Wise was born in Akron, Ohio, to two Pennsylvania natives, Samuel Wise and the former Sarah Weary. \n', '

Wise played semi-pro baseball in 1880 and 1881 for an Akron team organized by Charlie Morton, where his teammates included future major-league stars such as Bid McPhee and Tony Mullane. He played in a single NL game for the 1881 Detroit Wolverines. In 1882, Wise ended up signing with both the NL\'s Boston Red Caps and the American Association\'s Cincinnati Red Stockings. When the Red Stockings unsuccessfully sued the Red Caps, it marked the first American court case involving professional baseball.\n', '

Playing for Boston through 1888, Wise was mostly a left-handed hitter, but he sometimes batted right-handed on a whim. He became the first 100-strikeout hitter in the major leagues in 1884, and he was often erratic on defense, especially when throwing to first base. He sustained an injury in 1886, requiring a move to first base, and he had off-and-on arm difficulties for the rest of his career. Still, he had a stellar offensive season in 1887, hitting .334.\n', '

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