Ira Flagstead

Ira James Flagstead (September 22, 1893 – March 13, 1940), sometimes known as "Pete", His father was an immigrant from Norway who worked as a sailor on the Great Lakes, and his mother was a German immigrant who worked as a servant for a private family Flagstead grew up across the street from a baseball field and was the catcher for the Montague baseball team at age 16.

As a young man, he moved to the Pacific Northwest, working for two years at a lumber mill in Littlerock, Washington, and then as a mill worker and steam fitter in Olympia, Washington. With arms and shoulders strengthened from his work as a steam fitter, Flagstead also competed briefly as a lightweight boxer while living in Washington.

On July 12, 1917, the Tacoma club sold Flagstead to the Detroit Tigers; the sale price was not disclosed but was said to be substantial. Flagstead's season ended early in July 1918 when he was called into the military service. His .381 batting average in 1918 led the Southern Association by 48 points. In October 1918, he was reported to be in training at Camp Custer, a military camp near Battle Creek, Michigan.

Detroit Tigers In February 1919, with the war over, Flagstead returned a signed contract to play for the Tigers in 1918. He played in 97 games for the 1919 Tigers, 83 of those games as a right fielder following an injury to Detroit outfielder Chick Shorten. In his rookie season, he ranked among the American League leaders with a .331 batting average (fifth), a .415 on-base percentage (fifth), and a .481 slugging percentage (sixth).

In January 1920, Flagstead signed a contract to return to the Tigers. During the 1920 season, he appeared in 110 games, 77 of them as a right fielder. However, his batting average dropped almost 100 points from .331 to .235, and his slugging percentage dropped almost 150 points from .481 to .338. Flagstead improved his batting average to .305, as the 1921 Tigers set American League records with 1,724 hits and a .316 team batting average. However, without pitching to match the level of the batters, the team compiled a 71–82 record and finished sixth in American League.

In 1922, the Tigers added shortstop Topper Rigney and outfielder Bob Fothergill, resulting in a further loss of playing time for Flagstead. Flagstead reported in January 1922 that he was considering quitting the game to join his brother in business in Washington. During the 1922 season, Flagstead compiled a .308 batting average with a .411 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage, but he appeared in only 44 games, 19 in center field and 11 in right field, and had only 91 at bats.

Flagstead appeared in 109 games for the 1923 Red Sox, 98 of them as the team's starting right fielder, and led all American League outfielders with 31 assists and eight double plays turned. He also compiled a .312 batting average and .380 on-base percentage and hit a career high eight home runs.

In 1924, Flagstead was moved to center field and started 143 games at the position. That year, he compiled a .307 batting average and .401 on-base percentage and ranked among the American League leaders with 106 runs scored (sixth), 77 bases on balls (eighth), and 11 times hit by a pitch (third).

On April 19, 1926 (Patriots' Day in Boston), Flagstead set an American League record, and tied the major league record, by starting three double plays as an outfielder in a single game. He threw out two runners at the plate, began a four-player double play that was scored 8-5-4-2, and also made two catches described as "circus catches".

In 1927, he led all American League outfielders with a .986 fielding percentage. and again on August 29, 1927, in a 10–2 victory over the Indians. He was also known for his keen batting eye, totaling 335 bases of balls and only 168 strikeouts during his tenure with the Red Sox. To protect his batting eye, Flagstead did not play cards or read during the baseball season.

Washington and Pittsburgh On May 25, 1929, Flagstead was claimed off waivers by the Washington Senators. He appeared in only 18 games for Washington, compiling a career low .179 batting average in 39 at bats. He appeared in 26 game for Pittsburgh in 1929 and 44 in 1930, including 36 games in 1930 as a starter at all three outfield positions. He compiled batting averages of .280 in 1929 and .250 in 1930. He appeared in his last major league game on July 29, 1930,

Minor leagues In January 1931, Flagstead signed to play with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. He played for Portland until being granted his unconditional release on July 21, 1931. After his release by Portland, he signed with the Seattle Indians, also of the PCL, where he concluded his professional baseball career in the last portion of the 1931 season.

Family and later years Flagstead was married to Reita Tibbetts, and they had a son, Ira, Flagstead, Jr.

Flagstead has received numerous posthumous honors including the following: In 1991, he was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame; In 2003, he was inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame; In 2007, he was selected by a group of Red Sox bloggers as one of the "Top 100 Red Sox" of all time, placing at No. 97. and On May 19, 2016, he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.