Frank "Home Run" Baker Glove

[cguidi]

Thank you so much for all the info. I knew I could count on the Net54 community... there is such an incredible wealth of knowledge on this forum. I know the odds of proving either of them "game used" by Baker will be virtually slim to none but you never know...

JD you are right... it looks like the glove credits Baker's HR's through the 1919 season although it counts three less HRs than Baseball-Reference does through that year. It looks like BR gave him 11 HRs in 1911 and 9 HRs in 1914 where the glove only gives him 9 and 8.

BR Glove
1908 0 0
1909 4 4
1910 2 2
1911 11 9
1912 10 10
1913 12 12
1914 9 8
1916 10 10
1917 6 6
1918 6 6
1919 10 10
1921 9
1922 7
96 77

[cguidi]

The 1912 Reach Baseball Guide credits Baker with 9 home runs in 1911 which is consistent with what is written on the glove but two fewer than baseball-reference now gives him credit for. I wonder where those two extra home runs came from and when they were credited... here is a screen shot.

[cguidi]

According to the Spalding 1915 guide Baker only had 8 HRs in 1914... again correct to the glove but one less than he is given credit for today...

[Baseball Glove Collector]

Historians and statisticians probably re-examined old games over the years and adjusted his home run total similar to Ty Cobb and his hits. I remember growing up in the 70's and 80's that Ty Cobb had 4,191 hits. That's what my baseball cards said and that's what I always knew. I was like Rainman quoting stats as a kid. Then, later over the years, it was found that two of hits were double counted in a game (or something like that) so they adjusted his hit total to 4,189. It was hard to reprogram my brain. Ha.

JD