Boss Schmidt

Schmidt began his baseball career with a semipro team in Fort Smith, Arkansas.[3] In 1901, he joined the Little Rock Travelers of the Southern Association. He then played for the Springfield Reds of the Missouri Valley League (1902-1904), the Rock Island Islanders of the Three-I League (1903), and the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association (1904-1905).[4]

In late August 1905, the Minneapolis Millers sold Schmidt and two other players to the Detroit Tigers.[5] Schmidt was initially a holdout from the Tigers' 1906 training camp, but he finally reported on March 21.[6] During the 1906 season, Schmidt appeared in 68 games, 64 as the team's starting catcher, while sharing catching duties with John Warner and Fred Payne. During the 1906 campaign, Schmidt compiled a .218 batting average. Despite appearing in less than half the team's games, he ranked among the American League's best defensive catchers with 106 assists (fourth in the American League), 72 players caught stealing (fifth in the American League), and a 50.7% rate of catching runners attempting to steal (fourth in the American League).[1]

In 1907, Schmidt appeared in 104 games, 96 as the Tigers' starting catcher, and compiled a .244 batting average with six triples and eight stolen bases. Defensively, he led the American League's catchers with 14 double plays turned, but also led the league with 34 errors at catcher and ranked second with 16 passed balls.[1]

The Tigers won the American League pennant and lost to the Chicago Cubs in the 1907 World Series. Schmidt hit .167 (two singles in 12 at bats) in the World Series,[1] and his multiple defensive lapses in Game 1 were particularly costly. In Game 1, the Cubs stole six bases on Schmidt. And a poor throw to second base in the fourth inning failed to catch Frank Chance who was heading down the line when the batter swung and missed; an accurate throw would have ended the inning, and instead Chance scored on a base hit. Even worse was a costly passed ball that cost the Tigers a victory. The Tigers led in the ninth inning with two outs and Chicago's Harry Steinfeldt on third base; Chicago pinch hitter Del Howard swung on a third strike that should have ended the game, but "Schmidt missed the ball, which got by him to the crowd," allowing Steinfeldt to score the tying run.[7] After the game, the Detroit Free Press wrote: "The surprise of the game was the poor work of Charlie Schmidt, who had an off day such as probably will not come to him again in the series. He found it almost impossible to locate second sack, and only once, in a half dozen tries, did he manage to put the ball where the infielder could get it on the runner."[7] Schmidt also appeared in Games 3 and 4, allowing two stolen bases in each game.

After the season, x-rays revealed a severe dislocation on the forefinger of Schmidt's throwing hand. Doctors examining the injury questioned how it was possible that Schmidt had been able to play in the World Series at all.[8] The finger was broken in a game in mid-September; he underwent surgery in November to re-break the finger to allow it to heal properly.[9]

In 1908, Schmidt appeared in a career-high 122 games, 113 as the Tigers' starting catcher, and compiled a .265 batting average. He had his best defensive season, leading the American League's catchers with 184 assists and 129 runners caught stealing, though he also led the league with 37 errors at catcher and 115 stolen bases allowed. He also ranked second among the league's catchers with 12 double plays turned and third with 541 putouts. His defensive wins above replacement rating of 2.6 was the third highest among all position players in the league during the 1908 season.[1]

Schmidt's 1908 season was again marred by another poor showing in the World Series. The Tigers won their second consecutive pennant and again lost to the Cubs in the 1908 World Series. Schmidt hit .071 (one single in 14 at bats) in the series,[1] and allowed 12 stolen bases in four games of the series.[10][11][12][13] He also made the last out in consecutive World Series in 1907 and 1908, the only player ever to do so.[14]

Prior to the 1909 season, Schmidt did not attend spring training with the team and was instead a holdout over salary issues. On March 3, he announced that he had purchased a half interest in a shoe store in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and would miss the 1909 season so that he could manage his store. Aside from salary demands, he expressed frustration he played the latter half of the 1907 and 1908 seasons with broken fingers and a mangled hand, yet was still roasted and hammered by sports writers for misplays.[15] He ultimately reported to the team on April 9.[16]

Schmidt's holdout provided an opportunity for rookie Oscar Stanage to impress the team's manager. In the end, Schmidt and Stanage shared the catching duties in 1909 with Schmidt starting 76 games and Stanage 74. Adding to Schmidt's challenge, his batting average in 1909 dipped to a career-low .209 while Stanage hit more than 50 points higher at .262. Moreover, Schmidt led the American League's catchers in errors (20) for the third consecutive year. To his credit, he also ranked third among the league's catchers with 83 runners caught stealing.[1]

The Tigers won their third consecutive pennant in 1909. In the five games of the 1909 World Series in which he played, Schmidt compiled a .222 batting average (three doubles and a single in 18 at bats),[1] and the Pirates stole 15 bases.

