Andrew H. "Jap" Payne (December 6, 1879 – August 22, 1942) was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues. He played multiple positions, including outfield and infield.
| Jap Payne | |
|---|---|
 Payne in 1909 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: December 6, 1879 Washington, D.C. | |
| Died: August 22, 1942 (aged 62) New York, New York | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| 1902, for the Philadelphia Giants | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1922, for the Philadelphia Giants of New York | |
| Teams | |
|
Biography edit
Standing at 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m), Payne was described as "unimposing," but he became known for slapping line drives past infielders, as well as having an excellent arm.[4][self-published source][5]
Payne was rumored to have gotten the nickname "Jap" due to his slanted eyes.
In August, 1907, Payne lost his temper and attacked an umpire, causing a near-riot, and his language occasionally forced umpires to throw him out of games.[6][self-published source]
Sportswriter and fellow player Jimmy Smith put Payne on his 1909 "All American Team."[7] Prior to the 1930 season, pitcher Dizzy Dismukes included Payne in his list of nine greatest all-time outfielders and wrote:
Jap Payne in a moment of need could do more acrobatic stunts to help a pitcher out of a tight situation than all the outfielders put together. Almost any ball Jap could get within three to five feet of before hitting the ground he caught, as he usually took a dive for them. In reading of Hack Wilson's catch of Simmons' drive during the last World Series,[8] I thought of catches I had seen Payne make.[9]
In 1953, future Hall of Famer Pop Lloyd named Payne as the right fielder on his all-time team.[5][10]
References edit
- ^ "Pottstown and Philadelphia Giants" Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tuesday Morning, June 21, 1904, Page 10, Column 5
- ^ "Cuban X-Giants are Champions" The Patriot, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Saturday, September 19, 1903, Page 7, Column 1
- ^ "Frank Lelands' Chicago Giants Base Ball Club" Fraternal Printing Company, 1910
- ^ Dixon, Phil (2010). Andrew Rube Foster, a Harvest on Freedom's Fields. Xlibris Corporation. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-4500-9657-7.
- ^ a b "Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum: Personal Profiles: Jap Payne". coe.ksu.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
- ^ Dixon, Phil (2010). Andrew Rube Foster, a Harvest on Freedom's Fields. Xlibris Corporation. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-4500-9657-7.
- ^ "The Base Ball Spirit In The East." Indianapolis Freeman, Indianapolis, Indiana, Saturday, December 25, 1909, Page 7, Columns 1 and 2
- ^ Associated Press (October 9, 1929). "Play by Play on Opener". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 24. Retrieved August 12, 2021. "Simmons lined out to Wilson, who made a diving catch, but held the ball. Stephenson ran over to see if Wilson had hurt himself, but he had not."
- ^ Dismukes, "Dizzy" (March 8, 1930). "Dismukes Names His 9 Best Outfielders". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 14. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ Lester, Larry; Sammy J. Miller; Dick Clark (2000). Black baseball in Chicago. Arcadia Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 0-7385-0704-0.
External links edit
- Negro league and Cuban League statistics and player information from Seamheads.com, or Baseball Reference (Negro leagues)
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