Israel Emanuel Pike (also known as Jacob Pike or Jay Pike;[1] December 1853 – February 10, 1925) was an American 19th-century baseball outfielder who played in one Major League Baseball game during the 1877 season.

Israel Pike
Outfielder
Born: December 1853
New York
Died: February 10, 1925 (aged 71)
Nassau County, New York
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
August 27, 1877, for the Brooklyn Hartfords
Last MLB appearance
August 27, 1877, for the Brooklyn Hartfords
MLB statistics
Batting average.250
Home runs0
hits1
Teams

Baseball career

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Pike batted and threw left-handed. He was Jewish.[2] His brother, Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike, had much more renown and is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Pike's major league career, statistically speaking, was only slightly different than that of Red Bluhm, Eddie Gaedel, or Moonlight Graham. On August 27, 1877, he appeared in one game for the Brooklyn Hartfords of the National League. Pike connected one hit in four at bats in his only game for a .250 batting average, but he made an error in the outfield.[3]

Pike also played the outfield for the Lowell, Massachusetts team that won the 1875 state championship and claimed the New England title. That same year, he also served as an umpire in the National Association.

References

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  1. ^ "Jay Pike". Jewish Baseball News. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Big League Jews". Jewish Sports Review. 12 (137): 20. January–February 2020.
  3. ^ Note that although baseball-reference.com says his only game was played in right field, a contemporaneous box score from The New York Times reports that he played center field. The box score also credits him with a putout that is omitted from the baseball-reference.com version of his record. See "Base-Ball: The Cincinnati Red Stockings Defeated by the Brooklyn Hartfords" (PDF), The New York Times, p. 2, August 28, 1877
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