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{{Short description|American baseball player (1867–1933)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Pearce Chiles
|image=Pearce Chiles.jpg
|position=[[Outfielder]]/[[Infielder]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1867|5|28}}
|birth_place=[[Deepwater, Missouri]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1933|12|11|1867|5|28}}
|death_place=[[Talmage, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 18
|debutyear=1899
|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 13
|finalyear=1900
|finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.294
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=3
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=99
|teams=
*[[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1899}}–{{mlby|1900}})
|highlights=
}}
'''Pearce Nuget Chiles''' (May 28, 1867 – December 11, 1933), nicknamed "'''What's The Use'''", was an American professional baseball player who played as both an [[outfielder]] and [[infielder]] in the Major Leagues from 1899-1900 for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]].

During his time with the Phillies as a [[Coach (baseball)#Other coaches|3rd base coach]], he became infamous for his role in [[sign stealing]]. Among others, [[Cincinnati Reds]] shortstop [[Tommy Corcoran (baseball)|Tommy Corcoran]] noticed that Chiles' leg twitched, but only at the [[Baker Bowl]] and only when he stood in the same omnipresent puddle which seemed to persist even when it didn't rain. On September 17, 1900, Corcoran ran to where Chiles was standing and kicked his cleats in the dirt until he found a wooden box with protruding wires. Through this device, someone in the stadium was stealing opponents’ pitch signs and signaling Chiles via electrical pulses from the box. Chiles then verbally fed the pitch to the batter. Upon discovery, the umpire made Chiles change places, but no further penalties or fines were ever assessed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/shocking-history-sign-stealing-baseball-053859138.html|title = The shocking history of sign stealing in baseball| date=September 6, 2017 }}</ref> Chiles is a distant cousin of former US President [[John Tyler]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=c/chilepe01|brm=chiles001pea}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiles, Pearce}}
[[Category:1867 births]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball outfielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball infielders]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Missouri]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:19th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:Lawrence Jayhawks players]]
[[Category:St. Joseph Saints players]]
[[Category:Galveston Sand Crabs players]]
[[Category:Scranton Miners players]]
[[Category:Waco Tigers players]]
[[Category:People from Henry County, Missouri]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:Topeka Capitals players]]
[[Category:American sportspeople convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Troy Browns players]]

{{US-baseball-outfielder-1860s-stub}}

Pearce Chiles - Revision history

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