Tag Archives: N.L.
Artie Irwin
Artie Irwin (Baseball. Born, Toronto, Ont., Feb. 14, 1858; died, Atlantic Ocean, July 16, 1921.) An undistinguished manager of the Giants for 93 games (38-53 plus two ties) in 1896, Arthur Albert Irwin is considered the first player to use a glove in the field. Irwin introduced fielding while wearing a glove as a shortstop […]
William Hulbert
William Hulbert (Baseball. Born, Burlington Flats, NY, Oct. 23, 1832; died, Chicago, IL, Apr. 10, 1882.) Along with Al Spalding, William Ambrose Hulbert was a driving force behind the organization of the National League in 1876. Hulbert served as president of the Chicago club (1876-81), now the Cubs, and was the second president of the […]
Honest John Gaffney
Honest John Gaffney (Baseball. Born, Roxbury, MA, June 29, 1855; died, New York, NY, Aug. 8, 1913.) He liked to call himself “Honest John,” but many referred to John H. Gaffney as “King of the Umpires” in the late 19th century. Gaffney started his big league umpiring career in 1884 in the N.L. Before he […]
Buck Ewing
Buck Ewing (Baseball. Born, Hoaglands, OH, Oct. 10, 1859; died, Cincinnati, OH, Oct. 20, 1906.) Although considered primarily a catcher, William Ewing played every position on the diamond during his 18-year career (1880-97). A lifetime .303 hitter, Ewing caught in only 636 of his career 1,315 games, but was thought by contemporaries to be the […]
Laughing Larry Doyle
Laughing Larry Doyle (Baseball. Born, Caseyville, IL, July 31, 1886; died, Saranac Lake, NY, Mar. 1, 1974.) Whether or not he said it, Lawrence Joseph Doyle is credited with the 1911 line, “It’s great to be young and a Giant.” As it developed, Doyle played all but 144 of his 1,766 big league games with […]
Melbourne Downing
Melbourne Downing (Baseball. Born, Killorgin, Ireland, Oct. 25, 1869; died, Holyoke, MA, Dec. 31, 1958.) In a 17-year career encompassing stops with 10 teams in three different major leagues, John Joseph Doyle played for Brooklyn and the Giants, and ended his playing career with the 1905 Highlanders. He was the first to play for those […]
