{{Short description|American baseball player (1863–1917)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Parson Nicholson |image=Parson Nicholson Washington Senators.jpg |caption=Nicholson in Washington Senators uniform |position=Second baseman |birth_date={{birth date|1863|4|14}} |birth_place=Blaine, Ohio, U.S. |death_date={{death date and age|1917|02|28|1863|04|14}} |death_place=Bellaire, Ohio, U.S. |bats=Right |throws=Unknown |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 14 |debutyear=1888 |debutteam=Detroit Wolverines |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=May 6 |finalyear=1895 |finalteam=Washington Senators |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat2label=Home runs |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat1value=.262 |stat2value=5 |stat3value=86 |teams= * Detroit Wolverines (1888) * Toledo Maumees (1890) * Washington Senators (1895) |highlights= }} '''Thomas Clark "Parson" Nicholson''' (April 14, 1863 – February 28, 1917) was an American baseball player whose career spanned from 1887 to 1899. He played principally as a second baseman and in the minor leagues. He did play three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Wolverines in 1888, the Toledo Maumees in 1890, and the Washington Senators in 1895.
Nicholson's only full season in the major leagues came in 1890 with Toledo when he appeared in 134 games, all at second base, and compiled a .268 batting average with 11 triples, four home runs, 72 RBIs and 46 stolen bases. Over the course of 12 minor league seasons, Nicholson appeared in 837 games and compiled a .303 batting average with 48 triples, 37 home runs, and 354 stolen bases.
==Early years and nickname== Nicholson was born in Blaine, Ohio, in 1863.<ref name=BR>{{cite web|title=Parson Nicholson Statistics and History|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=baseball-reference.com|access-date=July 1, 2014|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nichopa01.shtml}}</ref> He received the nickname "Parson" because he refused to play baseball on Sundays.<ref name=BMH/>
==Professional baseball career==
===Ohio minor leagues=== Nicholson began his professional baseball career playing for minor league clubs in Columbus, Barnesville, and Wooster, Ohio, and in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.<ref name=BMH>{{cite book|author=Frank Russo, Gene Racz|title=Bury My Heart at Cooperstown|url=https://archive.org/details/burymyheartatcoo0000russ|url-access=registration|publisher=Triumph Books|year=2006|isbn=1617499366}}</ref> In 1887, at age 24, he compiled a .357 batting average playing in the Ohio State League for teams in Wheeling, West Virginia, and Steubenville, Ohio.<ref name=Minor>{{cite web|title=Parson Nicholson Minor League Statistics|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=baseball-reference.com|access-date=July 1, 2014|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=nichol001par}}</ref>
===Detroit and Toledo=== thumb|300px|1888 baseball card of Nicholson In 1888, Nicholson played for the St. Louis Whites in the Western Association.<ref name=Minor/> He joined the Detroit Wolverines late in the season, making his major league debut on September 14, 1888. He appeared in 24 games as a second baseman for Detroit and compiled a .259 batting average.<ref name=BR/>
The 1888 Detroit team finished in fifth place with a 68-63 record.<ref>{{cite web|title=1888 Detroit Wolverines|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=baseball-reference.com|access-date=June 30, 2014|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DTN/1888.shtml}}</ref> With high salaries owed to the team's star players, and gate receipts declining markedly, the team folded in October 1888 with the players being sold to other teams. Nicholson was acquired by the Cleveland Spiders, but the Spiders sold Nicholson to the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League in May 1889 for $500.<ref name=BR/> Nicholson appeared in 87 games for the Mud Hens in 1889 and moved with the team when they joined the American Association and became the Toledo Maumees in 1890. Nicholson appeared in 134 games, all at second base, for the Maumees in 1890, his lengthiest stint in the majors. He compiled a .268 batting average with 11 triples, four home runs, 72 RBIs and 46 stolen bases.<ref name=BR/>
===Return to the minors=== In 1891, Nicholson returned to the minor leagues, playing for the Sioux City Huskers in the Western Association.<ref name=Minor/> During the 1892 season, Nicholson played for three different teams—Joliet/Aurora in the Illinois-Iowa League, Chattanooga in the Southern Association, and Toledo in the Western League.<ref name=Minor/>
Nicholson then spent the 1893 and 1894 seasons playing for Erie in the Eastern League. He totaled 141 stolen bases in two seasons with Erie and compiled batting averages of .306 and .333.<ref name=Minor/>
===Washington=== thumb|300px|Nicholson (middle row, far right) with the 1895 Washington Senators In 1895, Nicholson returned to the major leagues with the Washington Senators. In 10 games for Washington, he compiled a .184 batting average with a triple, five RBIs and six stolen bases. He appeared in his final major league game on May 6, 1895.<ref name=BR/>
===Final years in the minors=== After being released by the Senators, Nicholson signed with the Detroit Tigers, then of the Western League.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nicholson Arrived|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=May 14, 1895|page=2|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/freep/doc/562565967.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+14%2C+1895&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+%281858-1922%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=NICHOLSON+ARRIVED}}</ref> During the 1895 season, he hit .348 in 81 games for the Tigers and had three triples and nine home runs.<ref name=Minor/> He had the second highest batting average on the Detroit club in 1895.<ref>{{cite news|title=Detroit Averages|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=September 2, 1895|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21992856/detroits_averages/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Nicholson continued to play in the minors through the 1899 season. He split the 1897 season playing with three Western League teams and played the 1898 season for Newark in the Atlantic League and Kansas City in the Western League. He concluded his playing career in 1899 as a player-manager for Wheeling in the Interstate League.<ref name=Minor/>
===Career totals=== Over three major league seasons, Nicholson appeared in 168 games, 158 of them at second base. He compiled a .262 batting average with 15 triples, five home runs, 86 RBIs, and 58 stolen bases.<ref name=BR/>
Nicholson also appeared in 837 minor league games, 640 at second base, over a span of 12 seasons. During his minor league career, he batted .303 with 48 triples, 37 home runs, and 354 stolen bases.<ref name=Minor/>
==Later years== While still an active ball player, Nicholson became the principal owner of a shoe business in Bellaire, Ohio, known as Nicholson and Ball. He continued to operate the shoe business after his playing career ended.<ref name=BMH/> He was also elected as the mayor of Bellaire in 1903 and was the superintendent of the Trinity Lutheran Church for 25 years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Parson Nicholson Is Dead|newspaper=The Sporting Life|date=March 10, 1917|page=6|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1917/VOL_69_NO_02/SL6902006.pdf}}</ref> Nicholson died in Bellaire in 1917 at age 53 from lobar pneumonia caused by tuberculosis.<ref name=BR/><ref name=BMH/> He was interred at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Bellaire.<ref name=BR/>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{commons category}} {{baseballstats|br=/n/nichopa01|brm=nichol001par}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Parson}} Category:1863 births Category:1917 deaths Category:19th-century baseball players Category:19th-century American sportsmen Category:Major League Baseball second basemen Category:Detroit Wolverines players Category:Toledo Maumees players Category:Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Category:Minor league baseball managers Category:Wheeling (minor league baseball) players Category:Steubenville Stubs players Category:St. Louis Whites players Category:Wheeling National Citys players Category:Wheeling Nailers (baseball) players Category:Toledo Black Pirates players Category:Sioux City Corn Huskers players Category:Chattanooga Chatts players Category:Joliet Convicts players Category:Aurora Indians players Category:Erie Blackbirds players Category:Detroit Tigers (Western League) players Category:St. Paul Saints (Western League) players Category:Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Category:Newark Colts players Category:Wheeling Stogies players Category:Sportspeople from Bellaire, Ohio Category:Baseball players from Belmont County, Ohio