Al Reach

Al Reach
Right fielder
Born: (1840-05-25)May 25, 1840
London, England
Died: January 14, 1928(1928-01-14) (aged 87)
Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Major-league debut
May 20, 1871, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last major-league appearance
May 21, 1875, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Major-league statistics
Batting average.247
Home runs0
Runs batted in56
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
  National Association of Base Ball Players
Brooklyn Eckfords (1861–1864)
Philadelphia Athletics (1865–1870)
  League player
Philadelphia Athletics (1871–1875)
  League manager
Philadelphia Phillies (1890)
Alfred J. Reach Historical Marker on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia

Alfred James Reach (May 25, 1840 – January 14, 1928) was an American sportsman who was one of the early stars of baseball in the National Association. After his playing career, he went on to become an influential executive, publisher, sporting goods manufacturer, and spokesman for the sport. He was influential in the founding of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1882.

Early life

Reach was born in London, on May 25, 1840.

Career

Reach was a regular for the champion Eckford club in Brooklyn in the early 1860s before moving to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1865, where he became the first publicly professional baseball player. When the National Association began, he helped them win the first professional baseball pennant in 1871.

Upon his retirement from playing, he helped found the Philadelphia Phillies franchise in 1882. Reach served as team president from 1883 to 1899. Later, similarly to Albert Spalding, Reach formed a sporting goods company and earned millions. In fact, he sold his company to Spalding in 1889. Reach was the trade name used on the game balls for the American League until 1976.

Reach kept his interest in the Phillies franchise, selling to a syndicate led by James Potter in 1903.

Death

Reach died at age 87 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and is interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

A Pennsylvania historical marker was dedicated on April 4, 2003 at 1820 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia for Reach's contribution to baseball.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 History for Alfred James Reach Archived 2012-04-28 at the Wayback Machine at webcemetaries.com
  2. ↑ Warrington, Robert D. "Entering the National League: The Phillies' Bumpy Journey". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Al Reach Statistics at baseball-reference.com
  4. ↑ "Society in Baseball". The New York Times. March 1, 1903.
  5. ↑ "Pennsylvania Historical Marker Search". PHMC. Retrieved November 3, 2018.