Editing Hack Wilson (section)

==Baseball career==

===Early life and minor leagues===
Lewis Robert Wilson was born April 26, 1900, in the [[Pennsylvania]] steel mill town of [[Ellwood City]], north of [[Pittsburgh]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Parker|first=Clifton Blue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu1TJLiZjbEC&pg=PA7|title=Fouled Away: The Baseball Tragedy of Hack Wilson|date=June 28, 2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-8139-2|pages=7|language=en|access-date=April 23, 2020|archive-date=April 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120639/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu1TJLiZjbEC&pg=PA7|url-status=live}}</ref> His mother, Jennie Kaughn, 16, was an unemployed drifter from [[Philadelphia]]; his father, Robert Wilson, 24, was a steel worker. His parents never married; both were heavy drinkers, and in 1907 his mother died of [[appendicitis]] at the age of 24.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=7}}

In 1916, Wilson left school to take a job at a locomotive factory, swinging a sledge hammer for four dollars a week.<ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/> Although only {{Height|ft=5|in=6|out=unit}} tall, he weighed {{Convert|195|lb|kg|abbr=unit}} with an 18-inch neck, and feet that fit into size {{Fraction|5|1|2}} shoes. Sportswriter [[Shirley Povich]] later observed that he was "built along the lines of a beer keg, and was not wholly unfamiliar with its contents."<ref name=Conner>{{cite book|last1=Connery|first1=Floyd|title=Baseball's Most Wanted II: The Top 10 Book of More Bad Hops, Screwball Players, and Other Oddities|date=2003|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=1-57488-362-3|page=58|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DrQB0z6nEfcC&q=hack%20wilson%20beer%20barrel&pg=PA58|access-date=January 8, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120717/https://books.google.com/books?id=DrQB0z6nEfcC&q=hack+wilson+beer+barrel&pg=PA58|url-status=live}}</ref> While his unusual physique was considered an oddity at the time,{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=12}} his large head, tiny feet, short legs, and broad, flat face are now recognized as hallmarks of [[fetal alcohol syndrome]].<ref>Collier, Gene. No One Stacks Up to Hack. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10143/1060238-150.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526160909/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10143/1060238-150.stm |date=May 26, 2010 }} Retrieved March 28, 2011.</ref><ref>Wickersham's Conscience. [http://wickershamsconscience.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/book-review-fouled-away-the-story-of-hack-wilson/ Wordpress.com archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902091405/http://wickershamsconscience.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/book-review-fouled-away-the-story-of-hack-wilson/ |date=September 2, 2011 }} Retrieved March 28, 2011.</ref>

In 1921, Wilson moved to [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]], to join the [[Martinsburg Mountaineers]] of the Class "D" [[Blue Ridge League]].<ref name="Hack Wilson minor league statistics">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=wilson001lew |title=Hack Wilson minor league statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629080958/http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=wilson001lew |url-status=live }}</ref> After breaking his leg while sliding into [[home plate]] during his first professional game, he was moved from the catcher's position to the outfield.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=16}} In 1922, he met Virginia Riddleburger, a 34-year-old office clerk; they married the following year.{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=16, 22}} In 1923, playing for the "B" division [[Portsmouth Truckers]], he led the [[Virginia League]] in hitting with a .388 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].<ref name="Hack Wilson minor league statistics"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=14479 |title=1923 Virginia League Batting Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629081012/http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=14479 |url-status=live }}</ref> Late in the season, [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] manager [[John McGraw]] purchased his contract from Portsmouth for $10,500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|10500|1923}}}} in current dollar terms).<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/>

===New York Giants===
Wilson made his major league debut with the Giants on September 29, 1923, at the age of 23, and became the starting [[left fielder]] the following season.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Cost The Giants Price Of A Bag Of Peanuts |agency=King Features Syndicate |work=Rochester Evening Journal |page=8 |date=September 11, 1924 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4htgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2863,4015960&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120625/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4htgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2863%2C4015960&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> By mid-July he was ranked second in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) in hitting.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Is The Old-Style Type Of Bull-Necked Slugger |work=The Washington Reporter |date=July 17, 1924 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QS5eAAAAIBAJ&pg=1602,798237&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=November 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121231715/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QS5eAAAAIBAJ&pg=1602%2C798237&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> He ended the season with a .295 average, 10 [[home run]]s, and 57 [[runs batted in]] (RBIs) as New York won the NL [[Pennant (sports)|pennant]].<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/> In the [[1924 World Series]] he averaged only .233 in a seven-game loss to the [[1924 Washington Senators season|Washington Senators]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1924_WS.shtml |title=1924 World Series |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112042905/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1924_WS.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Multiple stories exist to explain the origin of Wilson's nickname. By one account, a New York newspaper held a nicknaming contest; the winning entry was "Hack" because he reminded many fans of another stocky athlete, the popular wrestler [[Georg Hackenschmidt]].<ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/> In another version, McGraw is said to have remarked that Wilson's physique was reminiscent of a "hack" (slang for [[taxicab]] in that era). Giants teammate [[Bill Cunningham (outfielder)|Bill Cunningham]] claimed that the nickname was based on Wilson's resemblance to [[Hack Miller]], an outfielder with the Chicago Cubs. The ''[[New York Times]]'' printed the first documented usage of "Hack" on June 10, 1924.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=29}}

