Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-28
NAP LAJO|E QUITS :
DIAMOND FOR GOOD
Famous Player, in Game 23
Years, Is Ready to Set .
tie Down.

CLEVELAND, December IS. - Ma
poleon L.ajoie, king of second basemen
for twenty years. announces his
retirement from the game OF which he
has been one of the greatest figures
In breaking the news Lajoie said:
Il have been a professional ball
player for twenty-three seasons. That
is the skiddoo number and it dts my
case exactly. Twenty-three years is
fairly long time to stick to the old
game.
81 guess could get in pretty good
shape to play once more. but there
is no use of my saying that 1 could
come back and be as good as l used
to be, for I can't. And I am tired OF
getting in shape and think 1t about
time / should settle down in Cleve-
| land for the entire year instead OF
merely the winter time. Mrs. Lajoie
| wants me to quit. She has wanted mo
to do SO for several years. and now
she finds me of the same opinion
Now Salesman.
| Lajoie is employed as a salesman
at the Cleveland branch of the Miller
Rubber Company. in which company
| he is also stockholder. He also may
enter the semi-pro ranks next sum-
| mer, but is not keen about doing so,
to get in a few hours OF practice each
week in addition to keeping busy on
Sundays. But that is question he
will not decide until next spring.
J.. C. McGin. owner Of the 1ndianap-
ellis club. has an option on Lajoie's
| ton. which expires January l. 10 not
likely to be taken up. as McGill wants
| a cheaper man to run his BAH clu1
and Lajoie commanded salary OF
| $1,000 last season.
ball with the Fall River, Mass. team
! I'm 1896. and his work was so sensa-
tional that he, with Phil Geter. was
purchased by the Philadelphia Ma
! tional League club before the season
Terminated. He was put on first base
by William J. Shettsline. who was
then acting as manager of the team.
The next year Larry divided his time
between playing first and the outheld:
then found his natural position when
George Stallings, who had assumed
charge of the club in 1897, put him at
,second base to start the 1898 CAM
paign. Lajoie stuck with the pills
until the end of the 1900 race, then
Topped to the Athletics in 1901. when
the American League began its Ia
nous raid on the National League.
He played phenomenal ball for the
athletics that year. hitting for .422.
making 145 hits in 131 games.
Barred From Pennsylvania
The next year an injunction gotten
| out by the Philadelphia Nationals pre-
vented him from playing in Pennsyl-
! vania, so he was transferred to Cleve.
land, where he played until the end
| of the 1914 season. When he Joined
Cleveland in 1902 he signed at a
salary of $4,000 for four years. He
| 1909. At the end of the 1914 season
| Laioie was transferred to the
Athletics. He played with the Mack
men during 1915 and 1916, and in 1917
| played first base for and managed
| the Toronto club. winning the Inter-
| national League championship that
year. it being the first time he ever
! played with a champion team. Last
summer he handled the Indianapolis
| club, with poor results.
! Four times Lajoie led the Ameri-
can League batters and four times he
| managed to make more than 200 hits.
During his twenty-one years in the
| majors Lajoie collected 3,243 base
| hits, for a grand average of 1888. and
scored more than 1900 runs. He ac-
cepted more than $4,000 fielding
chances, making only 502 errors. his
grand average at first, second and
third bases. shortstop and the out
field being .966.
Larry was born at Woonsocket.
R. l., September $. 1875. He stands
six feet one inch and in playing con-
dition weighs 1915 pounds.