Steve O'Neill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve O'Neill
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1891-07-06)July 6, 1891 Minooka, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: January 26, 1962(1962-01-26) (aged 70) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 18, 1911, for the Cleveland Naps
Last appearance
September 14, 1928, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average	.263
Home runs	13
Runs batted in	534
Managerial record	1,040–821
Winning %	.559
Teams
As player Cleveland Naps/Indians (1911–1923) Boston Red Sox (1924) New York Yankees (1925) St. Louis Browns (1927–1928) As manager Cleveland Indians (1935–1937) Detroit Tigers (1943–1948) Boston Red Sox (1950–1951) Philadelphia Phillies (1952–1954)
Career highlights and awards
2× World Series champion (1920, 1945) Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame

Stephen Francis O'Neill (born July 6, 1891 – died January 26, 1962) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He was a catcher for many years. He played his first 13 seasons with the Cleveland Indians. As a manager, he led the 1945 Detroit Tigers to win the World Series championship.

Steve O'Neill's Early Life

Steve O'Neill was born in Minooka, Pennsylvania, which is now part of Scranton. His parents were Irish immigrants from Maum, County Galway. Steve was one of four brothers who all played in the major leagues. This was a way for them to avoid working in the coal mines.

His three brothers who also played professional baseball were:

• Jack, a catcher (1902–1906).
• Mike, a pitcher (1901–1904, 1907).
• Jim, an infielder (1920, 1923).

Baseball history books note that Michael and Jack were the first brothers to play as a "battery" (pitcher and catcher) together in a major league game. The O'Neill brothers were known for using the Gaelic language to give signals to each other. This helped them trick opposing teams!

Later in life, two of Steve O'Neill's daughters married professional baseball players. One of them was Skeeter Webb, who even played for O'Neill's team in the minor leagues in 1939 and again from 1945–1947.

Steve O'Neill's Playing Career

Steve O'Neill started his professional baseball career in 1910 with the Elmira Colonels. His brother Mike was the manager and Steve played as a backup catcher. When another player got hurt, Steve got a chance to play. He played so well that the Philadelphia Athletics noticed him and signed him.

He played for a team in Worcester in 1911. Then, he was traded to the Cleveland Naps on August 20, 1911. Steve ended up having the most successful playing career of all the O'Neill brothers. He played as a catcher for 17 years in the American League.

Early Years with Cleveland

Steve made his first major league appearance on September 18, 1911, for the Naps against the Boston Red Sox. He got one hit and stole a base in that game. He stayed with the Cleveland team for the next twelve years.

He slowly played more games for Cleveland over the next few seasons. In 1913, he played in 80 games and had a good batting average of .295. He even received votes for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award that year. In 1915, he played in most of the season's games (121 games). He had 91 hits and 34 RBIs (runs batted in). He hit two home runs that season, which were the first of only thirteen in his whole career.

Best Seasons and World Series Win

In 1919, O'Neill had his first season with over 100 hits, getting 115 hits in 125 games. He also had 47 RBIs and a batting average of .289.

His best season was in 1920. He played 149 games and had a batting average of .321. He also had 55 RBIs and career-high numbers in hits (157), doubles (39), and home runs (three). His last home run that year happened during a very sad game. On August 16, he hit a home run. Later in that same game, a pitch from Carl Mays of the New York Yankees hit another player, Ray Chapman. This was a very sad event for the team.

That season, Cleveland won the American League championship for the first time ever. In the 1920 World Series, O'Neill played very well. He had a batting average of .333 and helped his team win two runs in Game 1. Cleveland beat the Brooklyn Robins in seven games to win the World Series!

Later Playing Years

After the 1923 season, Cleveland traded O'Neill to the Boston Red Sox in a big trade involving seven players. In 1924, he played in 106 games and had a batting average of .238.

On December 15, 1924, the New York Yankees picked him up. In 1925, he played in only 35 games before being released. He then spent two years playing in the International League (a minor league).

He returned to the major leagues in 1927 with the St. Louis Browns. He played 84 games over two seasons with them. His last home run came on May 17, 1927. He hit a home run off Howard Ehmke, which was the thirteenth and final home run of his career.

