View source for Lou Criger

{{Short description|American baseball player (1872–1934)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Lou Criger
|image=Lou Criger Baseball.jpg
|position=[[Catcher]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1872|2|3}}
|birth_place=[[Elkhart, Indiana]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1934|5|14|1872|2|3}}
|death_place=[[Tucson, Arizona]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 21
|debutyear=1896
|debutteam=Cleveland Spiders
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 3
|finalyear=1912
|finalteam=St. Louis Browns
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.221
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=11
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=342
|teams=
* [[Cleveland Spiders]] ({{mlby|1896}}–{{mlby|1898}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Perfectos / Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1899}}–{{mlby|1900}})
* [[Boston Red Sox|Boston Americans / Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1908}})
* [[St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1909}})
* [[New York Highlanders]] ({{mlby|1910}})
* [[St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1912}})
|highlights=
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1903}})
}}
'''Louis Criger''' (February 3, 1872 – May 14, 1934) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[catcher]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) from 1896 to 1912 for the [[Cleveland Spiders]], [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Perfectos / Cardinals]], [[Boston Red Sox|Boston Americans / Red Sox]], [[St. Louis Browns]] and [[New York Highlanders]]. Listed at {{convert|5|ft|10|in}} and {{convert|165|lb}}, he batted and threw right-handed.

==Biography==
[[File:Boston Americans catcher Lou Criger - DPLA - 18a42c7fb8fec10eeb0334ae36cb4522.jpg|alt=Boston Americans catcher Lou Criger, 1901. Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy Collection, Boston Public Library|left|thumb|Boston Americans catcher Lou Criger, 1901. Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy Collection, Boston Public Library]]
Criger began his major league career with two games for the [[Cleveland Spiders]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in 1896.<ref name=retro/> At the time, [[Cy Young]] was a pitcher for the Spiders; Young and Criger would remain teammates through 1908.<ref name=cy>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Y/Pyounc102.htm |title=Cy Young |website=[[Retrosheet]] |accessdate=October 18, 2020}}</ref> During the 1897–1908 seasons, Young won 284 games,<ref name=cy/> with Criger catching many of them. After playing for Cleveland through 1898, Criger and Young played in St. Louis in 1899 and 1900, then moved to the new [[American League]] franchise in Boston in 1901.<ref name=retro/><ref name=cy/> Criger was the first [[Opening Day]] catcher in the team's history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1901/B04260BLA1901.htm |title=Baltimore Orioles 10, Boston Americans 6 |date=April 26, 1901 |website=[[Retrosheet]] |accessdate=October 18, 2020}}</ref> In the first modern [[World Series]] in {{wsy|1903}}, he caught every inning of every game for Boston, helping his team win the championship.  Criger was also the catcher for [[Cy Young's perfect game]], the first [[perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in American League history, on May 5, 1904.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/05051904.shtml |title=Cy Young Perfect Game Box Score |website=[[Baseball Almanac]] |accessdate=October 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-5-1904-cy-young-pitches-a-perfect-game/ |title=May 5, 1904: Cy Young pitches a perfect game |first=Jerrod |last=Cotosman |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |accessdate=October 18, 2020}}</ref> Criger and Young remained with Boston through the 1908 season,<ref name=retro/><ref name=cy/> the first year of the team being known as the Red Sox. Criger then spent the 1909 season with the [[St. Louis Browns]] and the 1910 season with the [[New York Highlanders]]; he finished his major league career with a single game for the Browns in 1912.<ref name=retro/>

In a 16-season major league career, Criger [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .221—collecting 709 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in 3202 [[at bat]]s—with 11 [[home run]]s and 342 [[runs batted in|RBIs]].<ref name=retro/> He had 58 [[stolen base]]s and scored 337 [[run (baseball)|run]]s.<ref name=retro>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pcrigl101.htm |title=Lou Criger |website=[[Retrosheet]] |accessdate=October 18, 2020}}</ref> Although never a major star, Criger received votes for the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in four years of balloting (1936–1939). He garnered a high of eight percent of the vote, being named on 16 of 201 ballots, in the [[1937 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1937 balloting]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baseballhall.org/hall-famers/bbwaa-voting/year?year=1937 |title=BBWAA Results by Year |website=baseballhall.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612045808/http://baseballhall.org/hall-famers/bbwaa-voting/year?year=1937 |archive-date=June 12, 2012 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref>

Criger served as coach of the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball]] team in early 1907,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61375452/lou-criger-to-coach-notre-dame/ |title=Lou Criger to Coach Notre Dame |newspaper=[[Quad-City Times]] |location=[[Davenport, Iowa]] |page=12 |date=January 20, 1907 |accessdate=October 18, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> until he had to report to Boston's [[spring training]] in mid-March.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61375786/criger-joins-boston-team/ |title=Criger Joins Boston Team |newspaper=[[Indianapolis News]] |page=10 |date=March 14, 1907 |accessdate=October 18, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Born in February 1872 in Indiana, Criger died in May 1934 in [[Tucson, Arizona]]; he was survived by his wife, one daughter, and five sons.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61373647/lou-criger-who-was-cy-youngs-mate/ |title=Lou Criger, Who Was Cy Young's Mate, Dies |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[Standard-Speaker]] |location=[[Hazleton, Pennsylvania]] |page=13 |date=May 17, 1934 |accessdate=October 18, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/lou-criger/ |first=Steve |last=Krah |title=Lou Criger |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |accessdate=October 18, 2020}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats |mlb=112826 |br=c/crigelo01 |brm=criger001lou |retro=C/Pcrigl101}}
* {{findagrave|13815245}}

{{Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball coach navbox}}
{{1903 Boston Americans}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Criger, Lou}}
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1934 deaths]]
[[Category:Boston Americans players]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Spiders players]]
[[Category:New York Highlanders players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Browns players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Indiana]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Kalamazoo Celery Eaters players]]
[[Category:Kalamazoo Kazoos players]]
[[Category:Kalamazoo Zooloos players]]
[[Category:Fort Wayne Farmers players]]
[[Category:Boyne City Boosters players]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Elkhart, Indiana]]