Lip Pike

Who was Lip Pike?

Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike the "Iron Batter", was one of the stars of 19th century baseball in the United States. He was the first player to be revealed as a professional, as well as the first Jewish player. His brother, Jay Pike, played briefly for the Hartford Dark Blues during the 1877 season.

His family was of Dutch background who moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was young, and his father was a haberdasher. Pike was one of the premier players of his day. He was a great slugger and one of the best home run hitters, so much so that stories about balls he hit were told for quite some time after he stopped playing.