Honus Wagner’s full name was Johannes Peter Wagner. He was born in 1874 to German immigrants in the borough of Chartiers, now part of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. As a child, his mother called him “Hans,” a nickname that eventually evolved into “Honus.” Wagner’s early life was challenging—he dropped out of school at age 12 to work alongside his father and brothers in the coal mines. In the novel, Wagner shares this part of his life with Joe: “By the time I was your age I was workin’ in the coal mines along with my dad” (40).

Wagner played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, spending most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was known as “The Flying Dutchman” because of his incredible speed and German heritage. In Honus & Me, Joe hears people mockingly referring to Wagner by this nickname. Wagner is widely regarded as one of the greatest shortstops in history. In 1936, he was among the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Honus Wagner’s older brother, Albert “Butts” Wagner, also had a brief major league career. In the novel, Honus recounts to Joe how Albert introduced him to baseball and how an injury ended his brother’s career.