Ray Jansen

Who was Ray Jansen?

Raymond William Jansen, was an American professional baseball player who played third base in the Major Leagues in 1910 for the St. Louis Browns.

He was born and died in St. Louis, Missouri.

Ray Jansen had perhaps a unique one-game career in Major League Baseball. On September 30, 1910, with only eight games remaining in the regular season, the St. Louis Browns were 55 games out of first place. They called on Jansen to play third base. The 21-year-old local boy had never played a professional game in his life. He came to bat 5 times, and got four singles, and never played again in the majors. In the field he was not so impressive, making 3 errors on 10 total chances. The Browns lost the game to the Chicago White Sox, 9–1. Jansens' 4 for 5 is still the record for the most hits in a one game Major League Baseball career.

Jansen did not play professionally in 1911, but he signed a minor league contract in 1913 and played minor league ball for 5 years, but never again batted over .300 for a season. His major league lifetime batting average remains at .800, but his fielding average was a less impressive .700.