Tip O'Neill (baseball)
Tip O'Neill | ||
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Runs batted in | 757 | |
Teams | ||
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Career highlights and awards | ||
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Member of the Canadian | ||
Baseball Hall of Fame | ||
Induction | 1986 |
James Edward "Tip" O'Neill (May 15, 1860 – December 31, 1915) was a Canadian professional baseball player from approximately 1875 to 1892. He began playing organized baseball in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, and later played ten seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a left fielder, but also as a pitcher, for four major league clubs.
While playing with the
O'Neill, dubbed "Canada's Babe Ruth",[1] was posthumously inducted into both the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Each year since 1984, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has presented the Tip O'Neill Award to the best Canadian baseball player.
Early years
O'Neill was born in 1860 at
Professional baseball player
Minor leagues
In 1875, O'Neill began playing organized baseball in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada,[3] and became known as "The Woodstock Wonder."[2] He also traveled with barnstorming teams.[1] In 1881, he reportedly played in Detroit,[3] and in 1882, he played for the New York Metropolitans in the League Alliance.[4]
New York Gothams
O'Neill made his major league debut on May 5, 1883, as a
St. Louis Browns
1884 season
In 1884, O'Neill joined
1885 season
In 1885, O'Neill missed much of the season, suffering an injury on June 10 and not returning to the lineup until September 3.
1886 season
O'Neill played his first full season as a
O'Neill's hitting helped lead the Browns to the American Association pennant with a 93-46 record.
1887 season
In 1887, O'Neill rewrote the major league batting record book in just 124 games. That year, he won the American Association
O'Neill's batting performance in 1887 also established new single season, major league records in at least seven other categories, including the highest
O'Neill's hitting in 1887 helped lead the Browns to their third consecutive American Association pennant with a 95-40 record.[20] The Browns lost the 1887 World Series to the Detroit Wolverines, as O'Neill hit .200 in 65 at bats against Detroit's pitching in the World Series.[2]
1888 season
In 1888, O'Neill won his second consecutive American Association batting title by hitting .335. He also ranked among the league leaders in multiple hitting categories for the third consecutive year with a .390 on-base percentage (2nd), .446 slugging percentage (3rd), 177 hits (1st), 236 total bases (3rd), 98 RBIs (4th), and 225 times on base (3rd).[1][2]
With O'Neill again leading the club in hitting, the Browns won their fourth consecutive pennant in 1888 with a 92-43 record.
1889 season
O'Neill had his fifth consecutive strong season as a batter in 1889. He appeared in 134 games in the outfield and compiled a .335 batting average, the second highest in the American Association. He again ranked among the league leaders in multiple batting categories with a .419 on-base percentage (4th), .478 slugging percentage (4th), 179 hits (4th), 255 total bases (3rd), 33 doubles (4th), nine home runs (5th), 110 RBIs (3rd), and 50 extra base hits (3rd).
In O'Neill's first six seasons with the Browns from 1884 to 1889, he appeared in 656 games, scored 585 runs, compiled a WAR rating of 22.5, and hit .347 with a .407 on-base percentage, .498 slugging percentage, 925 hits, and 538 RBIs.[2] During those six seasons, he was the Browns' dominant hitter and helped the club win four pennants and compile a record of 516 wins and 247 losses.[23]
Chicago Pirates
O'Neill followed Charlie Comiskey to the Players' League in 1890, appearing in 137 games as an outfielder for Comiskey's Chicago Pirates. He hit .302 in the Players' League with a .377 on-base percentage. He led the league in games played and ranked second with 647 plate appearances and seventh with 174 hits and 244 times on base.[2]
Return to St. Louis
O'Neill followed Comiskey back to the Browns in 1891. He appeared in 127 games in the outfield and was among the league leaders with a .323 batting average (3rd), .404 on-base percentage (6th), .451 slugging percentage (8th), 166 hits (6th), 232 total bases (6th), 28 doubles (3rd), 10 home runs (4th), 95 RBIs (6th) and 42 extra base hits (8th).[2]
Cincinnati Reds
In 1892, Charlie Comiskey jumped to the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, and O'Neill again followed Comiskey. In nine of ten years of O'Neill's career, he played on teams managed by Comiskey.[24] O'Neill appeared in 109 games as an outfielder for the Reds in 1892. At the start of spring training, Ban Johnson, then the Cincinnati correspondent to The Sporting News, expressed hope that O'Neill would help the Reds to a pennant: "Tip O'Neill is big, hearty and strong, and gives promise of doing great things for the club in the near-approaching campaign for pennant honors."[25] However, his batting average in 1892 dropped 72 points from the prior season to .251, his lowest season since his rookie year as a pitcher in 1883.[2] O'Neill began the season slow, but in mid-May, Comiskey expressed confidence that O'Neill would "come back to his old form after a while."[26] The following month, the New York Sun reported that O'Neill was one of the most frequent recipients of Comiskey's mid-game "lecture, without any curtain."[27] By mid-July, The Sporting Life reported: "Tip O'Neill has lately been playing so poorly that the Cincinnati cranks have soured on him."[28] He appeared in his last major league game on August 30, 1892, at age 34.[2]
In December 1892, Comiskey told The Sporting News that O'Neill had left the club without permission and had not been heard from since. However, Comiskey added: "If he can play ball for me as well as he did at St. Louis I should like to have him. Last year Tip was in poor health, and that is the reason I assigned for his weak stick work."[29]
Career statistics
