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How Baseball Star Patsy Tebeau Threatening To Have Fans Hurt An Umpire Backfired Spectacularly
An early MLB star thought he could intimidate an umpire into giving him calls — he was wrong
During a 13-year big league playing career, Patsy Tebeau established himself as a hard-nosed star. Playing during a era when thr scrappiness of both players and umpires was the norm, Tebeau’s ferocity stood out; a testament to exactly how tough he was. He could be intimidating, but not everyone took the bait. This included well-known umpire Tim Hurst, who once found himself the subject of a threat by the feisty infielder, but quickly turned it around on him.
Starting his career as a third baseman, Tebeau eventually moved across the diamond to first base due to a less than lethal throwing arm. Between 1897; 1889–1900, he played for four teams, spending nine of those years with the Cleveland Spiders. He was considered a good defender with enough bat to make him a dual threat.
In 1,167 career games, the right-handed hitter batted a combined .279 with 27 home run, 735 RBIs and 164 stolen bases. His best year came in 1893 with Cleveland when he hit .329 with two homers, 102 RBIs and 19 steals.
