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{{Short description|American baseball player (1854–1927)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Charlie Bennett
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|position=[[Catcher]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1854|11|21}}
|birth_place=[[New Castle, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1927|2|24|1854|11|21}}
|death_place=[[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
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|finalteam=Boston Beaneaters
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.256
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
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*[[Detroit Wolverines]] ([[1881 in baseball|1881]]–[[1888 in baseball|1888]])
*[[Boston Beaneaters]] ([[1889 in baseball|1889]]–[[1893 in baseball|1893]])
}}
'''Charles Wesley Bennett''' (November 21, 1854 – February 24, 1927) was an American professional [[baseball]] player from 1875 or 1876 through the 1893 season. He played 15 years in [[Major League Baseball]], principally as a [[catcher]], with the [[Milwaukee Grays]] (49 games, 1878), [[Worcester Ruby Legs]] (51 games, 1880), [[Detroit Wolverines]] (625 games, 1881–1888) and [[Boston Beaneaters]] (337 games, 1889–1893). He played on four pennant-winning teams, one in Detroit and three in Boston, and is one of only two players (the other being [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]]) to play with the Detroit Wolverines during all eight seasons of the club's existence.
Bennett compiled a .256 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and a .340 [[on-base percentage]] during his major league career with 549 [[Run (baseball)|runs]] scored, 203 [[Double (baseball)|doubles]], 67 [[Triple (baseball)|triples]], 55 [[home run]]s and 533 [[run batted in|runs batted in]] (RBIs). His greatest value, however, was as one of the greatest defensive players of his era. Between 1880 and 1891, he ranked among the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] leaders 10 times in [[Wins Above Replacement|Defensive Wins Above Replacement]] (Defensive WAR) at all positions and led the league's catchers seven times in [[fielding percentage]] and three times in [[double play]]s and [[putout]]s.<ref name=BR/>
Bennett's baseball career ended in January 1894 when he lost both legs in a train accident in Kansas. In 1896, Detroit's new baseball stadium was named [[Bennett Park (Detroit)|Bennett Park]] in his honor. The [[Detroit Tigers]] played their home games at Bennett Park from 1896 through the 1911 season. Bennett has also been credited with inventing the first [[Catcher#Equipment|chest protector]], an improvised cork-lined vest that he wore under his uniform.
==Early years==
Bennett was born in [[New Castle, Pennsylvania]], in 1854.<ref name=BR>{{cite web|title=Charlie Bennett Statistics and History|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 9, 2014|url=
==Professional baseball player==
===Neshannock===
Bennett began his career in organized baseball as the catcher for the [[Neshannock Township
===Detroit Aetnas===
At the end of the 1876 season, at age 22, Bennett signed with the Detroit Aetnas. The Aetnas were originally an amateur baseball team, but the club signed several professional players at the end of the 1876 season to aid in a rivalry with the Cass Club of Detroit. The professional players signed by the Aetnas included three members of the Neshannock team—Bennett, [[George Creamer]] and [[Ned Williamson]].<ref name=TSN/><ref name=DFP89>{{cite news|title=Record of the Aetnas: The Four Years' Career of the Club Was a Brilliant One
===Milwaukee Grays===
Some sources state that Bennett signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1877 and played in one game for that team.<ref name=Poor/> He ultimately signed a contract to play in 1877 for the [[Milwaukee]] club at a salary of $150 per month.<ref name=DFP13/> During Bennett's first season with Milwaukee, the team was part of the [[League Alliance]], which has been classified as a minor league.<ref name=Minor>{{cite web|title=Charlie Bennett Minor League Statistics|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 9, 2014|url=
===Worcester Ruby Legs===
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In 1879, after the Milwaukee club disbanded,<ref name=DFP94/> Bennett joined the [[Worcester Ruby Legs]], a team organized and managed by [[Frank Bancroft]]. The team played in the National Association, which has been rated as having been a minor league in 1879. Bennett began at Worcester as a backup catcher to [[Doc Bushong]], but eventually replaced Bushong.<ref name=DFP13/> Bennett hit .328 in 42 games during the 1879 season.<ref name=Minor/>
During the winter of 1879–1880, Bancroft took his team, including Bennett, on a baseball tour of [[Cuba]] and the Southern United States. Bennett stayed in [[New Orleans]] and played for local baseball teams there until the 1880 season began.<ref name=BG>{{cite news|title=Bennett Once Ranked AS King of Backstops|newspaper=Boston Daily Globe|date=February 25, 1927|page=26|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/251063652.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Feb+25%2C+1927&author=&pub=Boston+Daily+Globe+%281923-1927%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=BENNETT+ONCE+RANKED+AS+KING+OF+BACKSTOPS|access-date=July 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714222151/https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/251063652.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Feb+25%2C+1927&author=&pub=Boston+Daily+Globe+%281923-1927%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=BENNETT+ONCE+RANKED+AS+KING+OF+BACKSTOPS|archive-date=July 14, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1880, Worcester was admitted to the National League, replacing the [[Syracuse Stars (National League)|Syracuse Stars]], and attaining major league status.<ref name=POD/> That season, Bennett appeared in 51 games, 45 of them as the team's catcher.<ref name=BR/> Bennett caught for [[Lee Richmond]], baseball's first left-handed pitching star.<ref name=DFP13/> Richmond compiled a