In the offseason before the 1910 season, Schmidt purchased a saloon in Fort Smith, Arkansas.[17] During the 1910 season, he was overtaken by Oscar Stanage as the Tigers' primary catcher with Stanage starting 83 games at the position to 54 for Schmidt. Schmidt's batting average improved to .259, and he hit a career-high seven triples.[1]

Detroit manager Hughie Jennings

In January 1911, Schmidt sent a lengthy letter published by the Detroit Free Press complaining of mistreatment by manager Hughie Jennings. The letter asserted:

"If ever a catcher has worked under a handicap, I certainly have. I have had a manager to fight, besides the other clubs and he has done everything in his power to put me out of baseball. . . . When the manager and catcher speak only when absolutely necessary, during a whole season; when a catcher that has worked as hard as I did in three seasons, pennant winning seasons, and then is benched for half a season, for nothing more than a personal dislike and when a man has given a team his best efforts and worked with a broken ankle, crippled hands, disabled in other ways, something no other man would have done and then gets hooks thrown into him, it doesn't make him feel the best in the world. . . . I think I have got a rotten deal in Detroit. I like Detroit and its people. They have all treated me well. . . . but Jennings and I can never get along."[18]

During the 1911 season, Schmidt appeared in 28 games, only seven as the Tigers' starting catcher, and compiled a .283 batting average in 46 at bats. He appeared in his final major league game on October 8, 1911.[1] The Detroit Free Press in October 1911 wrote: "Schmidt, who reported with a sore arm, has done practically no work this season, beyond warming up the pitchers and some very useful pinch hitting when called upon."[19] In January 1912, the Tigers dealt Schmidt to the Providence Grays.[20]

In six major league seasons, Schmidt appeared in 477 games, 410 of them as Detroit's starting catcher. He compiled a .243 batting average, .270 on-base percentage, .307 slugging percentage, 41 doubles, 22 triples, and 23 stolen bases.[1]

As a young man, Schmidt worked in the coal mines and developed a muscular and powerful physique. According to the Detroit Tigers information office, Schmidt beat Ty Cobb in several fights.[21] In the second fight, Schmidt knocked Cobb unconscious but admired Cobb's resiliency while fighting and stayed to revive Cobb as he lay motionless on the Tiger dressing room floor. Despite their clashes, Schmidt and Cobb (both tough as nails) became close friends until Schmidt's death in 1932.

Schmidt also played a role in Cobb's March 1907 fist fight with an African American groundskeeper. When the groundskeeper tried to shake Cobb's hand, Cobb slapped him and chased him to the clubhouse. The groundskeeper's wife yelled at Cobb, and Cobb began to choke her. Schmidt intervened and stopped Cobb from hurting her further. Cobb and Schmidt then got into a fight and had to be separated by their teammates.[22]

Schmidt was a skilled boxer. In March 1910, Schmidt issued a public challenge to fight any player in the major leagues, saying, "I want a fight and I want it badly." He announced that he was training with former welterweight boxing champion Rube Ferns and offered to put up $2,000 of his own money on the outcome of the fight.[23] In early 1911, Schmidt won a match against a boxer named McDonald, and stories spread that Schmidt hoped to become the "great white hope" by taking on heavyweight champion Jack Johnson.[24] Schmidt's representative, Rube Ferns, issued a public letter denying any interest on Schmidt's part in fighting Johnson or "any of the Ethiopian race."[25]

Aside from his prowess as a fighter, Schmidt was also known for other displays of his physical toughness. As a catcher, Schmidt never wore shinguards. He could force nails into the floor with his bare fists. He once visited a local carnival with some of his teammates and wrestled and pinned a live bear. Schmidt's career was shortened due to numerous fractures sustained over the years of his thumb and fingers.[26]

After his major league career ended, Schmidt continued to play in the minor leagues for another 15 years, including stints with the Providence Grays (1912), Mobile Sea Gulls (1913-1916), Vernon Tigers (1916), Memphis Chickasaws (1917), Sioux City Indians (1919), Tulsa Oilers (1919), Fort Smith Twins (1920-1921), Atlanta Crackers (1921-1922), Springfield Midgets (1924), and Kalamazoo Celery Pickers (1926).[4] He served as a player-manager at Mobile (1915-1916), Sioux City (1917, 1919), Fort Smith (1920-1921), Springfield (1924), and Kalamazoo (1926). He also managed the Quincy Red Birds in 1927.[4]