During Chris Lindsay’s heyday in the early
1900s, the talented baseball player had to decide whether to play
semipro ball or go into the major or minor leagues. There was money
to be made in all three, and Chris played on all three levels. He
was born in Moon Township, Beaver County, near Monaca on July 21,
1878, and lived in Monaca his whole life. After playing
semipro ball as an infielder with the Monaca Independents, the
Rochester Athletics, and the Homestead Library Club, he joined the
Detroit Tigers in 1905 as the regular first baseman for a salary of
$2400 per year. Ty Cobb joined the Tigers the same season and his
first hit drove Chris in from second base. Chris played for the
Tigers (1905, 1906), the Kansas City Blues (1907), and
Indianapolis Indians (1907, 1908), before moving to the Denver Grizzlies
(1909-1912). He was
team captain in those latter years, and the highlight of his career in
Denver was receiving a gold watch from President William Howard Taft
after the Grizzlies won the league title in 1911. Chris retired
from baseball after suffering a broken ankle in 1913, batting
.292 and fielding an average of .986 at the time of his
retirement. A carpenter by trade, Chris went into the contracting
business and was active until his death at age 62 in 1941.
During Chris Lindsay’s heyday in the early
1900s, the talented baseball player had to decide whether to play
semipro ball or go into the major or minor leagues. There was money
to be made in all three, and Chris played on all three levels. He
was born in Moon Township, Beaver County, near Monaca on July 21,
1878, and lived in Monaca his whole life. After playing
semipro ball as an infielder with the Monaca Independents, the
Rochester Athletics, and the Homestead Library Club, he joined the
Detroit Tigers in 1905 as the regular first baseman for a salary of
$2400 per year. Ty Cobb joined the Tigers the same season and his
first hit drove Chris in from second base. Chris played for the
Tigers (1905, 1906), the Kansas City Blues (1907), and
Indianapolis Indians (1907, 1908), before moving to the Denver Grizzlies
(1909-1912). He was
team captain in those latter years, and the highlight of his career in
Denver was receiving a gold watch from President William Howard Taft
after the Grizzlies won the league title in 1911. Chris retired
from baseball after suffering a broken ankle in 1913, batting
.292 and fielding an average of .986 at the time of his
retirement. A carpenter by trade, Chris went into the contracting
business and was active until his death at age 62 in 1941.