===Detroit Wolverines===
At the end of the 1880 season,
In his first season with Detroit, Bennett established himself as one of the best players in the National League. With a .301 batting average and a .478 slugging percentage,<ref name=BR/> Bennett's overall [[Wins Above Replacement]] (WAR) rating of 4.2 was the second highest among all of the league's position players, trailing only [[Cap Anson]] (5.8 WAR).<ref name=L81>{{cite web|title=1881 National League Batting Leaders|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 10, 2014|url=
In 1882, Bennett had another strong season, batting .301 and compiling a 4.1 WAR rating that ranked sixth in the league among position players. He also ranked among the league leaders with a .450 slugging percentage (6th), 10 triples (10th), and five home runs (4th). Defensively, he led the league's catchers with 446 putouts and a 7.94 range factor.<ref name=BR/> Bennett was the Wolverines' dominant offensive player, and helped the team to its first winning record at
In 1883, Bennett hit for a career high .305 batting average, and his 4.9 WAR rating was the third highest among the National League's position players, trailing only [[Dan Brouthers]] and [[Jack Farrell]].<ref name=L83>{{cite web|title=1883 National League Batting Leaders|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 10, 2014|url=
In 1884, matters got worse for the Wolverines, as they finished in last place with a
In June 1885, the Wolverines added another slugger in [[Sam Thompson]], and the team improved incrementally to sixth place with a
In 1886, the Wolverines added several star players and improved substantially, finishing in second place with
The 1887 season was the pinnacle in the history of the Detroit Wolverines. The team won the National League pennant with a
During the 1887 season, an excursion of fans from Bennett's
During the 1888 season, Bennett rebounded with one of the best seasons of his career. His overall 4.2 WAR rating was the third highest of Bennett's career, and his 2.2 Defensive WAR rating was the highest of his career and the second highest in the National League. Despite being the eighth oldest player in the league, he broke his own major league record with a .966 fielding percentage.<ref name=BR/> The Wolverines as a whole finished in fifth place with a
===Chest protector===
Bennett has been credited with inventing the first chest protector worn by catchers.<ref name=TSNO/> According to Bennett, his wife worried about his safety as "a target for the speed merchants" and saw a need for a form of body armor to protect her husband from broken ribs. Bennett and his wife designed a homemade shield by sewing thick strips of cork between layers of "heavy bedticking material
===Durability as a catcher===
During Bennett's era, catchers lacked the protective equipment present in 20th
Most catchers of the 1870s and 1880s minimized wear and tear on their hands by playing some games at other positions. For example, the three "catchers" from the era who have been inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] each played less than half of their games as a catcher: (1) [[Buck Ewing]], often cited as the greatest catcher of the 19th century, played only 636 of his 1,345 games (47%) as a catcher;<ref name=Buck/> (2) [[King Kelly]] played only 583 of his 1,455 games (40%) at catcher;<ref>{{cite web|title=King Kelly|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=
Bennett's durability came not from avoiding injuries, but from playing through them. When he broke another finger during the [[1887 World Series]], ''The New York Times'' reported:<blockquote>
Accounts of Bennett's mangled or gnarled hands and fingers are common. In his book, ''Catcher: The Evolution of an American Folk Hero'', Peter Morris cited one such account:<blockquote>Bennett 'declared that only a sissy would use a padded glove with the fingers and thumb cut off. During one of the games in which he figured a foul ball split the left thumb of Bennett's hand from the tip right down to the palm. The flesh was laid open right to the bone. A doctor who examined it immediately told Bennett that it would be necessary for him to quit the game until such time as the thumb healed sufficiently. The physician pointed out ... that blood poisoning might set in which would cause him the loss not only of the thumb but perhaps a hand or an arm. But despite all the doctor's caution Bennett remained in the game catching day after day with his horribly mangled finger. He kept a bottle of antiseptic and a wad of cotton batting on the bench and between innings would devote his time to washing out the wound.'<ref>{{cite book|author=Peter Morris|title=Catcher: The Evolution of an American Folk Hero|pages=208–209|publisher=Government Institutes|year=2009 |isbn=
Another account arises out of the 1889 pennant race. That year, Bennett played for the [[Boston Beaneaters]] in a close pennant race with the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]. Bennett's hands had taken a beating while catching for [[John Clarkson]], who won 49 games and pitched five games a week during the season. On the last day of the season, Boston had to win, and New York had to lose for Boston to finish in first place. By the sixth inning, second baseman [[Hardy Richardson]] told the manager, [[Jim Hart (
