A renowned gentleman, on and off the field, Tom York was a first-class athlete during baseball's 'rough-and-tumble era'. A native of Brooklyn, he joined Troy in 1871,at age 19, when the first fully paid professional league was formed - the National Association. York played for Hartford when the National League was formed in 1876, and signed with the Providence Grays in 1878 for a higher salary. In his five seasons with the Grays, he hit over .300 three times and led the NL with 10 triples in his first year there. An old newspaper clipping of the New York Clipper from the 1880s acknowledged that the 5-ft, 9-inch, 165-pound York was: - 'hard working and reliable... an excellent batsman and star fielder'... and was: 'affable and courteous'. Tom York career: .271 BA, 174Ds, 57Ds, 10 HR, 467 Runs, 303 RBIs in 690 games.  Early Baseball History