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H8495 2026 -- H 8495 ======== LC006362 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF RHODE ISLAND AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-TIME GREAT, HALL OF FAMER NAPOLEON NAP LAJOIE Introduced By: Representatives J. Brien, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Phillips, Casey, Santucci, Potter, Cruz, and Kennedy Date Introduced: April 30, 2026 Referred To: House read and passed 1 WHEREAS, Napoleon Lajoie, better known at Nap Lajoie, was born on September 5, 2 1874, in Woonsocket, to Jean-Baptiste and Celina Guertin Lajoie. Lajoie s father was a French- 3 Canadian immigrant who immigrated to the United States, first to Vermont, and later to 4 Woonsocket, where Nap Lajoie was born; and 5 WHEREAS, When Nap s father died, he and his siblings were forced to leave school and 6 work to support the family. Nap worked in textile mills and in his free time, played semi- 7 professional baseball, where word of his prowess on the baseball diamond rapidly spread. Nap 8 played center field, first base, and catcher for the New England League s Fall River Indians, 9 leading the team in batting average, doubles, triples, home runs and hits; and 10 WHEREAS, Lajoie s contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies and he made his 11 Major League debut on August 12, 1896, against the Washington Senators, playing first base and 12 recording a single. Lajoe moved to second base later in the season, and in 39 games, batted an 13 outstanding .326 in his short rookie season. He promptly followed his auspicious start with a 14 stellar second season, batting .363 and leading the National League in doubles and RBIs. He 15 batted .324 in 1898, and during injury-shortened seasons, Lajoie batted .378 in 1899 and .337 in 16 1900; and 17 WHEREAS, In 1901, Lajoie moved to the Philadelphia Athletics in the new American 18 League, and, in his prime at the age of 26, proceeded to put on a display of baseball greatness, 19 batting .426, the highest batting average ever recorded by an American League player, and led the 1 majors in batting average, doubles, hits, runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total 2 bases. Lajoie also led the American League in home runs and runs batted in, and won the 3 American League Triple Crown, compiling one of the greatest seasons in Major League Baseball 4 history; and 5 WHEREAS, The notoriously frugal Connie Mack, owner of the Athletics, sold Lajoie to 6 Cleveland rather than pay the salary he was worth. In his injury-shortened first season in 7 Cleveland, Lajoie batted .379, and then proceeded in the 1903 and 1904 seasons, to lead the 8 American League in batting average. The Cleveland fans were so enthralled with Lajoie that the 9 club decided in 1903 to change its name to the Cleveland Naps, the team s nickname through the 10 1914 season; and 11 WHEREAS, Lajoie remained with Cleveland until the 1914 season and continued to play 12 standout baseball, including leading the American League in batting average once again in 1910 13 with a .383 average. He played his final two seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, retiring after 14 the 1916 season. Lajoie was also widely considered to be an excellent defensive second baseman; 15 and 16 WHEREAS, Lajoie s baseball statistics are astounding to consider. He had a career .338 17 batting average and compiled 3,243 hits, 657 doubles, 1,599 runs batted in, 1,504 runs scored, 18 and a .380 on-base percentage. He led the American League in batting average 5 times, while 19 winning the Triple Crown in 1901. Modern statistical analysis further confirms his greatness with 20 the Wins Above Replacement metric indicating that Lajoie was the best everyday position player 21 in the American League 7 times: 1901, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1910; and 22 WHEREAS, Nap Lajoie was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, the second 23 group to be inducted. He received more Hall of Fame votes than both Tris Speaker and Cy 24 Young. Nap Lajoie had the great honor of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the year 25 it opened in 1939 with other baseball greats including Babe Ruth. Lajoie is also included in the 26 famous baseball history poem by Ogden Nash, Line-Up for Yesterday , published in Sport 27 Magazine in January of 1949, which states, in part, L is for Lajoie, Whom Clevelanders love, 28 Napoleon himself, with glue in his glove ; now, therefore be it 29 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 30 honors the life and legacy of baseball great and Rhode Island and Woonsocket native, Napoleon 31 Nap Lajoie; and be it further 32 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 33 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Dr. Gregory Rubano, Chairman of the 34 Unearthing Our Treasure: Napoleon Lajoie campaign. LC006362 - Page 2 of 3 ======== LC006362 ======== LC006362 - Page 3 of 3
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