Roger Bresnahan - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Roger Bresnahan was born on June 11, 1879 in Toledo. He became a full time professional baseball player in 1896 with Lima of the Ohio State League as a pitcher and a catcher. He made his major league debut on August 27, 1897 with the Washington Senators of the National League. He was released in the spring of 1898 when he held out for more money, and spent the next 2 seasons in the minors split between Toledo and Minneapolis. In 1901, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles of the American League. He spent 2 seasons with the Orioles as a utility player. When the Orioles manager John McGraw moved to the New York Giants in 1902, Bresnahan was one of several players who followed him.

Bresnahan was the Giants regular centerfield in 1903. He finished second in the National League in on base percentage. However, by 1905 Bresnahan had become the Giants primary catcher. He was also their leadoff hitter, which was unheard of even in the Deadball Era. He was the catcher for the Giants in the 1905 World Series, which the Giants won in 5 games.

After a beaning, Bresnahan began to experiment with equipment. In 1907 he began to wear shin pads. Other players taunted him, and the shin guards were the subject of a protest by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but by 1909 they became standard equipment for most catchers. Bresnahan added padding to the wire catchers mask he used, an innovation still used to this day. He was the first Major League player to wear a batting helmet.

In 1909, Bresnahan was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was named the Cardinals player-manager. In his first 2 seasons the Cardinals finished 7th in the 8 team National League. By this time, he was a part time player. In 1911, the Cards were in contention for the pennant most of the year before finishing 5th. Bresnahan received 10% of the club's profits. In 1912, the Cardinals finished in 6th, and Bresnahan was fired as manager and released as a player. Bresnahan would later receive $20,000 from the Cardinals in a lawsuit.

In 1913, Bresnahan signed with the Chicago Cubs. He received a $25,000 signing bonus to serve as their backup catcher. The Cubs named him player-manager in 1915, but he hit .204. The Cubs finished with a losing record, and Bresnahan was fired. This marked the end of Bresnahan's major league playing career.

In 1916, Bresnahan returned to Toledo and purchased the Toledo Mud Hens of the minor league American Association. He served as the owner and player-manager of the club, though he didn't play much. He gave jobs to many of his former teammates on the downside of their careers, but the Mud Hens were usually one of the worst teams in the American Association. He sold the Mud Hens in 1924.

Bresnahan returned to the Giants as a coach in 1925. He was there until 1928. From 1930-31, he was a coach for the Detroit Tigers.

Wiped out financially in the stock market crash of 1929, Bresnahan worked manually labor and sales until he died in 1944. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

Description: Roger Bresnahan is a baseball Hall of Fame catcher. He is credited with introducing the catcher's shin guard. He modernized the catcher's mask. He was the first Major League player to wear a batter's helmet. Date of birth: 06/11/1879 Date of death: 12/04/1944 Area of notoriety: Sports Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link] Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed

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