Major League Baseball Player. He was born in Sherman, Mississippi, the son of Nannie Brooks and Reuben Criss, a farmer. He began his career with the Texas League with the Cleburne Railroaders, who took the championship in 1906, with Criss pitching a no-hitter against the Temple Boll Weevils in June. On 20 April 1908, he broke into the big leagues, joining the St. Louis Browns. He was a right-handed pitcher but a left-handed batter. In his first season, he became the first player to pinch hit 40 times in a season, with 41 out of 82 at-bats, making 12 pinch hits, 28 overall, for a .341 batting average. He is now regarded as the first player to be used as a regular pinch hitter. He led the American League in pinch at-bats and hits in every season with the American League. After the 1911 season, he returned to the Texas League, where he led the league in batting for three seasons and pitched three no-hitters for Houston. Overall, he had three wins and nine losses in his career, with a 4.38 earned run average and 70 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Texas League Hall of Fame.
Major League Baseball Player. He was born in Sherman, Mississippi, the son of Nannie Brooks and Reuben Criss, a farmer. He began his career with the Texas League with the Cleburne Railroaders, who took the championship in 1906, with Criss pitching a no-hitter against the Temple Boll Weevils in June. On 20 April 1908, he broke into the big leagues, joining the St. Louis Browns. He was a right-handed pitcher but a left-handed batter. In his first season, he became the first player to pinch hit 40 times in a season, with 41 out of 82 at-bats, making 12 pinch hits, 28 overall, for a .341 batting average. He is now regarded as the first player to be used as a regular pinch hitter. He led the American League in pinch at-bats and hits in every season with the American League. After the 1911 season, he returned to the Texas League, where he led the league in batting for three seasons and pitched three no-hitters for Houston. Overall, he had three wins and nine losses in his career, with a 4.38 earned run average and 70 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Texas League Hall of Fame.
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