{{Short description|English baseball player and executive (1840–1928)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Al Reach |image=Al Reach.jpg |position=[[Right fielder]] |birth_date={{birth date|1840|5|25}} |birth_place=[[London]], England |death_date={{death date and age|1928|1|14|1840|5|25}} |death_place=[[Atlantic City, New Jersey]], U.S. |bats=Left |throws=Left |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=May 20 |debutyear=1871 |debutteam=Philadelphia Athletics |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=May 21 |finalyear=1875 |finalteam=Philadelphia Athletics |statleague = MLB |stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]] |stat1value=.247 |stat2label=[[Home run]]s |stat2value=0 |stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]] |stat3value=56 |teams= ; National Association of Base Ball Players : [[Brooklyn Eckfords]] (1861–1864) : [[Philadelphia Athletics (1860–1876)|Philadelphia Athletics]] (1865–1870) ; League player : [[Philadelphia Athletics (1860–1876)|Philadelphia Athletics]] ({{baseball year|1871}}–{{baseball year|1875}}) ; League manager : [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{baseball year|1890}}) }} [[File:Alfred J Reach Historical Marker 1820 Chestnut St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3246).jpg|thumb|Alfred J. Reach Historical Marker on [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut Street]] in [[Philadelphia]]]] '''Alfred James Reach''' (May 25, 1840 – January 14, 1928) was an Anglo-American sportsman who was one of the early stars of [[baseball]] in the [[National Association of Professional Base Ball Players|National Association]]. After his playing career, he went on to become an influential executive, publisher, sporting goods manufacturer, and spokesman for the sport. He was influential in the founding of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] in 1875.
==Early life== Reach was born in [[London]], on May 25, 1840.<ref name="History">[http://www.webcemeteries.com/westlaurelhill/LH.asp?Id=422016&T=T History for Alfred James Reach] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428130800/http://www.webcemeteries.com/westlaurelhill/LH.asp?Id=422016&T=T |date=2012-04-28 }} at webcemetaries.com</ref>
==Career== Reach was a regular for the champion [[Eckford of Brooklyn|Eckford]] club in [[Brooklyn]] in the early 1860s before moving to the [[Philadelphia Athletics (1860–1876)|Philadelphia Athletics]] in 1865.<ref name="History"/> When the National Association began, he helped them win the first professional baseball pennant in 1871.<ref name="test">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reachal01.shtml Al Reach Statistics] at baseball-reference.com</ref>
Upon his retirement from playing in 1875, he helped found the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] franchise. Reach served as team president from 1883 to 1899.<ref name="History"/> Later, similarly to [[Albert Spalding]], Reach formed a sporting goods company and earned millions. In fact, he sold his company to [[Spalding (company)|Spalding]] in 1889.<ref name="History"/> Reach was the trade name used on the game balls for the [[American League]] until 1976.
Reach kept his interest in the Phillies franchise, selling to a syndicate led by [[James Potter (baseball)|James Potter]] in 1903.<ref>{{cite news |title=Society in Baseball |work=The New York Times |date=March 1, 1903}}</ref>
==Death== Reach died at age 87 in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]], and is interred at [[West Laurel Hill Cemetery]] in [[Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania]].
==Legacy== A [[Pennsylvania historical markers|Pennsylvania historical marker]] was dedicated on April 4, 2003 at 1820 [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut Street]] in [[List of Pennsylvania state historical markers in Philadelphia County|Philadelphia]] for Reach's contribution to baseball.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/PHMCWebSearch/ViewMarker.aspx?markerId=1216 |website=PHMC |access-date=3 November 2018 |title=Pennsylvania Historical Marker Search}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|br=r/reachal01}} *{{findagrave}} {{S-start}} {{S-ach|rec}} {{Succession box| before = [[Al Barker]] | title =Oldest recognized verified living baseball player| years = September 15, 1912 – January 14, 1928 | after = [[Harry Berthrong]]}} {{S-end}} {{Philadelphia Phillies managers}} {{Philadelphia Phillies owners}} {{1871 Philadelphia Athletics}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reach, Al}} [[Category:1840 births]] [[Category:1928 deaths]] [[Category:Baseball executives]] [[Category:Brooklyn Eckfords (NABBP) players]] [[Category:Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery]] [[Category:English baseball players]] [[Category:Major League Baseball players from England]] [[Category:Major League Baseball right fielders]] [[Category:Philadelphia Athletic players]] [[Category:Philadelphia Athletics (NA) players]] [[Category:Philadelphia Athletics (NABBP) players]] [[Category:Philadelphia Phillies managers]] [[Category:Philadelphia Phillies owners]] [[Category:Baseball players from London]]