Jimmy Hallinan facts for kids

James H. Hallinan (born May 27, 1849 – died October 28, 1879) was a professional baseball player from Ireland. He played as a shortstop, which is a key position in baseball. Jimmy, as he was known, played in the very first professional baseball league season. This was in 1871 for the Fort Wayne Kekiongas. He played five games that year.

After a few years, he came back to play professionally. He became a regular player for five different teams. He played in four major league seasons. For two of those seasons, he was the main shortstop for the New York Mutuals.

Early Baseball Days

Jimmy Hallinan started his baseball journey in 1870. He joined an amateur team called the Aetna Club of Chicago. An amateur team means the players did not get paid to play. He played shortstop for this club for four seasons.

During this time, he also played a few professional games. These were for the 1871 Fort Wayne Kekiongas. This team was part of the National Association, which was a professional league.

Playing in the Major Leagues

Jimmy didn't play professional baseball again until 1875. That year, he joined the Keokuk Westerns from Keokuk, Iowa. He played every single inning of their 13 games as the shortstop.

When the Westerns team stopped playing, Jimmy moved to the New York Mutuals. He played for them for the rest of 1875. He also played for them all through 1876. The Mutuals were one of the first teams in the National League. This was a very important new baseball league.

In 1875, Jimmy hit three home runs, which was one of the highest in the league. In 1876, his two home runs ranked third in the league. People noticed that he was very fast. This speed often helped him get home runs.

In 1877, Jimmy played a little for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds had some money problems and looked like they might stop playing. Jimmy and another player, Charley Jones, decided to join the Chicago White Stockings.

Later, the Reds fixed their problems. They asked for their two players back. The teams agreed that Charley Jones would go back to the Reds. But Jimmy Hallinan would stay with the White Stockings.

In July of 1878, Jimmy became too sick to play. This made him have to stop playing for a while. He did return to the field in August for the Indianapolis Blues. However, he could only play in three games.

Jimmy was a good hitter. He had a batting average of .287 in 170 games. But he had some trouble with his fielding. In 111 games at shortstop, he made 161 errors. This meant his fielding percentage was .744. He didn't do much better when he played in the outfield or at second base. His total fielding percentage for his career was .756. At the start of his career, he played mostly at shortstop. But later, he moved to the outfield.

Later Life

Jimmy Hallinan became very ill in October of the next year. He passed away at 30 years old in Chicago. He was buried at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois.

See also

• List of players from Ireland in Major League Baseball