Al Bridwell

Who was Al Bridwell?

Albert Henry Bridwell was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the a number of teams in the early 20th century, most notably the New York Giants, when the team was managed by John McGraw. Bridwell hit the single which caused the crucial "Merkle boner" running error of the 1908 season against the Chicago Cubs. The error ended up costing the Giants the pennant.

Bridwell never played in a World Series. Midway through the 1911 season, he was traded by the Giants, who would go on to play in the 1911 World Series, to the Boston Rustlers. He played his final two years in the Federal League.

In 1,252 career games, Bridwell batted .255 with 348 RBIs. He had 1,064 hits, with 95 doubles and 32 triples in 4,169 at bats.

Bridwell had this to say about the reason why John McGraw was a great manager: "He knew how to handle men, some players he rode and others he didn't. He got the most out of each man." Bridwell's pugnaciousness fit right in with McGraw's style of play. He once punched McGraw in the nose, earning a two-game suspension. However, in Lawrence Ritter's book The Glory of their Times, Bridwell said he was suspended to two weeks.