Newt Fisher

Isaac Newton "Ike" "Newt" Fisher (June 28, 1871 – February 28, 1947) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League in 1898. Fisher helped organize the Southern Association, a higher-level minor league, and led its Nashville Baseball Club to win the first two Southern Association pennants (1901 and 1902) as a player-manager.

Newt Fisher
Fisher with Nashville in 1902
Catcher
Born: June 28, 1871
Nashville, Tennessee
Died: February 28, 1947(1947-02-28) (aged 75)
Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 17, 1898, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
July 1, 1898, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Batting average.115
Home runs0
Runs batted in0
Teams
A black and white photograph of seventeen men sitting in three rows on the ground. Most are wearing dark coats with high white socks, but two are wearing dark baseball uniforms with a white "N" on the chests; some are wearing fielding gloves, and one is petting a dog.
Fisher owned, managed, and played for the 1901 Nashville Baseball Club, champions of the Southern Association.

Early life

Fisher was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 28, 1871.[1] His younger brother, Bob Fisher, played seven seasons in the National League from 1912 to 1919.[2]

Career

Fisher was a member of the Nashville Athletic Club. During the July 6, 1893, Southern League game between the Nashville Tigers and Memphis Fever Germs, he was recruited to temporarily take the place of injured outfielder Jack Keenan.[3] He played center field and had four at-bats with no hits in his only game with the club.[3][4]

Fisher began his professional career with the Southern League's Augusta Electricians in 1893, before joining the Atlanta Atlantas in 1894.[5] In 1895, he played for the Chattanooga Warriors/Mobile Bluebirds.[4] He continued with the Mobile Blackbirds in 1896, but also played for the Western League's Detroit Tigers.[4] He was a member of the Western League's Columbus Senators in 1897 and played most of the 1898 season with the Minneapolis Millers.[4]

Fisher made his major league debut on May 17, 1898, with the National League's Philadelphia Phillies. In nine games, he played eight at catcher and one at third base. Through his final game on July 1, Fisher recorded three hits, made one double, stole one base, and had a .115 batting average.[1] He found himself back with Minneapolis in 1899 and 1900.[4]

In late 1900, Fisher, along with other baseball men, organized a new Southern baseball league, the Southern Association. One of its charter members was the Nashville Baseball Club, which would come to be known as the Nashville Vols in 1908.[6] Fisher served as the team's owner and player-manager.[7] Under his leadership from 1901 to 1905,[4] Nashville won the first two Southern Association pennants (1901 and 1902).[8][9] Fisher sold the team and retired from baseball in 1905.[5] He briefly come out of retirement to play catcher for the South Atlantic League's Macon Peaches in 1908.[4][10]

Fisher died in Chicago on February 28, 1947.[5]

References
  1. "Ike Fisher Stats". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  2. "Bob Fisher Stats". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. "Lost the First One". Nashville Banner. Nashville. July 7, 1893. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Ike Fisher Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  5. Leonard, George K. (March 25, 1947). "First Pilot of Vols, Like Gilbert, Under Stallings". Nashville Banner. Nashville. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "'Volunteers' is the New Name for Nashville's Baseball Club". The Nashville American. Nashville. February 29, 1908. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Traughber, Bill (May 23, 2011). "Looking Back: The 1901 Nashville Vols". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  8. "Pennant Will Wave Over Athletic Park". Nashville Banner. Nashville. September 26, 1901. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Southern League Pennant". Nashville Banner. Nashville. September 22, 1902. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Notes of the Game". The Nashville American. Nashville. May 15, 1908. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
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