N.L. Batting Champion of 1918, Zack Wheat, was born on May 23, 1888 in Hamilton, Missouri. After retiring from baseball he owned a farm, but lost it during the Great Depression. He later co-owned a bowling alley and then became a police officer. Zack Wheat was so incredibly durable that he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers for 18 years without ever wearing a modern batting helmet or shin guards. His transition to law enforcement later in life was seamless because he used his famous athletic reflexes and powerful baseball-throwing arm to chase down and tackle fleeing criminals.