page_title: Paul Waner
section_title: Pittsburgh Pirates
hierarchical_section_title: Paul Waner / Major League Baseball career / Pittsburgh Pirates
caption_attribution_description: English: Professional baseball player Paul Waner Português: O jogador de beisebol profissional Paul Waner
context_page_description: Paul Glee Waner, nicknamed "Big Poison", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for four teams between 1926 and 1945, most notably playing his first 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The greatest Pirate outfielder up to his retirement, he won the 1927 NL Most Valuable Player Award in his second season, collecting a team record 237 hits that year. Waner set the team record for doubles in a season three times, including in 1932 when he set the NL record for doubles in a season with 62. In the only postseason appearance of his career, he hit .333 in the Pirates' 1927 World Series loss against the New York Yankees. Waner won three National League batting titles, led the NL in hits twice and collected over 200 hits in eight seasons from 1926 to 1934.
  On June 19, 1942, Waner became the seventh member of the 3,000 hit club, with a single off of Rip Sewell. He led the NL in putouts four times and holds the career record for most putouts by a right fielder. His 191 triples are 10th all time, and his 605 doubles are 14th all time. A career .333 hitter he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
context_section_description: In October 1925, the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League purchased Waner and teammate Hal Rhyne from the Seals for $100,000. On April 17, 1926, against the Cincinnati Reds, he collected his first major league hit. On August 26, Waner collected 6 hits in 6 at-bats during a game against the Giants, and he accomplished this feat using 6 different bats from 6 different players. He ended his first season with a .336 batting average and led the NL in triples with 22. He also finished 12th in MVP voting as the Pirates finished in third place, 4.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. By his second season with the Pirates he and younger brother Lloyd Waner had become stars; combined they accumulated 460 hits in the 1927 season. The 1927 season was a standout year for Paul. He played in a career high 155 games (which led the league), and led the NL in hits (237), a team record, triples (18), batting average (.380) and RBIs (131). He set the major league record for consecutive games with an extra-base hit, with 14 (June 3–19, 1927); since then this feat has also been accomplished by Chipper Jones in 2006. His team went to the 1927 World Series that season. In the only postseason appearance of his career, he went 5-for-15 with 3 RBIs and a .333 batting average, but the Pirates were swept by the New York Yankees. In recognition for his performance during the 1927 season, the National League awarded him the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
  Waner hit .370 and led the NL in runs scored (142, a career high) and doubles (50) in 1928. His 223 hits in 1928 were tied (with his younger brother Lloyd) for second most in team history. He set a career high with 15 home runs in 1929. He also collected at least 200 hits for the third season in a row and hit .336 with 43 doubles and 100 RBIs for the second place Pirates. Playing in only 145 games (the fewest since his rookie year) during the 1930 season, he still recorded 217 hits with a .368 batting average and 117 runs. By his measure, 1931 was a disappointing year for Waner who was injured and missed time during spring training. Nonetheless, he still hit .322 with 180 hits in 150 games. The Pirates finished below .500, with a 75–79 record, for the first time in Paul's career.
  Coming off a down year, Waner hit .341 in 1932 with 215 hits (his fifth season with over 200 hits). He played in all 154 games, and set the National League record for doubles in a season with 62. During a game on May 12, he hit 4 doubles which tied a major league record for doubles hit in a game. In 1933 he hit for a career low .309, the first time his average dipped below .320, and recorded 191 hits. The 1933 season was also the first year that Major League Baseball hosted the inaugural MLB All-Star Game, for which Waner was selected as a reserve outfielder. The Pirates finished second in the NL in both 1932 and 1933, first four games behind the Chicago Cubs and then five games behind the New York Giants.
  He won his second NL batting title in 1934, hitting .362 and leading the league in hits (217), his sixth time collecting 200 or more hits, and runs (122). He finished 2nd in MVP voting and was selected to his second MLB All-Star Game. In 1935 it was suggested by manager Pie Traynor that Waner give up hard liquor and switch to beer, and this resulted in Waner only hitting .242 on May 18. Traynor and Waner went to a bar before playing the Giants on May 19, and when Waner ordered a beer Traynor said, "He will like Hell. Give him a shot of whiskey." After that Waner hit .331 in the remaining games to finish the season with a batting average of .321 with 78 RBIs and 176 hits in 139 games. In 1935 he was selected to his third MLB All-Star Game. In 1936, he won his third NL batting title with a batting average of .373, the second highest of his career, while collecting 94 RBIs (his third highest in his career), 53 doubles (2nd highest), and 218 hits. He collected over 200 hits for the final time in 1937, when he had a .354 batting average, while driving in 74. The 1937 season was the eighth time he collected 200 or more hit
caption: Waner, circa 1927
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