Bones Ely
Shortstop
Born: (1863-06-07)June 7, 1863
North Girard, Pennsylvania
Died: January 10, 1952(1952-01-10) (aged 88)
Imola, California
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 19, 1884, for the Buffalo Bisons
Last MLB appearance
September 24, 1902, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average.258
Home runs24
Runs batted in657
Teams

William Frederick "Bones" Ely (June 7, 1863 – January 10, 1952) was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He was born in North Girard, Pennsylvania.[1][2]

Ely was the starting shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates for several seasons before Honus Wagner. Immediately before his release during the 1901 season, an article in The Buffalo Enquirer described the only thing standing between Wagner and Pittsburgh's shortstop job was "Bones Ely, who has gone back faster than an incline car that has slipped a cable. Ely cannot hit a balloon and his fielding is passe."[3]

During the 1904 season, Bones Ely along with his brother Ben Ely purchased the Portland Browns of the Pacific Coast League.[4] Bones Ely managed 33 games that season before resigning his position on May 16.[5] The Ely brothers sold their shares of the team to Walter McCredie and William Wallace McCredie before the end of the season.[6]

Ely died at the age of 88 in Imola, California.[1] His remains were cremated[1] and placed in the Chapel of the Chimes columbarium in Oakland.[7]

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 "Bones Ely". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
  2. ↑ Bones Ely. Article written by Jacob Pomrenke. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 16, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Hans Wagner a Fallen Idol". The Buffalo Enquirer. 20 July 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Elys Control Browns; Agreement Completed Giving Them Option On Stock". The Oregonian. January 26, 1903. p. 5.
  5. ↑ "Dugdale Is Coming". The Oregonian. May 17, 1904. p. 9.
  6. ↑ "Remnant Of Browns Return; Portland Baseball Players Will Scatter Friday for the Winter". The Oregonian. November 30, 1904. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "William Frederick "Bones" Ely". FindAGrave.com. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
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