Ervin Thomas Beck was born on July 19, 1878, in
Toledo, Ohio. He made his first professional baseball appearance at the age of 16, when he signed with the
Adrian Reformers of the
Michigan State League. From 1896 into the 1899 minor league baseball seasons, he played for the
Toledo Mud Hens of the
Interstate League, hitting 11
home runs and a .298 batting average in 1898. In August 1899, Beck was sold by the Mud Hens to the
Brooklyn Superbas of the
National League, and made his major league debut on September 19. Superbas
manager Ted Sullivan initially offered Toledo $200 for Beck's rights, but eventually agreed to $1000. In total, Beck played in eight games for the Superbas, six as a
second baseman and two as a
shortstop, and collected just four
hits in 24
at bats for a .167
batting average. but he instead chose to play for the
Cleveland Blues of the newly-major American League. On April 25, 1901, Beck hit the first major league home run in American League history. On November 27, 1901, it was reported that Beck had signed with the
Cincinnati Reds of the NL before the
1902 season; a one-year contract for $3,000 to play second base. After his strong performance in 1901, the move was made to strengthen the Reds offense among their
infielders. In 1904, Beck played for the
Portland Browns of the
Pacific Coast League. In 208 games for the Browns, he collected 217 hits and had a .273 batting average. He did change teams during the off-season, signing a contract with the
New Orleans Pelicans of the
Southern Association. ==References==