Over 10 major league seasons, O'Neill appeared in 1,052 games (1,022 as an outfielder) and made 4,712 plate appearances and compiled a .326 batting average, .392 on-base percentage, and .458 slugging percentage. He totaled 879 runs scored, 1,385 hits, 222 doubles, 92 triples, 52 home runs, 757 RBIs, 161 stolen bases, 420 bases on balls, and 1,947 total bases.[2]
O'Neill is one of only 15 players in baseball history to have won the
Later years and honours
Shortly after O'Neill retired from baseball, The Sporting Life reported in July 1893 that he was "making book" at Sheepshead Bay, a horse racing track in New York City.[32] He also worked as a "big league umpire" and as a scout for various baseball clubs, including the Chicago White Sox.[3][33] He moved to Montreal, Quebec where he lived with his brother and assisted in acquiring a minor league baseball club for the city.[1][6]
On New Year's Eve 1915, O'Neill died suddenly at age 55 while riding on a Montreal streetcar.[3] The cause of death was an "attack of heart disease."[33] He was buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Woodstock, Ontario.[2]
In 1983, O'Neill was posthumously honoured as one of the first inductees of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. The Canadian Hall each year presents the Tip O'Neill Award in his honour to "the player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals."[1]
A municipal baseball field in Woodstock, Ontario is named Tip O'Neill Field in his honour.[34]
James "Tip" O'Neill was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[35]
Other "Tip" O'Neills
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were several other athletes who went by the name "Tip" O'Neill. In 1898, O'Neill wrote to The Sporting Life to correct a report that he was managing a baseball team in Montgomery, Alabama. He noted: "It seems strange that every ball player whose name happens to be O'Neill should call himself Tip. One Tip died in London, Can., a few years ago, and when I would meet friends that I had not met for some time they would take me for a ghost. The Chicago "Record" last spring had me dying of consumption."[36]
The confusion of "Tip" O'Neills continues as some sources erroneously state that O'Neill served as the president of the Western League, a minor league based in the Midwestern United States.[37] To the contrary, the individual who served as president of the Western League was Norris "Tip" O'Neill.[38]
Years later, the future American politician and Speaker of the House, Thomas "Tip" O'Neill (1912–1994), was given the nickname "Tip" as a boy, due to his shared surname with the 19th century baseball player.[39]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of St. Louis Cardinals team records
References
- ^ a b c d e f "James "Tip" O'Neill"". Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Tip O'Neill Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Tip O'Neill Dies Suddenly". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 2, 1916. p. 4.(available through the Library of Congress' Chronicling America database)
- ^ "Tip O'Neill Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "On the Fly" (PDF). The Sporting News. May 27, 1883. p. 4.
- ^ a b c "Tip O'Neill Dies in Montreal: Member of Old-Time Browns, and Holder of Hitting Record". The Sporting News. January 6, 1916. p. 2.
- ^ "St. Louis vs. Louisville at St. Louis September 3" (PDF). The Sporting Life. September 9, 1885. p. 3.
- ^ a b "1885 St. Louis Browns". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "1886 St. Louis Browns". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Batting Average". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Batting Average". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for On-Base %". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Slugging %". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Hits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Runs Scored". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Doubles". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Extra base hits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Progressive Leaders & Records for Total Bases". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "1887 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "1887 St. Louis Browns". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "1888 St. Louis Browns". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "1889 St. Louis Browns". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Charlie Comiskey Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ Ban Johnson (March 26, 1892). "Cincinnati Chips" (PDF). The Sporting Life. p. 16.
- ^ "Editorial News, Views, Comment" (PDF). The Sporting Life. May 14, 1892. p. 2.
- ^ "Editorial News, Views, Comment" (PDF). The Sporting Life. June 18, 1892. p. 2.
- ^ "Editorial News, Views, Comment" (PDF). The Sporting Life. July 16, 1892. p. 2.
- ^ Ban Johnson (January 7, 1893). "Cincinnati Chips" (PDF). The Sporting Life. p. 3.
- ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Batting Average". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ Shoeless Joe Jackson also had a higher career batting average but is on the ineligible list due to his role in the Black Sox scandal.
- ^ "Editorial Views, News Comment" (PDF). The Sporting Life. July 1, 1893. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Original "Tip" O'Neill Dies of Heart Disease". The Washington Times. January 1, 1916. p. 10.(available through the LOC Chronicling America database)
- ^ Greg Colgan (May 9, 2013). "With money from a government grant and the City of Woodstock, Tip O'Neill Park was revamped". Woodstock Sentinel-Review.
- oshof.ca. Archived from the originalon 29 December 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ "The Only Tip O'Neill: Objects to Lightweights Appropriating His Famous Title" (PDF). The Sporting News. January 29, 1898. p. 3.
- ^ "James "Tip" O'Neill". Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Norris O'Neill". SABR Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ Hodgson, G. (1994, January 7). Obituary: Thomas P. O'Neill. The Independent (London), pp. 14.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Retrosheet