Guy Hecker

Article summary

Guy Jackson Hecker (April 3, 1856 – December 3, 1938) was an American professional baseball pitcher, first baseman, outfielder, and player-manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1890, primarily for the Louisville Eclipse/Colonels. In 1884, he won the American Association (AA) pitching triple crown. Hecker acted as player-manager during the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys season; in his only season managing a team, Hecker had a managerial record of 23–113–2 ( ). As of 2025, this remains the worst single-season record in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. The 1890 team also recorded the most losses and the second-fewest wins in a season (behind only the shortened 60-game 2020 season).

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1856 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1938 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1856". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1938". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371335066