Chief Zimmer

American baseball player (1860–1949)

Charles Louis "Chief" Zimmer (November 23, 1860 – August 22, 1949) was an American professional baseball player whose playing career spanned from 1884 to 1906. He played for 19 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB), including 13 seasons for the Cleveland Blues/Spiders (1887–1899), three seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1902), and one season as the player/manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (1903). Zimmer is regarded by some as "the finest defensive catcher of his day." As a young man, he worked as an apprentice in a cabinetmaker's shop. He began his professional baseball career at age 23 in 1884 playing in the Ohio State League for teams from Ironton and Portsmouth, Ohio. He appeared in eight games in the Major Leagues for the Detroit Wolverines in 1884. After being released by the Tigers, Zimmer did not play professional baseball in 1885. From 1889 to 1900, Zimmer was regularly among his league's leaders in putouts, assists, double plays, fielding percentage and games played at catcher. Zimmer secured his reputation for catching base runners when he caught the great base stealer "Sliding Billy" Hamilton twice in one game. Sporting Life at the time reported: "Bennett and Zimmer are the only League catchers who have managed to catch Hamilton at second. Zimmer is also the only catcher who has nailed Hamilton twice in one game." Games at catcher. Zimmer appeared in 125 games at catcher in 1890, a figure that stood until 1895 as the Major League record for most games played at the position in a single season. He also set a Major League record for consecutive games at catcher with 111 during the 1890 season, more than doubling the prior record. He led the National League in games caught for the second consecutive season in 1891 with 116 and ranked second in the league with 111 games at catcher in 1892. Double plays. Zimmer's 16 doubles plays as a catcher in 1895 broke the Major League record, and in 1900 he also broke Charlie Bennett's Major League record for most career double plays as a catcher. Fielding percentage. By 1896, Zimmer also had the highest career fielding percentage (.943) ever compiled by a Major League catcher. Zimmer is also credited with being the first catcher, in 1887, to play from a squatting position directly behind the plate on every play. In prior years, catchers had played further behind the plate often standing, particularly with runners on base. In 1892, when asked how he kept his hands healthy so as to be able to catch in so many games, Zimmer also said he received regular hand massages: "He replied that he made it a practice to visit a massage establishment whenever his hands gave him the slightest cause for trouble. He argues that by the systematic rubbing of the joints all swellings and soreness can be remedied instantly."

During the 1904 and 1905 seasons, Zimmer worked as an umpire: first in the National League where he umpired 151 games in 1904, and then in the Eastern League (a minor league that later became the International League) in 1905. The following year, he staged a comeback as a player at age 45. In February 1906, he was hired as the player/manager for the Little Rock Travelers in the Southern Association. Even at age 45, Zimmer still displayed superior arm strength. After a Little Rock victory in May 1906, the Sporting Life newspaper reported: "Little Rock showed wonderful improvement and defeated Birmingham in a well played game. The feature was the throwing of Zimmer to second." He appeared in 41 games as a player for Little Rock. Zimmer was among a number of Cleveland players who played in an Old Timers' Day in July 1921; Zimmer, aged 60, caught for his former battery mate Cy Young, aged 55.

Zimmer was married and had three daughters. During his playing career, he made furniture as a hobby during the off season and filled his home in Cleveland with his handiwork. After retiring from baseball, Zimmer lived in Cleveland for the remainder of his life. He died there at age 88 in 1949. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Twinsburg, Ohio.