// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Perry Werden? A baseball player who's a werden-ful hitter?
| Perry Werden | |
|---|---|
 Werden with the Louisville Colonels in 1897 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: July 21, 1861 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: January 9, 1934 (aged 72) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Major league debut | |
| April 24, 1884, for the St. Louis Maroons | |
| Last major league appearance | |
| October 3, 1897, for the Louisville Colonels | |
| Major league statistics | |
| Batting average | .282 |
| Hits | 774 |
| Runs batted in | 439 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Perry Wheritt Werden (July 21, 1861 – January 9, 1934), nicknamed "Peach Pie Perry" and "Moose", was an American professional baseball player who primarily played first base. During a professional career that spanned 25 years, he played for six major league clubs: the St. Louis Maroons, Washington Nationals, Toledo Maumees, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Browns, and Louisville Colonels. He also played for a number of minor league teams, most notably the Minneapolis Millers of the Western League.
While playing for Minneapolis, Werden set the single season record for home runs in Organized Baseball twice in two years, hitting 43 in 1894 and 45 in 1895. The latter would stand as the record until 1920, when Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs for the New York Yankees.
Career
[edit]Werden played as a pitcher in 1884 where he had a 12–1 win–loss record (leading the Union Association in winning percentage at .923). During this season, he helped the Maroons win the first and only Union Association pennant.
Werden had a remarkable minor league career. For the Minneapolis Millers of the Western League in 1894, he hit .417 with 42 home runs. The next season, he improved in both categories, hitting .428 with 45 home runs.[1][2] These were astounding home run totals for the time (helped by the short outfield fence distance at their home field): for example, Sam Thompson led the National League in home runs with 18 in 1895. No one would hit more than 29 until Babe Ruth hit 54 in 1920. Werden retired with a career .341 batting average with five home run titles in the minor leagues.
He died of a heart attack on January 9, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the age of 68, and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.[1][3]
See also
[edit]Sources
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Rice, Stephen V. "Perry Werden". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ↑ Rippel, Joel. "Perry Werden's Record-Setting 1895 Season and the 1890s Minneapolis Millers". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Perry Werden". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- 1861 births
- 1934 deaths
- 19th-century American sportsmen
- 19th-century baseball players
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- Baltimore Orioles (AA) players
- Baseball players from St. Louis
- Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery
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- Hattiesburg Tar Heels players
- Indianapolis Indians players
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- Louisville Colonels players
- Major League Baseball first basemen
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- Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
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