Charlie Pabor

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Charlie Pabor

|position=Left fielder

|image=Charlie Pabor.jpg

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date|1846|9|24}}

|birth_place=Brooklyn, New York

|death_date={{death date and age|1913|4|23|1846|9|24}}

|death_place=New Haven, Connecticut

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate= May 4

|debutyear= 1871

|debutteam= Cleveland Forest Citys

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate= October 28

|finalyear=1875

|finalteam= New Haven Elm Citys

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.285

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=0

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=80

|teams=

; National Association of Base Ball Players

: Union of Morrisania (1865–1870)

; League Player

: Cleveland Forest Citys ({{By|1871}}–{{By|1872}})

: Brooklyn Atlantics ({{By|1873}})

: Philadelphia White Stockings ({{By|1874}})

: Brooklyn Atlantics ({{By|1875}})

: New Haven Elm Citys (1875)

; League Manager

: Cleveland Forest Citys (1871)

: Brooklyn Atlantics (1875)

: New Haven Elm Citys (1875)

|highlights=

}}

Charles Henry Pabor (September 24, 1846 – April 23, 1913), also spelled Charley, nicknamed "The Old Woman in the Red Cap", was an American Major League Baseball left fielder and manager throughout the existence of the National Association, {{By|1871}}–{{By|1875}}.{{cite web|title=Charlie Pabor|work=retrosheet.org|publisher= Retrosheet, Inc|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/P/Ppaboc101.htm|accessdate=October 8, 2010}}{{cite web|title=Charley Pabor, who discovered Mike Kelly, passes away|work=The New York Times, April 28, 1913|publisher=TheDeadBallEra|url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obits_P/Pabor.Charley.Obit.html|accessdate=October 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123075545/http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obits_P/Pabor.Charley.Obit.html|archive-date=January 23, 2020|url-status=dead}}

Early life and career

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Pabor played baseball in and around New York City until he joined the Cleveland Forest Citys of the National Association as a left fielder and manager. On May 4, 1871, Pabor managed and played while batting 0-4 in the first game of the season, which is considered the first all professional game ever played, a game between his Forest Citys and the Fort Wayne Kekiongas.{{cite web| title = Boxscore of First Professional Ballgame | work = baseball-almanac.com | url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/05041871.shtml | accessdate = 2008-03-23 }} Cleveland finished 8th that season,{{cite web| title = 1871 National Association Standings | work = baseball-reference.com | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NA_1871.shtml | accessdate = 2008-03-23 }} and Pabor was replaced as manager in {{By|1872}}. He had hit well in 1871, with a .296 batting average, but it dropped to .207 in 1872.

The Cleveland team folded after the season, and Pabor got a fresh start with the Brooklyn Atlantics. He had his best season that year, hitting .360 with 41 runs batted in. After a short season in {{By|1874}} with the Philadelphia White Stockings in which he only played in 17 games, he returned to the Atlantics for the {{By|1875}} season as the player-manager. The season was a disaster, as the Atlantics only won two of their 44 games.{{cite web |title=1875 Brooklyn Atlantics Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BRA/1875.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=16 May 2021 |language=en}} Pabor did not finish the year in Brooklyn, as he signed with the New Haven Elm Citys toward the end of the 1875 season, playing and managing six games and winning only one. Although his record of 13-64 as manager is not prolific, he is credited as starting the careers of both King Kelly and Fred Goldsmith.

Pabor also umpired three games in 1875, all involving Connecticut-based teams.{{cite web |title=The 1875 NA Regular Season Umpiring Log for Charlie Pabor |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1875/IUpaboc1010001875.htm |website=www.retrosheet.org |access-date=16 May 2021}}

Post-career

After the end of the 1875 season and the demise of the National Association, Pabor quit baseball altogether, staying in New Haven, Connecticut. He joined the New Haven Police Department, where he enjoyed a long career. Pabor died in New Haven of pneumonia at the age of 66, and he is interred at Mapledale Cemetery.