“[John] Peters (the sacrifice-hitter and one of the best ball players who ever lived” Chicago Tribune, December 16, 1877, p7
Previous earliest use (Dickson Baseball Dictionary, 3rd edition, 2009):
1ST USE. 1888. “The sacrifice hitters…hold one hand close to the end of the bat and the other several inches further up on the stick.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sept. 6; Peter Morris)