Early in the [[1925 New York Giants (MLB) season|1925 season]], Wilson hit the longest home run on record at [[Ebbets Field]] against the [[1925 Brooklyn Robins season|Brooklyn Robins]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Homers By Hack Wilson And Kelly Play Important Part In Giants Win Over Robins |work=The Lewiston Daily Sun |page=9 |date=April 20, 1925 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w7EgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1620,1529214&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201040652/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w7EgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1620%2C1529214&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> but fell into a slump in May, and was replaced in left field by [[Irish Meusel]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Irish Meusel In Giants' Outfield |work=The Norwalk Hour |page=12 |date=May 30, 1925 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H94gAAAAIBAJ&pg=3248,1840538&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120632/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H94gAAAAIBAJ&pg=3248%2C1840538&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 2, he hit two home runs in one [[inning]], tying [[Ken Williams (baseball)|Ken Williams]]' major league record set in 1922,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Ties Record With Two Home Runs In One Inning |agency=Associated Press |work=Reading Eagle |page=18 |date=July 2, 1925 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wokhAAAAIBAJ&pg=6405,388132&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120625/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wokhAAAAIBAJ&pg=6405%2C388132&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> but his hitting slump continued. In August, McGraw told reporters that he had "... made the mistake of rushing [Wilson] along,"{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=39}} and sent him to the Giants' minor league affiliate, the [[Toledo Mud Hens]] of the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]]. At season's end, a front office oversight — or possibly, deliberate inaction{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=42-3}} — left him unprotected on the Toledo roster, and the last-place Chicago Cubs acquired him on [[Major League Baseball transactions#Waivers|waivers]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zIDAAAAMBAJ&q=hack+wilson+baseball+digest&pg=PA38 |title=Will They Beat 56 In '56? |author=Dexter, Charles |date=June 1956 |work=Baseball Digest |access-date=February 28, 2011}}{{dead link|date=February 2014}}</ref> "They let go the best outfielder I ever played alongside," said Giants right fielder [[Ross Youngs]], "and they're going to regret it."{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=44}}

During the 1925 World Series — between the Senators and the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] — Wilson's son, Robert, was born.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=47}}

===Glory years with the Cubs===
[[File:Hack Wilson plaque.jpg|thumb|upright|right|110px|Plaque of Hack Wilson at the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]]]
Wilson regained his form as the Cubs' [[center fielder]] in [[1926 Chicago Cubs season|1926]], and he quickly became a favorite of Chicago fans.<ref>{{cite news |title=Take Hack For Your Example |work=The Toledo News-Bee |page=14 |date=May 19, 1926 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1JFXAAAAIBAJ&pg=2104,2371472&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120626/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1JFXAAAAIBAJ&pg=2104%2C2371472&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 24, he hit the center field scoreboard with one of the longest home runs in [[Wrigley Field]] history as the Cubs came from behind to defeat the [[1926 Boston Braves season|Boston Braves]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs Overcome Braves |work=Reading Eagle |page=14 |date=May 24, 1926 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AaAhAAAAIBAJ&pg=3509,5215055&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118115855/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AaAhAAAAIBAJ&pg=3509%2C5215055&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that evening, he made news again when he was arrested during a police raid of a [[Prohibition]]-era [[speakeasy]] while trying to escape through the rear window,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Found In "Beer Parlor" Is Taken to Lock Up |agency=INS |work=The Telegraph-Herald |date=May 24, 1926 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fTVFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5416,1339434&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120626/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fTVFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5416%2C1339434&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> and was fined one dollar.{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=53}} He ended the season with a league-leading 21 home runs along with 36 [[double (baseball)|double]]s, 109 RBIs, a .321 batting average, and a .406 [[on-base percentage]].<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/> The Cubs improved to fourth place, and Wilson ended the year ranked fifth in voting for the NL's [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1926.shtml#NLmvp |title=1926 National League Most Valuable Player Award |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=February 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216190826/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1926.shtml#NLmvp |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Lewis "Hack" Wilson from Sports Exchange All-Stars trade cards (W603) MET DPB882283 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Wilson circa 1929]]
Another strong performance followed in [[1927 Chicago Cubs season|1927]] as Wilson once again led the league in home runs. Although the Cubs were in first place heading into the final month of the season, the team faltered and again finished fourth.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1927-schedule-scores.shtml |title=1927 Chicago Cubs |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=December 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207170959/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1927-schedule-scores.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilson posted a .318 average with 30 home runs and 129 RBIs,<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/> and led NL outfielders with 400 [[putout]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1927-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1927 National League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=April 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408070753/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1927-fielding-leaders.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> He led the NL in home runs for a third consecutive year in [[1928 Chicago Cubs season|1928]] with 31, along with 120 RBIs and a .313 average as the Cubs improved to third place.<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/>

