Wagner was born to German immigrants Peter and Katheryn Wagner in the Chartiers neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is now a part of the borough of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.[3] Wagner was one of nine children, although only five lived past childhood. As a child, he was called Hans by his mother, which would later evolve into Honus. "Hans" was also an alternate nickname during his major league career. Wagner dropped out of school at age 12 to help his father and brothers in the coal mines. In their free time, he and his brothers played sandlot baseball and developed their skills to such an extent that three of his brothers would go on to become professionals, as well.[citation needed] Wagner's older brother, Albert "Butts" Wagner, who had a brief major league career himself, is often credited for getting Honus his first tryout. Following after his brother, Honus trained to be a barber before becoming successful in baseball.[citation needed] In 1916, Wagner married Bessie Baine Smith, and the couple went on to have three daughters, Elva Katrina (born 1918), Betty Baine (born 1919), and Virginia Mae (born 1922).[citation needed] [edit] Professional career [edit] Career before Major League Baseball Honus' brother Albert "Butts" Wagner was considered the ballplayer of the family. Albert suggested Honus in 1895 when his Inter-State League team was in need of help. In his first year, Honus played for five teams. Edward Barrow of the Atlantic League liked what he saw in Wagner, and, in 1896, he signed him. In 1896, Wagner hit .313. The next year, Honus hit .375 in 74 games played. Edward Barrow would become Honus' bridge to the Major Leagues. [edit] Louisville Colonels Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games. By his second season, Wagner was already one of the best hitters in the National League although he would come up short a percentage point from finishing the season at .300. After the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated. Along with Wagner, owner Barney Dreyfuss took many of his other top players with him to Pittsburgh. [edit] Pittsburgh Pirates The move to the Pittsburgh Pirates would signify Wagner's emergence as a hitter. In 1900, Wagner won his first batting championship with a .381 mark and also led the league in doubles (45), triples (22), and slugging percentage (.573), all of which were career highs. For the next couple of seasons, Wagner's average did not fall below .330. Honus Wagner in 1911In 1901, the American League began to sign National League players, creating a bidding war, decimating the league. Wagner was offered a $20,000 contract by the Chicago White Sox, but instead turned it down and continued to play with the Pirates. In 1903, the Pirates played the Boston Americans in Major League Baseball's inaugural World Series. Wagner, by this point, was an established star and much was expected of him, especially since the Pirates' starting rotation was decimated by injury. Wagner himself was not at full strength and hit only .222 for the series. The Americans, meanwhile, had some particularly rowdy fans, called the "Royal Rooters" who, whenever Wagner came to bat, would sing "Honus, Honus, why do you hit so badly?" to the tune of "Tessie," a popular song of the day. The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even travelled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. Pittsburgh lost in the best-of-nine series, five games to three, to a team led by pitchers Cy Young and Bill Dinneen and third baseman-manager Jimmy Collins. Christy Mathewson, in his book "Pitching in a Pinch" wrote: "For some time after "Hans" Wagner's poor showing in the world's series of 1903... it was reported that he was "yellow" (poor in the clutch). This grieved the Dutchman deeply, for I don't know a ball player in either league who would assay less quit to the ton than Wagner... This was the real tragedy in Wagner's career. Notwithstanding his stolid appearance, he is a sensitive player, and this has hurt him more than anything else in his life ever has."[4] In 1904, a major change occurred in Wagner's life. That season would be the first in which he primarily played shortstop. In prior years, Wagner had played several positions, never really having a permanent home. After the 1907 season, Wagner retired. Starting to panic, Barney Dreyfuss offered him 10,000 dollars, making him the highest paid players for many years. It is debatable whether Wagner actually meant to retire, or if he just wanted a raise in salary. Honus Wagner's locker on display at the Hall of FameWagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in 1909. The Pirates faced off against Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers, which would be the only meeting of the two superior batsmen of the day. Wagner was by this time 35 years old, while Cobb a mere 22. This time Wagner would not be stiffled as he would outhit Cobb, .333 to .231, and stole six bases, which established a new Series record. The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. We put up a squawk, but Silk O'Loughlin, the umpire, overruled it. We kept the squawk going for a minute or so, making no headway of course, and then Cobb spoke up. He turned to O'Loughlin, an American League umpire, by the way, and said, 'Of course I was out. They had me by a foot. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.' ."[5] There was also a story that was widely circulated over the years, that at one point Cobb was on first; he bragged to Wagner that he was going to steal second; Wagner placed an especially rough tag to Cobb's mouth; and the two exchanged choice words. Cobb denied it in his autobiography, and the play-by-play of the 1909 World Series confirms that the event could not have happened as stated: Cobb was never tagged out by Wagner in a caught-stealing. The Pirates won the series 4 games to 3 behind the pitching of Babe Adams, thereby vindicating Wagner and the Pittsburgh team. The following year, however, would not be as great as 1909. Honus' average fell to .320, his lowest average since 1898. On June 14th, 1914, at age 40, Wagner recorded his 3,000th hit. Besides that highlight, Wagner and Pirates were on a decline. Wagner only hit .252 in 1914. It proved to be Wagner's lowest batting average for a season. In 1917, Wagner returned for his final season. He hit .265, and was given the role of interim manager, but after going 1–4, Wagner told Dreyfuss the job wasn't for him. Wagner has been considered one of the very best all-around players to ever play baseball since the day he retired in 1917. Famed "sabermatician" Bill James rates him as the second best player of all-time, right behind Babe Ruth.[6] Statisticians John Thorn and Pete Palmer rate Wagner as ninth all-time in their "Total Player Ranking".[7] Many of the greats who played or managed against Wagner, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, and Walter Johnson, list him at shortstop on their All-Time teams.[8] [edit] Life after baseball Wagner served as the Pirates' manager briefly in 1917, but resigned the position after only 5 games. He returned to the Pirates as a coach, most notably as a hitting instructor from 1933 to 1952. Arky Vaughan, Kiki Cuyler, Ralph Kiner, and player-manager from 1934–1939 Pie Traynor, all future Hall of Famers, were notable "pupils" of Wagner. During this time, he wore uniform number 14, but later changed it to his more famous 33, which was later retired for him. His entire playing career was in the days before uniform numbers were worn. His appearances at National League stadiums during his coaching years were always well received and Hans remained a beloved ambassador of baseball. Wagner also coached baseball and basketball at what is now Carnegie Mellon University. In 1928, Wagner ran for sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania but lost. He was made deputy county sheriff in 1942. He also ran a well-known sporting goods company. In fact, a sporting goods store bearing the name "Honus Wagner" still operates in downtown Pittsburgh. Wagner lived out the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well-known as a friendly figure around town. He died on December 6, 1955 at the age of 81, and he is buried at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh.