The Story of Lip Pike
Who exactly is Lipman Emanuel “Lip” Pike? Most people have never heard of this man, but for those baseball historians and those that are active in the Jewish sports circles, you know damn well who Pike is.
Lip Pike was one of the first professional baseball players back in 1865, but he’s also considered to be the first Jewish professional baseball player ever. He started up his career playing for the Brooklyn Atlantics and played for over 10 other teams, as well.
When he hit 21 years old, Pike accepted $20 per week “under the table” to be traded to the Philadelphia Athletics, which was not legal, and he was caught. Even though other players were accepting similar payments like Pike, he was brought to the forefront because he was Jewish and allegedly cared more about money than playing the game. Making things easier, players were allowed to accept payment from teams about two years later.
That year in 1871, Pike hit a league-leading four home runs, while batting .377 and driving in 39 runs for the Troy Haymakers in the first year of the National Association. The following year, he was on the move again, as he moved to the Baltimore Canaries, where he once again led the league in home runs (six) and led the league with 60 runs batted in. Things did not change the following year, as he led the league in home runs for a third straight year with four home runs, while slugging .462.
From 1871 to 1877, Pike slashed .322/.339/.468 with 21 home runs and 332 runs batted in. In four of those seasons (1871–1873, 1877), he led the league in home runs.
When Pike died of heart disease on October 10, 1893 at the age of 48, many people around the Brooklyn Jewish community showed up to his funeral. As written in The Brooklyn Eagle, Jews in high places in political and baseball fronts, as well as those with wealth, attended the funeral. Pike was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but if you factor in his career stats and popularity at the time and among those in the Jewish baseball community, he should be a member of the elite group.
