View source for John Ake

{{Short description|American baseball player (1861–1887)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=John Ake
|position=[[Third baseman]]
|image=John Ake.jpg
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1861|8|29}}
|birth_place=[[Altoona, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1887|5|11|1861|8|29}}
|death_place=[[La Crosse, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate= May 12
|debutyear= 1884
|debutteam= Baltimore Orioles (AA)
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate= July 15
|finalyear= 1884
|finalteam= Baltimore Orioles (AA)
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.192
|stat2label=[[Home runs]]s
|stat2value=0
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=2
|teams=
* [[Baltimore Orioles (19th century)|Baltimore Orioles]] (AA) ({{mlby|1884}})
}}
'''John Leckie Ake''' (August 29, 1861 – May 11, 1887) was an American [[Major League Baseball]] player who played as a [[third baseman]] for the 1884&nbsp;[[Baltimore Orioles (19th century)|Baltimore Orioles]] of the [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]]&nbsp;(AA).  Before and after his Major league career, he played for many professional [[minor league baseball]] teams from 1881 until his death in 1887.  Described as a good and popular player, he died when the boat he was travelling in capsized in the [[Mississippi River]], and not knowing how to swim, he drowned.
==Early life==
Ake was born in [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]] on August&nbsp;29, 1861 to William, a farmer, and his wife Anne.<ref name="retrosheet">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/A/Pake-j101.htm|title=John Ake's career statistics|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=[[Retrosheet]], Inc|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>1860 U.S. Census entry for Wm and Anne Ake residing in Logan, Penn.  Head of Household Wm, age 41, born in Pennsylvania, occupation is farmer. Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Logan, Blair, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1078; Page: 409; Image: 413; Family History Library Film: 805078. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line].</ref><ref>1870 U.S. Census entry for John N Ake residing in Altoona, Penn.  Son John N, age 9, born in Pennsylvania.  Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Altoona Ward 3, Blair, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1309; Page: 87A; Image: 178; Family History Library Film: 552808.  1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line].</ref>  His family stayed in Altoona throughout his childhood, and Ake became a laborer later in his teen years.<ref>1880 U.S. Census entry for John L. Ake residing in Altoona, Penn.  Son John L., age 18, born in Pennsylvania, occupation as laborer.  Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Altoona, Blair, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1102; Family History Film: 1255102; Page: 82D; Enumeration District: 154; Image: 0498.  1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line].</ref>
==Baseball career==
He began his professional baseball career in 1882 when he joined a club located in Altoona, having played for a local non-professional team the year before.  He played for this professional club through the 1883 season,<ref name="Minor Leagues">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ake---001joh|title=John Ake's Minor League Statistics|work=[[Baseball-Reference]].com|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref> before signing a contract with the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association.<ref name="retrosheet"/>
He made his debut with the Orioles on May 12, 1884, and made his final appearance on June 15.  During his time with Baltimore, he played in 13 games, playing mostly as their [[third baseman]], but played three games in the [[outfielder|outfield]], and one game at [[shortstop]].  He had a .192 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] in 52 [[at bat]]s, collected ten [[hit (baseball)|hits]], one [[triple (baseball)|triple]], and scored one [[run (baseball)|run]].<ref name="retrosheet"/> After leaving the Orioles, he finished the year playing for a team in Fort Smith, Ohio.<ref name="Minor Leagues"/>  The following season, he played for a team in [[Youngstown, Ohio]], followed by a team [[Meriden, Connecticut]] for the 1886 season.  Later in 1886, he transferred to the Boston Blues when they bought out the Meriden team.  After the season, he signed with a [[St. Louis, Missouri]] team, which was later moved to [[Indianapolis]].  He secured his release from the club shortly thereafter so he could sign with the [[Duluth, Minnesota]] based [[Duluth Freezers]] club.<ref name="Minor Leagues"/>
==Death==
On May 11, 1887, he and two of his Duluth teammates, [[Bill Barnes (center fielder)|Bill Barnes]] and [[Billy Earle]], were paddling in a [[rowboat]] on the [[Mississippi River]] near [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]], and Barron's Island.<ref name="nemec">{{cite book|last=Nemec|first=David|title=The Beer And Whiskey League: The Illustrated History of the American Association--Baseball's Renegade Major League|publisher=Lyons and Burford|year=1994|page=85|isbn=1-59228-188-5}}</ref><ref name="Globe Drowning">{{cite news|title=A Player's Fate|page=1|publisher=[[St. Paul Globe|The Saint Paul Globe]]|date=May 12, 1887}}</ref> It was just after 8&nbsp;pm, and the trio were approximately 200&nbsp;yards from the shore, when a passing [[steamboat|steamer]] overturned their boat with its wake, leaving the three clinging to the boat for some time.<ref name="Globe Drowning"/><ref name="Chicago Tribune Drowning">{{cite news|title=One of Duluth's Players Drowned|page=3|publisher=[[Chicago Tribune|Chicago Daily Tribune]]|date=May 12, 1887}}</ref> Barnes and Earle quickly swam to shore, but Ake, who did not know how to swim, hoisted himself on the overturned boat.<ref name=nemec/> Ake decided to attempt to swim ashore before Barnes and Earle could secure a rescue [[skiff]],<ref name="Globe Drowning"/> but after a couple strokes, he began to shout for help, slipping under the water, and drowned.<ref name=nemec/>  Barnes later recalled the way Earle looked at Ake during the incident. Earle, sometimes described as a "weirdo", as "creepy", and as having an "[[evil eye]]", had an expression that Barnes never forgot.<ref name=nemec/>
A thorough search for his body was conducted into the evening, but it was called off. It was thought that since the water was high, the chances of recovering his remains were slim, and it was best to wait until they surfaced later.<ref name="Weekly Wisconsin Drowning">{{cite news|title=Drowned At La Crosse|issue=Page 5|publisher=[[The Weekly Wisconsin]]|date=May 14, 1887}}</ref> His widowed mother asked that if his body was recovered, that his remains be delivered to Altoona.<ref name="Weekly Wisconsin Drowning"/> On June 4, 1887, fishermen discovered his body when their hooks snagged onto his clothes. Due to the condition of his remains, it was reported that he was immediately buried.<ref name="Discovery and Burial">{{cite news|title=The Body of John Ake Recovered And Buried|page=7|publisher=[[The Herald-Despatch]] (Decatur, Illinois)|date=June 11, 1887}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=a/akejo01|brm=ake---001joh}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ake, John}}
[[Category:1861 births]]
[[Category:1887 deaths]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Altoona, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third basemen]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles (AA) players]]
[[Category:Deaths by drowning in the United States]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Altoona (minor league baseball) players]]
[[Category:Youngstown (minor league baseball) players]]
[[Category:Boston Blues players]]
[[Category:Meriden Silvermen players]]
[[Category:Duluth Freezers players]]