Ivan Bigler Biography
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- Born Dec. 13, 1892
After graduating from Juniata, Bigler began the early summer of 1912 catching for the Huntingdon Collegians, where his play drew the attention of Earle Mack, then with the Reading Pretzels of the Tri-State League. On his son\'s recommendation, Philadelphia A\'s manager Connie Mack sent Bigler to work out with the Reading club for the remainder of the season. He began his professional baseball career with the Utica Utes of the New York State League in 1913 playing the outfield.\n', '
During the 1913–14 off-season, Bigler returned to Juniata and managed the Eagles basketball squad. In 1914 he was back with Utica for a brief tryout, drew another release, and spent the remainder of the year playing semi-pro ball. In 1915, he signed with the Gettysburg Patriots of the new Blue Ridge League. He had the best season of his professional career with a season batting average of .283 and 38 stolen bases while playing third base. He was also named to the Blue Ridge League End of Season All-Star team in 1915. He once again played with Gettysburg in 1916. In the off-season, he attended Springfield College, where he would earn a master\'s degree in physical education, playing for their basketball team.\n', '
On September 15, 1916, Bigler was picked up by the St. Louis Browns in the Rule 5 draft. He began the season as a backup third baseman to Jimmy Austin. On May 6, 1917 Bigler made his one and only appearance in a major league game in the seventh inning. He became a pinch runner for pinch hitter Bill Rumler, who had pinch hit for relief pitcher Eddie Plank. He was left on base and was replaced in the lineup by relief pitcher Bob Groom. After his one appearance, he remained on the Browns roster until early May, when he was released to Wichita of the Western League. After playing in just eight games from May 12 through May 20 and batting .111 (4-for-36), he was returned to St. Louis. However, he did not get into another game. Bigler was not the only player to have a one-game career for the Browns in 1917. Tom Richardson, Ed Murray, Otto Neu, and Kewpie Pennington joined him on the list.\n', '
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