Hank Gowdy

Henry Morgan Gowdy (August 24, 1889 – August 1, 1966) was an American professional baseball catcher and a first baseman who played in the major leagues for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. He was best known for being the first active major leaguer to enlist for service in World War I, and for being a member of the 1914 "Miracle" Boston Braves.

Major League career

He made his major league debut for John McGraw's New York Giants in 1910, before being traded to the Boston the next year. He didn't have much playing time, and spent the majority of the 1913 season with the Buffalo Bisons in the International League. In 1914, Gowdy became the Braves regular catcher in a year that saw them go from last to first in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July. In the 1914 World Series, he had a .545 batting average, including the only home run of the series, in the historic upset of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics.