Jack O'Connor (catcher) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack O'Connor |
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| Catcher / Outfielder / Manager | |||
| Born: June 2, 1866 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Died: November 14, 1937 (aged 71) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 20, 1887, for the Cincinnati Red Stockings | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 9, 1910, for the St. Louis Browns | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .263 | ||
| Home runs | 19 | ||
| Runs batted in | 738 | ||
| Stolen bases | 219 | ||
| Managerial record | 47–107 | ||
| Winning % | .305 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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John Joseph O'Connor (born June 2, 1866 – died November 14, 1937) was a famous American baseball player. People also called him Peach Pie. He played in Major League Baseball for many years. Jack was a utility player, meaning he could play different positions. He was mostly an outfielder. What's cool is he played in four different decades!
Jack O'Connor's Baseball Journey
Jack O'Connor started his baseball career as a left fielder and catcher. He played for the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1887. After that, he moved around to play for several other teams.
He played for the Columbus Solons from 1889 to 1891. In 1892, Jack joined the Cleveland Spiders. He stayed with them until 1898. Later, he moved to the Perfectos for a short time.
In 1900, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He then played one season with the New York Highlanders. Jack finished his long career back in St. Louis with the St. Louis Browns. He is one of only a few players in baseball history to play in Major League games across four different decades!
The 1910 Batting Title Controversy
In 1910, Jack O'Connor was the player-manager for the St. Louis Browns. He was involved in a big baseball story that year. It was about who would win the batting title between two famous players: Nap Lajoie and Ty Cobb.
Jack wanted to help Nap Lajoie win. He told a new player, a third baseman, to stand in a certain spot. This made it easier for Lajoie to hit the ball softly and get to first base. Later, Jack and a coach tried to convince the official scorer to change a play into a hit for Lajoie.
Even with these actions, Ty Cobb still won the batting title. The baseball league investigated what happened. Because of this, Jack O'Connor and the coach were fired. They were also unofficially not allowed to work in baseball again. Years later, in 1981, it was found that Cobb's scores were counted wrong. It turned out that Lajoie should have won the batting title after all.
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades
