Paul Waner and Lloyd Waner

Paul Waner and Lloyd Waner were American professional baseball outfielders, brothers who played much of their career together. Their nicknames did not refer to their size but to their batting: Big Poison (Paul Waner), who batted and threw left-handed, hit more long balls (doubles and triples); Little Poison (Lloyd Waner), who batted left-handed and threw right-handed, was known for the number of singles he hit.

Both brothers played minor league baseball at San Francisco (Paul Waner, 1923–25; Lloyd Waner, 1925–26) and at Columbia, South Carolina (1926), and with the National League Pittsburgh Pirates (Paul Waner alone, 1926; both 1927–40; Lloyd Waner alone, 1941). Both were fast, but Lloyd Waner was faster both in the outfield and as a base runner, and he had a better throwing arm.

Single-hitter Lloyd Waner batting ahead of his long-ball-hitting brother made for a formidable run-producing combination. Paul Waner’s batting average in each of his first 12 seasons was more than .300; he led the league three times and had a career average of .333. Lloyd Waner hit better than .300 in his first six seasons, with a career average of .316. Both played, together and separately, with other National League clubs through the 1945 season. Lloyd Waner served as a scout for the Pirates until 1949. After his retirement Paul Waner operated a batting practice range in Florida. Paul Waner was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952 and Lloyd Waner in 1967.