Wilson had a combative streak and sometimes initiated fights with opposing players and fans. On June 22, 1928, a near-riot broke out in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field against the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] when Wilson jumped into the box seats to attack a heckling fan.<ref name="Cubs And Cards Divide Twin Bill">{{cite news |title=Cubs And Cards Divide Twin Bill |agency=Associated Press |work=The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Tribune |page=3 |date=June 22, 1928 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G65FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963,2075011&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120626/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G65FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963%2C2075011&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> An estimated 5,000 spectators swarmed the field before police could separate the combatants and restore order.<ref name="Cubs And Cards Divide Twin Bill"/> The fan sued Wilson for $20,000, but a jury ruled in Wilson's favor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Was Great Baseball Player But Headache To Managers |agency=Associated Press |work=The Portsmouth Times |page=11 |date=November 24, 1948 |access-date=March 2, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hdFQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7272,4976616&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119042625/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hdFQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7272%2C4976616&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, he took offense at a remark by [[Cincinnati Reds]] [[pitcher]] [[Ray Kolp]], and — upon reaching [[first base]] after hitting a [[single (baseball)|single]] — he charged into the Reds dugout, punching Kolp several times before they could be separated.<ref name="Ball Players In Fistic Encounter">{{cite news |title=Ball Players In Fistic Encounter |agency=Associated Press |work=Ottawa Citizen |page=3 |date=July 5, 1929 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CwkuAAAAIBAJ&pg=5002,3522627&dq=hack+wilson+fight&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120626/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CwkuAAAAIBAJ&pg=5002%2C3522627&dq=hack+wilson+fight&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that evening at the train station, Wilson exchanged words and blows with Cincinnati player [[Pete Donohue]].<ref name="Ball Players In Fistic Encounter"/> In late 1929, he signed a contract to fight [[Art Shires]] of the [[Chicago White Sox]] in a boxing match,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Signs To Meet Art Shires |work=The Toledo News-Bee |page=12 |date=December 14, 1929 |access-date=February 23, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KSlYAAAAIBAJ&pg=3677,5807376&dq=hack+wilson+art+shires&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120627/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KSlYAAAAIBAJ&pg=3677%2C5807376&dq=hack+wilson+art+shires&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> but reneged after Cubs president [[William Veeck, Sr.]] enlisted Wilson's wife Virginia to dissuade him,{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=90–92}} and then Shires lost a fight to [[George Trafton]] of the [[Chicago Bears]]. There was nothing to gain, Wilson said, by fighting a defeated boxer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Baseball Solons Breathe Easier Since Shires' Rout |agency=United Press International |work=The Pittsburgh Press |page=34 |date=December 18, 1929 |access-date=February 23, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qCAbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3851,2046646&dq=hack+wilson+art+shires&hl=en |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201040725/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qCAbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3851%2C2046646&dq=hack+wilson+art+shires&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

Wilson's "penchant for festivities" is also well documented. Biographer Clifton Blue Parker described him as "... the Roaring '20s epitome of a baseball player, primed for an age of American excess ... at a time when baseball was America's favorite sport."{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=53–55}} His love of drinking and partying did not endear him to Cubs owner [[William Wrigley Jr.|William Wrigley]], who abhorred alcohol consumption. (Wilson always insisted that he never played drunk; "hung over, yes; drunk, no."{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=53}}) Manager [[Joe McCarthy (manager)|Joe McCarthy]] worked hard to shield Wilson from Wrigley, and to keep him on an even keel. "Better than any other manager," wrote sportswriter [[Frank Graham (writer)|Frank Graham]], "Joe understood Hack, made allowances for him when he failed, and rewarded him with praise when he did well. Joe could be strict and stern with his players ... but he never was with Hack, and Hack repaid him by playing as he never had before, nor would again."{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=53–54}}

