Cornelius Francis Xavier Flynn (January 23, 1875 – February 10, 1947) was an American professional baseball player.

Early life and amateur career

Flynn was the youngest of five children born to Irish immigrants in Cincinnati. Flynn graduated from

St. Xavier College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

in 1893 where he played college baseball.

Professional career

After three months in the Southern League, Flynn made his National League debut with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on July 17, 1894 in relief of

Lem Cross George Lewis Cross (January 9, 1872 – October 9, 1930) was a professional baseball player. He was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League in 1893 and 1894. He played in the minors through 1900, mostly in the Western League (ori ...

in a game against the

Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed ...

. Flynn, who told friends before the game that he was not feeling well, allowed seven runs during the eighth inning. He started his next outing on July 29 and, according to '' The Cincinnati Enquirer'', "was too badly shaken up with stage fright to do himself justice." He pitched poorly in a short outing before being relieved by

Tom Parrott Thomas William Parrott (April 10, 1868 – January 1, 1932), nicknamed "Tacky Tom", was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of four seasons (1893–1896) with the Chicago Colts, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis ...

. He would be released by the Reds in August without appearing in another game. Flynn spent 1895 pitching in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

in the Virginia State League and won twenty-five games. He was picked up by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

at the end of the season. Flynn's time in New York was tumultuous. After a poor start to the season, the Giants suspended him without pay in early May and sent him home to Cincinnati because he was supposedly in poor physical condition. Flynn disagreed with the assessment and received an examination from a physician who reported that he was in peak condition. That same month, he was docked four days' pay for leaving the team to attend his mother's funeral. By June, Flynn had been suspended indefinitely for alleged insubordination. He claimed the charges were fabricated because he refused a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

assignment. He brought the case to National League president Nicholas Young. However, because he also retained John Montgomery Ward to file a civil lawsuit in Ohio against the Giants, the League declined to hear his case.

John T. Brush John Tomlinson Brush (June 15, 1845 – November 26, 1912) was an American sports executive who is primarily remembered as the principal owner of the New York Giants franchise in Major League Baseball from late in the 1902 season until his death ...

, owner of the Reds and rival of Giants owner

Andrew Freedman Andrew Freedman (September 1, 1860 – December 4, 1915) was an American businessman who is primarily remembered as the owner of the New York Giants professional baseball team of the National League from 1895 to 1902. He also briefly owned the ...

, came to Flynn's defense, saying publicly "The New York Club accepted Flynn's terms, and stipulated that if he was not strong enough he was to be released ... Instead of releasing him, as should have been done, Flynn was goaded and taunted until he lost his temper. Then he was fined and suspended for the balance of the season, on the ground of insubordination. It was a cowardly bit of revenge, and the league should not be asked to back up such a piece of tyranny." On July 31, the Giants severed their relationship with Flynn by trading him to the Washington Senators along with

Duke Farrell Charles Andrew "Duke" Farrell (August 31, 1866 – February 15, 1925) was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Oakdale, Massachusetts, he played for eight teams during his 18-year career. He made his major-league debut in 1888 and retired as ...

and $2,500 for Bill Joyce. In August, he ultimately won his suit against the Giants and was granted $300 in back pay (). Flynn's outing against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

on September 12, 1896 would be his last in the big leagues. Flynn did not pitch in the Major Leagues again after the 1896 season. It was thought that Flynn lost speed and effectiveness due to his being shelved by the Giants for most of the 1896 season. On March 26, 1897, he was released by the Senators. A few days later, he signed a contract to return to Richmond to play minor league ball. He was subsequently released from the team after only one game and never played another professional baseball game.

Later life and death

In October 1897, '' The Sporting Life'' reported that Flynn was attempting a comeback and rehabilitating his arm in a gym but he was not able to catch on with any professional teams. After briefly relocating to work in California's oil industry, he returned to Ohio where he worked in the railroad industry and lived out the rest of his days with his siblings. He died at age 72 of

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

from a ruptured bladder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Carney 1875 births 1947 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Ohio Cincinnati Reds players 19th-century baseball players New York Giants (NL) players Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Mobile Bluebirds players Nashville Tigers players Richmond Blue Birds players New York Metropolitans (minor league) players Richmond Giants players Xavier Musketeers baseball players American people of Irish descent Deaths from gangrene