Gracie Pierce

Grayson S. "Gracie" Pierce (before 1865 – August 28, 1894) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman and center fielder for three seasons, playing for five teams from 1882 to 1884. He later became a regular umpire in both the National League and the Players' League.

Playing career

1882 Pierce began his major league career on May 2, 1882, for the Louisville Eclipse of the American Association. He played a total of nine games, all as a second baseman, and batted .303 in 33 at bats. He scored three runs, and hit one double. Later that season, he played in 41 games for the Baltimore Orioles, also of the American Association. His batting average dropped to .199 in 151 at bats with Orioles, as well as his production, scoring just eight runs, two doubles, and one triple. His season average between the two teams was .217, and he led the league among second basemen with 65 errors.

As an umpire Pierce had, during his playing days, filled in for the regular umpire from time to time. He registered three games in 1882 and one game in 1884.

On October 23, 1886, he umpired the sixth and final game of the 1886 World Series. The St. Louis Browns of the American Association were up on the Chicago White Stockings of the National League, three games to two entering the game. The game ended with St. Louis winning after ten innings of play, sealing the series victory, the only undisputed championship that the Association could claim over the National League.

He was relieved of his umpiring duties in 1887 after allegedly misusing a railroad pass.

Eight years later, Gracie Pierce died in his hometown of New York City. His age cannot be determined with certainty due to the unavailability of his birth year, but if he was in his twenties during the earliest years of his playing career, his death occurred while he was still in his mid-thirties.