Despite the physical battering and breaking every finger on both hands, Bennett was able to continue catching for 20 years (1874–1893).<ref name=BR/><ref name=Minor/> His total of 954 major league games at catcher stood as the record until 1897.<ref name=Catch/>
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===Boston Beaneaters===
[[File:Charlie Bennett-2.jpg|thumb|right|155px|Bennett, c. 1891, with the Boston Beaneaters]]
After a brief dispute with the Boston management with respect to his salary, Bennett signed a contract with the club In January 1889.<ref name=BG89>{{cite news|title=Bennett Signed: Boston Gets a Famous Backstop; His Record While in the League|newspaper=Boston Daily Globe|date=January 22, 1889|page=5|url=
In 1890, Bennett remained with the Beaneaters even though he had in 1886 joined the [[Brotherhood of Professional Base-Ball Players]], the union that represented the players and organized the [[Players' League]] in response to unfair treatment by team owners. As a member of the Brotherhood, his refusal to play in the Players' League was criticized by many of his fellow Brotherhood members. [[Hardy Richardson]], a Brotherhood representative and former teammate of Bennett, stated that Bennett offered to sign with the Brotherhood only if he was given a three-year contract guaranteed by two responsible men.<ref name=Foxy/> Some reports indicated that former Detroit manager [[Robert Leadley]] was paid $1,000 to convince Bennett to remain with the Beaneaters and that Bennett was himself paid a substantial signing bonus.<ref name=Poor/><ref name=Foxy>{{cite news|title=Foxy Charley Bennett: Director Hart Returns Unsuccessful; League Offers a $2500 Bonus and $1000 Blood Money|date=February 11, 1890|page=5|url=
Bennett became the catcher for Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, [[Kid Nichols]], in 1890, as Nichols compiled a
In 1891, Bennett appeared in 75 games, all as a catcher, for a Boston team that won the National League pennant with an
In 1892, [[King Kelly]] took over as the Beaneaters' number one catcher. In a backup role, Bennett, at age 37, appeared in 35 games as Boston's catcher. The team continued to play well, winning its second consecutive National League pennant with a
In 1893, Bennett returned to his role as the team's number one catcher, appearing in 60 games at the position. In that role, he helped Boston win its third consecutive National League pennant with an
===Train accident===
[[File:John Clarkson Baseball.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[John Clarkson]], who won 49 games in 1889, was traveling with Bennett when his legs were crushed.]]
While playing for Boston, Bennett returned each year to his home in Detroit for the off-season, and also traveled with his dog to [[Williamsburg, Kansas]], for extended hunting trips. In 1894, Bennett was joined on his annual hunting trip by pitcher [[John Clarkson]]. On January 10, 1894, Bennett's legs were crushed by a [[Santa Fe Railroad]] passenger train in [[Wellsville, Kansas]], while traveling from Kansas City to Williamsburg.<ref name=Poor>{{cite news|author=T.H. Murnane|title=Poor Bennett: Both of His Legs Cut Off at Wellsville, Kan.; Close of a Brilliant Career on the Baseball Field; He Led League Catchers Many Years; Sorrow of All Members of Champion Bostons; Will Live if Blood Poisoning Does Not Set In|newspaper=Boston Daily Globe |date=Jan 12, 1894 |page=8 |url=
Bennett stepped off the train to talk to an old friend who lived in Kansas and whom Bennett had arranged to greet when the train stopped at Wellsville. It was raining, and the [[Railway platform|platform]] was wet. When the train started moving, Bennett "swung around to catch the railing", but his foot slipped, and his left foot went over the rail. Bennett pushed his right leg against the rail to push himself back, but it also slipped and went over the track. The train's wheels ran over his left foot and right leg at the knee.<ref name=PCB>{{cite news|title=Poor Charley Bennett: The Afflicted Catcher Recites His Baseball Creer|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=June 23, 1894|page=4}}</ref><ref name=TSN94/><ref>{{cite news|title=Bennett's Recovery Assured: Boston's Great Catcher is Gaining Much Faster Than Was Expected|newspaper=Boston Daily Globe|date=January 19, 1894|page=2|url=
That evening, doctors at the North Ottawa Hospital in [[Ottawa, Kansas]], amputated Bennett's left leg just above the ankle and his right leg just above the knee.<ref name=TSN2/> In June 1894, he was fitted with artificial limbs, but his baseball career was over.<ref name=TSN94>{{cite news|title=Maimed Bennett: Interesting News About the Great and Popular Ex-Catcher; Quite Recovered From the Dreadful Accident Which Deprived Him of His Legs Cheerful and Hopeful For the Future|newspaper=The Sporting Life|date=June 2, 1894|page=5|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1894/VOL_23_NO_10/SL2310005.pdf}}</ref> In August 1894, a benefit to raise money for Bennett was held at Boston's [[South End Grounds]]; the event included a baseball game between the Boston team and a team of collegiate players as well as foot races and other attractions.<ref>{{cite news|title=Charley Bennett's Benefit: It Will be a 'Corker' -- Exercises at the Ball Grounds – Charlie Arrives – Subscription Fund|newspaper=Boston Daily Globe|date=August 26, 1894|page=4|url=
===Catching records and legacy===
During his 15 years in the major leagues, Bennett set numerous fielding records. Several of those records are set forth below.
