George Twombly

Who was George Twombly?

George Frederick "Silent George" Twombly was a Major League Baseball player. He played five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and Washington Senators. He was the older brother of Clarence "Babe" Twombly, who played for the Chicago Cubs in the early 1920s.

In 1911, then minor league Baltimore Orioles manager Jack Dunn signed the 18-year-old Twombly out of a Boston high school and sent him to the B-League Scranton Miners.

Appendicitis in 1914, his spot in the opening lineup for Baltimore was taken by a 19-year-old Babe Ruth. Later, the Cincinnati Reds were given the opportunity to purchase Babe Ruth from Baltimore, but instead took Twombly and shortstop Claud Derrick.

Twombly made his first appearance in a major league game on July 9, 1914, going 1–for–1 with a triple and a run scored against the Brooklyn Robins.

On February 8, 1916, Twombly was sold back to Baltimore. Twombly had an exceptional season from a power standpoint in the twilight years of the dead-ball era, leading the International League in home runs with 12. He also amassed 10 triples, 21 doubles, and 158 hits for a .313 batting average in 131 games for the Orioles.