Paul Waner, the elder of the famous Waner brothers, started his professional baseball career with San Francisco in 1923, alternating between first base, and the outfield. He played for them three years, having a batting average of .401 in 1925, before being purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and has been a regular outfielder for them ever since. In 1927, Paul Waner won the National League batting championship with an average of .380. He was also voted the most valuable player in the National League the same year. He led the National League for runs scored in 1928 and 1934, winning the batting crown, in 1934, with an average of .362. He again won the batting championship in 1936, with an average of .373. It can be truly said that Paul Waner is one of the greatest batsmen of all times, since his 13-year major-league record shows 2648 hits in 1940 games for an average of .343.