Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Harley Fenwick Payne, nicknamed “Lady,” was a left-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1896-99.  Payne may have gotten his unusual nickname from his resemblance, both physical and in left-handed pitching delivery, to Charles “Lady” Baldwin, who pitched a few years before Payne, from 1884-90.

Baldwin earned the nickname because he did not smoke, drink, use profanity, or engage in rowdy behavior.  Payne won 14 games his first two seasons for the Bridegrooms, but tailed off considerably on the way to a career record of 30-36, with a 4.04 earned-run average.  His innings count fell drastically between 1897 and 1898, from 280 down to just nine, suggesting an injury.  Payne was also a switch-hitter with a .288 career batting average.

Payne was a dairy farmer from Windsor, Ohio, and continued to play locally after his big league career. According to a letter in his clipping file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Library, “He was one of the main drawing cards at many a local and state affair.”

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