Harry Niles

{{About|the baseball player|the character in the book by Martin Cruz Smith|December 6 (novel)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Harry Niles

|position=Outfielder/Second Baseman

|image=Harry Niles White Borders baseball card.JPG

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1880|9|10}}

|birth_place=Buchanan, Michigan

|death_date={{death date and age|1953|4|18|1880|9|10}}

|death_place=Sturgis, Michigan

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 24

|debutyear=1906

|debutteam= St. Louis Browns

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 28

|finalyear=1910

|finalteam= Cleveland Naps

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.247

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=12

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=152

|teams=

St. Louis Browns ({{mlby|1906}}–{{mlby|1907}})
New York Highlanders ({{mlby|1908}})
Boston Red Sox ({{mlby|1908}}–{{mlby|1910}})
Cleveland Naps ({{mlby|1910}})

|highlights=

}}

Herbert Clyde Niles (September 10, 1880 – April 18, 1953) was an outfielder/infielder in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams between the 1906 and 1910 seasons. Listed at {{height|ft=5|in=8}}, {{convert|175|lb|kg}}, Niles batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Buchanan, Michigan.

Career

Niles entered the majors in 1906 with the St. Louis Browns, playing for them two years before joining the New York Highlanders (1908), Boston Red Sox (1908–1910) and Cleveland Naps (1910). A valuable utility man and aggressive base runner, he scored 71 runs and stole 30 bases in his rookie season. Then, in 1907 hit career-numbers with a .289 and a .331 on-base percentage while collecting 65 runs and 19 steals, and in 1909 posted career-numbers in games (145), RBI (39) and extrabases (18).

On June 30, 1908, Nile was the only batter to reach base against Boston pitcher Cy Young. When batting leadoff for New York, Niles walked, then was caught stealing. Young retired the next 26 batters and had to settle for a no-hitter, rather than a perfect game.{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1908/B06300NYA1908.htm |title=Boston Red Sox 8, New York Highlanders 0 |website=Retrosheet |date=June 30, 1908 |accessdate=November 17, 2018}} On August 30, 1910, New York's Tom Hughes took a no-hitter into the 10th inning before allowing a single to Niles, who was then playing for Cleveland.{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1910/B08302NYA1910.htm |title=Cleveland Naps 5, New York Highlanders 0 (2) |date=August 30, 1910 |website=Retrosheet |accessdate=November 17, 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25491559/yankees_break_even/ |title=Yankees Break Even |newspaper=New-York Tribune |page=8 |date=August 31, 1910 |accessdate=November 17, 2018 |via=newspapers.com}}

In a five-season career, Niles was a .247 hitter (561-for-2270) with 12 home runs and 152 RBI in 608 games, including 278 runs, 58 doubles, 24 triples, 107 stolen bases, and a .310 on-base percentage. He made 582 appearances at second base (214), right field (184), left field (95), third base (52), center field (19) and shortstop (18). Niles died at the age of 72 in Sturgis, Michigan.