In [[1929 Chicago Cubs season|1929]], Wilson hit .345 with 39 home runs and a league-record 159 RBIs.<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/><ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/> He and new teammate [[Rogers Hornsby]] (who also contributed 39 home runs) led the Cubs to their first NL pennant in eleven years. In the [[1929 World Series|World Series]] against [[Connie Mack]]'s [[1929 Philadelphia Athletics season|Philadelphia Athletics]], Wilson's .471 hitting performance was eclipsed by two fielding [[Error (baseball)|errors]] at [[Shibe Park]]. Though trailing the Series two games to one, the Cubs were leading by a score of 8–0 in the fourth game when the Athletics mounted a 10-[[Run (baseball)|run]] rally in the seventh inning. Wilson lost two fly balls in the sun; the second, with two runners on base, led to an [[inside-the-park home run]] by [[Mule Haas]] as the Athletics won 10–8.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192910120.shtml |title=1929 World Series Game 4 |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=March 1, 2011 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117083418/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA192910120.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Boone |first=Robert |author2=Grunska |first2=Gerald |date=January 1979 |title=Hack Wilson: He Was One Of A Kind |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_baseball-digest_1979-01_38_1 |url-access=limited |access-date=2025-02-17 |work=Baseball Digest |volume=38 |issue=1}}</ref> After the game, McCarthy reportedly told a boy asking for a souvenir baseball, "Come back tomorrow and stand behind Wilson, and you'll be able to pick up all the balls you want!"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081016&content_id=3625822&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=On cue, Drew caps miraculous Sox rally |date=October 17, 2008 |work=Ian Browne |publisher=MLB.com |access-date=October 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627032847/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081016&content_id=3625822&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |archive-date=June 27, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081017&content_id=3627098&vkey=ps2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|title=Comeback among October's best|date=October 17, 2008|work=MLB.com|access-date=October 2, 2009|archive-date=October 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021012230/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081017&content_id=3627098&vkey=ps2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|url-status=live}}</ref> The Athletics won again the next day to take the Series in five games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1929_WS.shtml |title=1929 World Series |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030033833/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1929_WS.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

