Frank Joseph "Parky" Parkinson (March 23, 1895 – July 4, 1960) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player.
Early life
One of seven sons and two daughters born to Polish immigrants, Frank "Parky" Parkinson was born in
Dickson City, Pennsylvania
Dickson City is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, north of Scranton. Coal mining was an important industry in the past. The borough's population peaked at 12,395 in 1930 and was 6,051 at the 2020 census.
History
Dickson City was ...
, on March 23, 1895. His parents were Michael Parczynski and Mary Anna Blendowka from West Prussia, Prussia. When he was a year old the family moved to
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
entered World War I, Parkinson enlisted in the Army. He served 2 years with the 35th Engineers, Company I before he was honorably discharged.
Professional career
Parkinson played for 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 ...
between 1921 and 1924. His first game was April 13, 1921 at the
Baker Bowl
National League Park, commonly referred to as the Baker Bowl after 1923, was a baseball stadium and home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887 until 1938, and first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935. It opened in 1887 with a ...
in Philadelphia against 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. ...
. He was a 26-year-old rookie, like most men of his generation his career was put on hold while fighting in Europe during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Parkinson was right-handed and primarily played second base, although he was occasionally used as a third baseman and a shortstop. In 378 lifetime games, he had 335 hits and batted .256; his 93 strikeouts in 1922 led the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
. His total of 562 assists in 1922 at second base is among the highest all-time for a single season.
After his stint with the Phillies, Parkinson played several years in
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 ...
s, signing with the
Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...
in 1925 and the
Pittsfield Hillies
The Pittsfield Hillies were an Eastern League (baseball, 1916-32), Eastern League (Class A) baseball team from 1919 to 1930. They were League Champions in 1919 and 1921.
Their home field was at Wahconah Park, Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
1905
The P ...
in 1927-28.
Parkinson's
obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
from The Trenton Evening Times stated that "Parkinson's best day with the Phillies was Labor Day 1922 when he hit two home runs and two doubles to beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 7 to 6. He set was then a fielding record with 12 putouts and assists without an error"
A knee injury effectively ended Parkinson's career 1929.
Personal life
Parkinson married Margaret Ferry on October 18, 1924 in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.The Trenton Evening Times Trenton, New Jersey, July 5, 1960 p. 4