From the cricket fields at St. George’s in Manhattan to the storied baseball diamond of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, Yonkers legend George Wright left an enduring mark on the sports culture of New York. As a pioneer of “America’s pastime”, Wright displayed unparalleled skill and ambition in his pursuit of sporting excellence. But it was as a leader and instructor that Wright would earn his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sportsmanship and academic achievement were highly sought-after traits in Wright’s family and he engaged in competitive athletics from an early age. He gained influence and inspiration greatly from his father, who was a cricket professional at St. George’s Club of New York. An English emigrant, his father settled in Yonkers in the 1830s and instilled in Wright and his older brother Harry a love for the competition and camaraderie of team sports.
Young Prodigy to Sporting Amateur
Throughout the 1850s, the brothers spent most of their free time with their father at the cricket club. From a young age, Wright displayed a natural talent for the sport and a fondness for pursuing excellence through athleticism. He quickly moved up the ranks as an all-arounder. By age 14, Wright already received praise for his batting and bowling skills. When his father moved St. George’s Club to Hoboken, New Jersey, the young athlete transitioned from cricket to baseball.
Modern baseball was introduced by the New York City Knickerbockers Club in 1845, but versions of the game had been in development for several years prior. Across the Hudson, regional clubs began popularizing the sport and by 1862, the northeast was experiencing a baseball boom. At just 15 years old, Wright began his amateur career for the Gothams senior team, the second-oldest baseball club in the nation.
From Philadelphia to Cincinnati
As a member of the Gothams’ 1864 team, Wright played several games against the successful Philadelphia Club. With his talent on display, he impressed club owners and joined their team the following year. His tenure in Philadelphia was short, as he moved to the Washington Nationals in 1867. Wright then participated in the club’s first competitive tour of eastern cities. These included St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus, and his brother’s club in Cincinnati. As a shortstop, pitcher, and second baseman for the Nationals, Wright led his team to victory over the Cincinnati Red Stockings by a score of 53 to 10.
Sharing a close bond with his brother and determined to see baseball expand, Wright agreed to join the Cincinnati Red Stockings for the 1869 season. He signed a $1,400 annual contract to play shortstop on the first all-professional baseball team. As the St. Louis Republican noted at the time, Wright was the “the beau-ideal of base-ball players. His fielding exhibits science at every point, his picking, throwing and strategy could not be excelled, and he is plucky in facing balls of every description.” In his first season, he batted a remarkable .633 and hit 49 home runs in just 57 games.
Major League Baseball to Entrepreneur
Despite the Cincinnati Red Stockings’ undefeated tour in 1869 and 1870, the team abandoned their professional status after only two years. Undeterred, Harry assembled a new team of Red Stockings in Boston for the 1871 season. Wright soon joined the team, ultimately winning four National Association (NA) pennants over the next five years. In 1874, he led the NA with 15 triples. And he holds the NA career record for the most triples at 41. In 1876, he became the first player to bat in the National League. The Boston Red Stockings would go on to win six league championships between 1871 and 1878.
During his early years in Boston, Wright entered into business with his brother to manufacture sporting goods for baseball, cricket, golf, and tennis. Similarly to his talent for athletics, Wright was a skilled businessman and worked to grow Wright & Ditson Sporting Goods over the next several years. The company was eventually sold to Albert Spalding in 1892. He remained active in baseball for the rest of his life. Wright served as an expert on the Mills Commission in 1907, and as an umpire and demonstrator at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. For his contributions to the sport, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted George Wright into its ranks in 1937. He passed away that same year at the age of 90.