====1930 peak====
Wilson's [[1930 Chicago Cubs season|1930 season]], aided by a lively ball wound with special Australian wool, is considered one of the best single-season hitting performances in baseball history.<ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hibavg4.shtml |title=League by League Totals for Batting Average |publisher=Baseball Almanac |access-date=March 1, 2011 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113133712/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hibavg4.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> By the middle of July, he had accumulated 82 RBIs. In August, he hit 13 home runs and 53 RBIs, and by September 17 he had reached 174 RBIs, breaking [[Lou Gehrig]]'s major league record established three years earlier.<ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/> He finished the season with 190 RBIs, along with a then-NL-record 56 home runs, .356 batting average, .454 on-base percentage, and league-leading .723 [[slugging percentage]].<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/> He was unofficially voted the NL's most "useful" player by the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America]] (which did not inaugurate its official MVP award until 1931).<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Is Picked as Most Useful Player |agency=Associated Press |work=The Milwaukee Journal |page=2 |date=October 8, 1930 |access-date=February 23, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v6ZQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6659,6340651&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120627/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v6ZQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6659%2C6340651&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1999, the [[Commissioner of Baseball (MLB)|Commissioner of Baseball]] officially increased Wilson's 1930 RBI total to 191 after a [[Box score (baseball)|box score]] analysis by baseball historian [[Jerome Holtzman]] revealed that [[Charlie Grimm]] had been mistakenly credited with an RBI actually driven home by Wilson during the second game of a doubleheader on July 28.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wilson's record increases to 191 |agency=Associated Press |work=The Tuscaloosa News |page=5 |date=June 23, 1999 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3TwdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3089,4576555&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120628/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3TwdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3089%2C4576555&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilson's 191 RBIs remains one of baseball's most enduring records; only Gehrig (185) and [[Hank Greenberg]] (184) ever came close, and there have been no serious challenges in the last 85 years. (The best effort since 1938 was 165 by [[Manny Ramirez]] in 1999.)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/RBI_season.shtml |title=Single-Season Leaders & Records for Runs Batted In |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102190131/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/RBI_season.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Reds catcher [[Clyde Sukeforth]] asserted that Wilson should have been credited with an additional home run in 1930 as well. "He hit one in Cincinnati one day," he said, "way up in the seats, hit it so hard that it bounced right back onto the field. The umpire had a bad angle on it and ruled that it had hit the screen and bounced back. I was sitting in the Cincinnati bullpen, and of course, we weren't going to say anything. But Hack really hit 57 that year."{{sfn|Parker|2000|pp=113–114}} Wilson's official total of 56 stood as the NL record until the 1998 season, when it was broken by [[Sammy Sosa]] (66) and [[Mark McGwire]] (70).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/HR_season.shtml |title=Single-Season Leaders & Records for Home Runs |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=June 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620135024/http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/HR_season.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Decline===
Wilson's success in the 1930 season served only to fuel his drinking habits, and in [[1931 Chicago Cubs season|1931]] he reported to [[spring training]] 20 pounds overweight.<ref name="Hack Wilson Belted Homers, Hecklers with Equal Gusto"/> In addition, the NL responded to the prodigious offensive statistics of the previous year (the only season, other than 1894, in which the league as a whole batted over .300<ref>National League year-by-year batting averages. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/bat.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803134515/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/bat.shtml |date=August 3, 2018 }}. Retrieved September 2, 2014.</ref>) by introducing a heavier ball with raised stitching to allow pitchers to gain a better grip and throw sharper [[curveball]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=National League Changes Ball To Curtail Slugging |agency=Associated Press |work=St. Petersburg Times |page=2 |date=February 4, 1931 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SStPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6893,1920686&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120628/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SStPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6893%2C1920686&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilson complained that the new Cubs manager, Hornsby, did not allow him to "swing away" as much as Joe McCarthy had.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Raps Hornsby's Tactics |work=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix |page=6 |date=August 31, 1938 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1VjAAAAIBAJ&pg=4308,5771258&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426120628/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w1VjAAAAIBAJ&pg=4308%2C5771258&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> He hit his 200th career home run at Ebbets Field on June 18 — only the fourth player ever to do so, behind Ruth, [[Cy Williams]], and Hornsby{{sfn|Parker|2000|p=134}} — but then fell into a protracted slump, and was benched in late May.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Benched For Light Hitting |agency=United Press International |work=The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal |page=9 |date=May 25, 1931 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ygRRAAAAIBAJ&pg=2554,694433&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en}}</ref> By late August, Wrigley publicly expressed his desire to trade him.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs To Trade Hack Wilson |agency=Associated Press |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=2 |date=August 31, 1931 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gZUxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5070,3260599&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en}}</ref> On September 6, he was suspended without pay for the remainder of the season after a fight with reporters aboard a train in Cincinnati.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wilson Loses Fielding Job After Brawl |agency=INS |work=The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal |page=9 |date=September 9, 1931 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R5BSAAAAIBAJ&pg=2604,487134&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en}}</ref> He was hitting .261 with only 13 home runs (his 1930 production during August alone) at the time.<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/>

In December 1931, the Cubs traded Wilson, along with [[Bud Teachout]], to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] for [[Burleigh Grimes]].<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/> Less than a month later, the Cardinals sent him to the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] for minor league outfielder Bob Parham and $25,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|25000|1932}}}} in current dollar terms).<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/> Wilson hit .297 with 23 home runs and 123 RBIs for Brooklyn in [[1932 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1932]]. He began [[1933 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1933]] with a ninth-inning game-winning [[Pinch hitter|pinch-hit]] inside-the-park [[Grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]] home run at Ebbets Field—the first pinch-hit grand slam in Dodger history, and only the third inside-the-park pinch-hit grand slam in MLB history.<ref>Hack Wilson Biography [https://baseballbiography.com/hack-wilson-1900 BaseballBiography.com]</ref> By season's end, his offensive totals had dropped substantially, and he was hitting .262 when the Dodgers released him mid-season in [[1934 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1934]].<ref name="Hack Wilson statistics"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Hack Wilson Given Gate By Brooklyn Club Solons |agency=INS |work=Rochester Evening Journal |page=26 |date=August 9, 1934 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wapZAAAAIBAJ&pg=1272,4511814&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119172651/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wapZAAAAIBAJ&pg=1272%2C4511814&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Philadelphia Phillies]] signed him immediately, but after just two hits in 20 [[at bat|at-bat]]s he was released again a month later.<ref>{{cite news |title=Phils Release Hack Wilson |agency=Associated Press |work=Herald-Journal |page=7 |date=September 6, 1934 |access-date=March 1, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6oosAAAAIBAJ&pg=2760,443419&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |archive-date=November 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125164729/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6oosAAAAIBAJ&pg=2760%2C443419&dq=hack+wilson&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> After a final season with the [[Albany Senators (minor league baseball)|Albany Senators]] of the Class "A" [[New York–Pennsylvania League (1923–37)|New York–Pennsylvania League]], Wilson retired at the age of 35.<ref name="Hack Wilson minor league statistics"/>