14 years with the Cubs, Chance moved to the New York Yankees in 1913, playing and managing the New York team for two years. His record as a manager with the Yankees was 117 wins to 168 losses.

Career Statistics

Statistics for Chance in 6 seasons (1903-1908) in the major leagues include:

  • 4 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 12 in 1905
  • 6 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 67 in 1903
  • 4 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .327 in 1903

Career batting statistics for Chance include:

  • 1,287 games played
  • 1,273 hits
  • 200 doubles
  • 401 stolen bases
  • .296 batting average
  • .394 on-base percentage
  • .788 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Chance at first base include:

  • 997 games played
  • 615 assists
  • 470 double plays
  • 9,885 putouts
  • 135 errors
  • .987 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Chance include:

  • 4 postseasons
  • 20 games played
  • 71 at-bats
  • 22 hits
  • 3 doubles
  • 1 triple
  • 10 stolen bases
  • 7 strikeouts to 8 walks
  • .310 batting average

Post Playing Career

After 16 years in the major leagues, Chance moved to the minor leagues. He managed in the Pacific Coast League for two seasons and then retired. In 1923, the Boston Red Sox brought Chance back to major league baseball as their manager. However, after the 1923 season and a 61-91 record managing the Red Sox, Chance retired permanently.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Frank Chance
ESPN - Frank Chance
Baseball Reference - Frank Chance

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