Ginger Beaumont

     The date is Oct. 1, 1903. The setting is Boston's Huntington Avenue Park. A crowd of 16,242 - tremendous for that era - jams the old wooden structure, as the Boston Red Sox are about to meet the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first modern-day World Series.
     Approaching the plate is Clarence Howeth "Ginger" Beaumont, who is a long way from his home of Honey Creek, Wisconsin. Beaumont flies out to center and makes history, as the first batter in World Series history.
     Beaumont went on from there to finish a 12-year career, 1899-1910, with a .311 batting average and 254 stolen bases. He won the 1902 National League batting average with a .357 average. Honus Wagner put Beaumont on his all-time team. Beaumont has his best seasons as Wagner's teammate on the Pirates. He also played for the Boston Braves and Chicago Cubs.