[GeoPoto]

Player #149B: Fred W. "Fritz" Schulte. Center fielder for the Washington Senators in 1933-1935. 1,241 hits and 47 home runs in 11 MLB seasons. He had a career OBP of .362. He debuted with the St. Louis Browns in 1927. His best year was 1932 for St. Louis as he posted a .373 OBP with 106 runs scored in 639 plate appearances. He also posted a .366 OBP with 98 runs scored in 622 plate appearances in 1933 as Washington won the AL pennant. He finished his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1936-1937.

From Schulte's SABR biography we get the highlights of his time in Washington: Schulte got off to a hot start (in 1933) and had his average over .400 as late as May 10. Despite missing time after breaking a finger, he was still hitting .330 in late July. By then the rest of the Washington lineup was picking up any slack. Schulte hit and fielded well enough that fans soon stopped lamenting the loss of (Sam) West (who had been part of the deal to obtain him).

In a potent Senators lineup, Schulte held his own: second in runs scored (98), fourth in RBIs (87), and fifth in hits (162, one behind Goslin). On a team with four regulars who hit .302 or higher, Schulte’s .295 was just sixth best. As a team, Washington hit a league-leading .287.

Schulte’s numbers fell off after the All-Star break, when he was hitting .337 with a .406 on-base percentage. His second-half average was .259 with a .329 OBP. After an ice-cold August (.191), however, Schulte hit .316 in September. So, he was ready when the Senators, AL champs for the first time since 1925, faced the Giants in the World Series.

In Game Five, with two men on base in the sixth, he homered on the first pitch from Hal Schumacher to tie it, 3-3. The game, played in Washington, remained tied after nine. With two outs in the 10th, Ott hit a 2-2 pitch to deep center. As in the 1924 and ’25 Series, outfield depths had been reduced to increase Griffith Stadium’s seating capacity. Fans were allowed behind a low barrier erected in front of the outfield walls. Schulte went back on Ott’s fly and leaped near the barrier. His glove tipped the ball, which ended up in the temporary bleachers. At first, Cy Pfirman, the second base umpire, ruled it a double, but after consulting with his colleagues, the hit was correctly ruled a home run.

In the bottom of the inning, Dolf Luque allowed a two-out single to player-manager Joe Cronin and walked Schulte before striking out Kuhel to give the Giants a 4-3 win and the championship.

Despite Washington’s defeat in the World Series, Schulte was received as a conquering hero when he returned home to Belvidere. He was well-known locally as newspapers had chronicled his baseball career.

“The Washington centerfielder was greeted at the station by a 75-piece band, which headed a parade staged in his honor,” the Washington Post reported. “A banquet was held at a local country club to mark ‘Schulte Day.’”

(This thread will now enjoy (yet another) pause. Expected restart is 16 February,)