Joe Gunson

Joe Gunson
Joe Gunson
	Catcher
	Born: March 23, 1863; Philadelphia
	Died: November 15, 1942 (aged 79); Philadelphia
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
	June 14, 1884, for the Washington Nationals
Last MLB appearance
	September 18, 1893, for the Cleveland Spiders
MLB statistics
Batting average	.211
Home runs	0
Runs scored	96
Teams
	Washington Nationals (1884); Kansas City Cowboys (1889); Baltimore Orioles (1892); St. Louis Browns (1893); Cleveland Spiders (1893);

Joseph Brook Gunson (March 23, 1863 – November 15, 1942) was a Major League Baseball catcher between 1884 and 1893.

Biography

Born in Philadelphia, Gunson played for the Cleveland Spiders, Washington Nationals, Kansas City Cowboys, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Browns from 1884 to 1893. He is sometimes credited with creating the first catcher's mitt when he was trying to play through an 1888 finger injury. Though Gunson was young and did not need the money, Jim Manning was going to help him patent it once Manning returned from a summer baseball tour. Gunson said that he told some other players about the glove and that many other players began using such a mitt before Manning came home.^[1]

Gunson died at his Philadelphia home in 1942.^[2]

References

^ "First catcher's mit (sic) moulded 49 years ago". Shamokin News-Dispatch. July 15, 1937.
^ "Death claims mitt inventor". The Record-Argus. November 16, 1942.

External links

Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)

[Shamokin-1] "First catcher's mit (sic) moulded 49 years ago". Shamokin News-Dispatch. July 15, 1937.

[Mitt-2] "Death claims mitt inventor". The Record-Argus. November 16, 1942.

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