William F. Conway (November 28, 1861 – December 18, 1943) was a backup

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. Listed at , 170 lb., Conway batted and threw right-handed. He was born in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

. Conway was 22 years old when he entered the majors in with the Philadelphia Quakers, appearing in one game for them before playing seven games with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

in . In a two-season career, Conway was a .111 hitter (2-for-18) with four runs and three RBI without extrabases. Despite appearing in just eight games, Conway eventually saved himself from baseball anonymity when he made

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

with his younger brother, Dick Conway, to form one of 16 pitcher/catcher combinations of brothers in major league history. On August 22, 1886, the Conway brothers appeared in one game while playing for Baltimore. Following his playing retirement, Conway worked as an engraver at the Middlesex Bleachery in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area o ...

, where he died at the age of 82.

External links

Baseball Reference''SABR'' project
Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Philadelphia Quakers players 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball catchers Baseball players from Lowell, Massachusetts 1861 births 1943 deaths Jersey City Skeeters players Haverhill (minor league baseball) players Lawrence (minor league baseball) players Portland (minor league baseball) players Salem (minor league baseball) players San Antonio Missionaries players San Antonio Cowboys players Baseball players from Somerville, Massachusetts {{US-baseball-catcher-1860s-stub

See also

External links