In his last season in 1928, Steve O'Neill was involved in a serious accident while riding in a taxi in New York City. His final game was on September 14, 1928. He played against the Chicago White Sox.

Overall, Steve O'Neill played in 1,590 games. He had a batting average of .263, with 1,259 hits, thirteen home runs, and 537 RBIs.

Steve O'Neill's Managerial Career

After his playing career ended, Steve O'Neill became a manager in the minor leagues. He managed the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1929 to 1931. He was a player-manager there, meaning he played and managed at the same time. Then, he managed the Toledo Mud Hens from 1932 to 1934.

He became known for helping young, talented players develop their skills. Some of these players later became famous and are now in the Hall of Fame. As a major league manager, O'Neill managed four different teams:

• Cleveland Indians (1935–1937)
• Detroit Tigers (1943–1948)
• Boston Red Sox (1950–1951)
• Philadelphia Phillies (1952–1954)

He never had a losing season as a major league manager. His Detroit Tigers team won the 1945 World Series. O'Neill was famous for improving teams that were not playing well, sometimes even in the middle of a season.

Managing the Cleveland Indians

In 1935, the Cleveland Indians hired O'Neill as a pitching coach. However, he soon became the team's manager after the previous manager was fired. O'Neill led the team to 36 wins in the rest of the season. The team finished third in the league that year. His teams in the next two years also won many games, but he was let go after the 1937 season.

Leading the Detroit Tigers

O'Neill returned to managing in the minor leagues for a few years. Then, in 1942, he managed the Beaumont Exporters. In 1944, the Detroit Tigers hired him as their manager. His first Tigers team improved their record and had their first winning season since 1940.

The next year, in 1945, the Tigers won 88 games. Pitcher Hal Newhouser won the MVP award that season. The Tigers were in a close race for the league championship. They ended up winning the American League pennant, just ahead of the Washington Senators. Newhouser also won the pitching Triple Crown and another MVP award that year.

In the 1945 World Series, the Tigers played against the Chicago Cubs. The series was very exciting. The Tigers won two games in Chicago to take a 3-2 lead. Game 6 was a long, twelve-inning game that tied the series. In Game 7, the Tigers relied on Newhouser to help them win 9-3. This victory gave the Tigers their first World Series title since 1940!

The Tigers continued to play well under O'Neill. In 1946, they finished second with 92 wins. In 1947, they won 85 games and also finished second. After a fifth-place finish in 1948, O'Neill was replaced as manager.

Managing the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies

In 1949, O'Neill worked as a scout for the Red Sox. He then became their third-base coach. In the middle of the 1950 season, he was asked to become the manager. At that time, the team had a record of 31 wins and 28 losses. O'Neill led them to 63 wins in their next 95 games. The Red Sox finished the season with a great record of 94 wins and 60 losses. They were the first team since World War II to score over 1,000 runs in a season. They were also the last team (as of 2024) to have a team batting average over .300.

In 1951, the Red Sox finished third. O'Neill was replaced as manager after that season. By the time he left the Red Sox, he had won 150 games and lost 99 with them. Adding his records from Cleveland and Detroit, his total managerial record was 858 wins and 681 losses.

He then took over as manager for the Philadelphia Phillies in the middle of the 1952 season. The Phillies had been struggling. O'Neill helped them win 59 of their next 91 games, moving them up to a fourth-place finish. In 1953, he won 83 games. This season also marked his 1,000th win as a manager. He was fired in the middle of the 1954 season.

Steve O'Neill's Legacy

Steve O'Neill's overall winning percentage as a manager over fourteen seasons was very good, at .559 (1,040 wins and 821 losses). He is one of only 23 managers with a winning percentage of .540 or higher who also won 1,000 games. He is also one of twelve managers to win 1,000 games without losing 1,000 games.

Many famous players became better because of O'Neill's guidance. These players include Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Hal Newhouser, and Robin Roberts. O'Neill was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame. He was also one of the first members of the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Steve O'Neill passed away at age 70 in Cleveland, Ohio, after having a heart attack. He is buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Minooka, Pennsylvania.

Managerial Record

See Also

• List of Major League Baseball managers by wins

Images for kids

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  Steve O'Neill in 1921.