Napoleon Lajoie [la-ZHOWAY] was born September 5, 1874 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Of French Canadian descent, Lafoie was nicknamed “Nap” and sometimes known as “Larry.” In his career as a second baseman in Major League Baseball, he was considered one of the greatest players of the fledgling American League in the early 20th century. He was one of the most powerful and consistent righthanded hitters of the dead-ball era.