* '''Fielding percentage'''. In 1882, Bennett set a major league record with a .962 [[fielding percentage]] as a catcher. He broke his own major league record in 1888 with a .966 fielding percentage. Bennett's career fielding percentage of .942 stood until 1896 as the major league career record. Bennett also led all major league catchers in fielding percentage six times; no other catcher has accomplished this feat more than four times.<ref>{{cite web|title=Progressive Leaders & Records for Fielding % as C|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 9, 2014|url=
* '''Putouts'''. In 1886, Bennett set a major league, single-season record with 445 putouts by a catcher. His career total of 5,123 putouts was also a major league record that stood until 1901.<ref>{{cite web|title=Progressive Leaders & Records for Putouts as C|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 9, 2014|url=
* '''Double plays'''. In 1887, Bennett broke the career record for most double plays turned as a catcher. His final career total of 114 double plays was the major league record until 1900.<ref>{{cite web|title=Progressive Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as C|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 9, 2014|url=
*'''Games played'''. Bennett's career total of 954 games at catcher stood as the major league record until 1897.<ref name=Catch>{{cite web|title=Progressive Leaders & Records for Def. Games as C|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 9, 2014|url=
Sports writer [[Tim Murnane]] in 1894 declared Bennett "unquestionably the greatest back stop the game ever produced, taking his throwing and batting into consideration .
Pitcher [[Lee Richmond]], whose perfect game Bennett caught in 1880, later stated that, among the catchers he had worked with, "my favorite was Charley Bennett, the best backstop that ever lived in the world. He went after everything, he knew no fear, he kept his pitcher from going into the air."<ref>{{cite news|title=Improved Game: J. Lee Richmond, Once a Great Pitcher, Is One of the Few Veterans Who Concedes Advance Base Ball|author=Elmer Bates|newspaper=The Sporting Life|date=March 19, 1910|page=12|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1910/VOL_55_NO_02/SL5502012.pdf.}}</ref>
In ''[[The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract]]'', sports historian [[Bill James]] wrote that Bennett was perhaps the best defensive catcher of the era. In comparing Bennett to [[Buck Ewing]], James noted: "Buck Ewing was supposedly a brilliant catcher, but Bennett caught 50% more innings than Ewing, with a lot fewer mistakes: per 1000 defensive innings, Ewing was charged with 59 errors and 66 passed balls, while Bennett was charged with 46 errors and 43 passed balls."<ref>{{cite book|author=Bill James|title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract|url=https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame|url-access=registration|publisher=Free Press|year=2001|isbn=9780743227223|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame/page/402 402–403]}}</ref> Although James ranked Ewing ahead of Bennett as an overall player, he chose Bennett as the catcher on his Gold Glove Team for the 1880s.<ref>Bill James, New Abstract, p. 42.</ref> On the offensive side, Ewing compiled a .303 career batting average, 47 points higher than Bennett. However, with Bennett's talent for drawing walks, Ewing's career on-base percentage (.351) was only 11 points higher than Bennett (.340).<ref name=BR/><ref name=Buck>{{cite web|title=Buck Ewing Statistics and History|work=baseball-reference.com|accessdate=July 10, 2014|url=
==Family and later years==
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When a new ballpark was opened in Detroit in 1896, it was named [[Bennett Park (Detroit)|Bennett Park]] in his honor. Bennett caught the first pitch at Bennett Park in 1896. It became a Detroit tradition for Bennett to catch the first pitch in Detroit, an honor that Bennett continued for every home opener through 1926.
In November 1926, Bennett underwent surgery at Grace Hospital in Detroit to remove "a superorbital abscess of the face."<ref name=BG26>{{cite news|title=Charley Bennett In Critical State|newspaper=Boston Daily Globe|date=November 12, 1926|page=A27|url=
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
*{{Find a Grave}}
{{1887 Detroit Wolverines}}
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[[Category:1854 births]]
[[Category:1927 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Grays players]]
[[Category:Worcester
[[Category:Detroit Wolverines players]]
[[Category:Boston Beaneaters players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from New Castle, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:Milwaukee (minor league baseball) players]]
[[Category:Worcester Grays players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople with limb difference]]
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