Albert Henry Bridwell (January 4, 1884 in Friendship, Ohio - January 23, 1969 in Portsmouth, Ohio) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the a number of teams in the early 20th century, most notably the New York Giants, when the team was managed by John McGraw. Bridwell hit the single which caused the crucial "Merkle boner" running error of the 1908 season against the Chicago Cubs. The error ended up costing the Giants the pennant. He batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.
Bridwell never played in a World Series. Midway through the 1911 season, he was traded by the Giants, who would go on to play in the 1911 World Series, to the Boston Rustlers. He played his final two years in the Federal League. In 1252 career games, Bridwell batted .255 with 348 RBIs. He had 1064 hits, with 95 doubles and 32 triples in 4169 at bats.
Bridwell had this to say about the reason why John McGraw was a great manager: "he knew how to handle men, some players he rode and others he didn't. He got the most out of each man." Bridwell's pugnaciousness fit right in with McGraw's style of play. He once punched McGraw in the nose, earning a two game suspension. [1] Bridwell is also profiled in Lawrence Ritter's book The Glory of their Times. He died at age 85 and had one daughter.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
References[]
- ↑ Bak, Richard (1999). New York Giants: A Baseball Album. Arcadia Publishing.