John F. "Denny" Driscoll (November 19, 1855 – July 11, 1886) was an American

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), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

from 1880 to 1884. Driscoll played for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

Pittsburgh Alleghenys The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Franchise beginnings (1870s-1899) Early baseball in Pittsburgh and the American Association The earliest mention of "base ball" in the region was found in the journal ...

(the modern-day

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

), and

Louisville Eclipse The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

. While playing for Pittsburgh, he led the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 1882, at 1.21. He went 13-9 that season. In 1883, he was the primary pitcher for the Alleghenys' for most of the season with an 18–21 record, and was the opening day starting pitcher.

Personal life

Driscoll was playing baseball professionally for local teams in Lowell and

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

by the age of 15. In November, 1882, he married 18-year old Mary Driscoll of

Westford, Massachusetts Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was at 24,643 at the time of the 2020 Census. History Westford began as 'West Chelmsford', a village in the town of Chelmsford. The village of West Chelmsfor ...

. Soon afterwards he moved to Westford, most likely in the village of Graniteville, as the Casey family members were employed in the local granite quarries and mills. After the death of his father-in-law, Driscoll supported the Casey family with his baseball salary. In vital records of the early 1880s, he alternately listed his occupation as 'ball player' or 'machinist'. Denny Driscoll had two children with Mary, John William, born September 17, 1883, and Lizzie, born April 21, 1885. Driscoll died in his hometown of

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 ...

at the age of 30 of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

(tuberculosis). He is interred at St. Patrick Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Driscoll, Denny 1855 births 1886 deaths 19th-century baseball players Baseball players from Massachusetts Major League Baseball pitchers Buffalo Bisons (NL) players Pittsburgh Alleghenys players Louisville Colonels players Sportspeople from Lowell, Massachusetts 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Albany (minor league baseball) players New York Metropolitans (minor league) players Philadelphia Athletics (minor league) players Brooklyn Atlantics (minor league) players Newark Domestics players Binghamton Crickets (1880s) players Tuberculosis deaths in Massachusetts