Original glass plate negative picturing infielder Heinie Groh during his 1912 rookie season with the New York Giants. Groh is pictured posing on the sideline as he holds his famous "bottle bat," so named because it resembled a bottle with its thin handle and thick barrel. The unique bat was first ordered by Groh in 1912, at the suggestion of manager John McGraw. Groh was small in stature, so McGraw told him that he should have a bat with a wide barrel, for maximum contact area, but with a slender handle, to accommodate Groh's small hands. Thus the "bottle bat" was born, and it remained Groh's standard bat for the remainder of his career. Although no year is listed, the uniform style shown here was worn by the Giants only in 1912. Groh appeared in 27 games that season, batting .271 with 0 home runs and 3 RBI. One of of the top leadoff hitters of his era, Groh twice led the league in on-base percentage and helped lead the Giants to three pennants and one World Championship during the 1920s. He finished his career with a .292 lifetime average. The negative (5x7") displays slight emulsion loss along the perimeters, but the central image area remains in Excellent condition. Culled from the legendary Brown Brothers Photo Archive.