John Anthony Boyle (March 22, 1866 – January 7, 1913), nicknamed "Honest Jack", was an American

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

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), ...

. His younger brother,

Eddie Boyle Edward Joseph Boyle (May 8, 1874 – February 10, 1941) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates during the season. Listed at 6' 3", 200 lb., Boyle batted and threw right-hand ...

, played in 1896.

Baseball career

Born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Boyle began his professional baseball career in 1886, playing in one game for the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867– ...

of 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 ...

. On November 12, 1886, he was traded, along with $350, to the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

in exchange for

Hugh Nicol Hugh N. Nicol (January 1, 1858 – June 27, 1921) was a Scottish born professional baseball player. An outfielder, Nicol played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Stockings, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Red Stockings, and Cincin ...

. In 1887, Boyle caught only a couple of games until July 3. Although some sources credit Boyle with having caught 87 straight games, the correct statistic is 43 straight games--after that he played right field, ending his then-record streak. Boyle accompanied

Charles Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also ...

to the

Chicago Pirates The Chicago Pirates was a baseball team in the Players' League for a single season in 1890. The team played its home games at South Side Park (II). Its powerful National League rivals were the Chicago White Stockings which later became the Cubs. ...

of the

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Prof ...

team in 1890 and returned with him to St. Louis the following year. In 1892, Boyle signed with 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. ...

for $5,500. After one season with New York, Boyle was traded, with

Jack Sharrott John Henry Sharrott (August 13, 1869 – December 31, 1927) was a Major League Baseball player. He played in the Majors from 1890 to 1893 and in the minors from 1894 to 1903. He also managed in the minors from 1904 to 1906 in the New York State L ...

and cash, on March 11, 1893, to 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 ...

in exchange for

Roger Connor Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

. Boyle spent the next five years as a catcher and first baseman for the Phillies. On July 9, 1898, he was sold by Philadelphia to the Giants for $1,000. However, he did not play a single game for them and was returned to Philadelphia on August 15, 1898. A well-respected and versatile fielder, Boyle played every position but pitcher during his major league career. One of only four major league players to have played 500 games at catcher and had at least two seasons with 100 games or more at first base (with

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman, who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. A six-time All-Star, Mauer is the only ca ...

Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball since 2020. He previously served in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseb ...

and

Gene Tenace Fury Gene Tenace (; born Fiore Gino Tenacci; October 10, 1946), better known as Gene Tenace, is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from through , most notab ...

), he has been described as a "19th-century multi-position sensation". Popular with fans and teammates, Boyle captained the Phillies in the mid-1890s. He also served as an

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

in 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 ...

(4 games) and American Association (1 game) between 1888 and 1897. The origins of Boyle's nickname are uncertain. It has been proposed that "Honest Jack" refers to his candor with his teammates and the press, or that it was originally bestowed by his teammates to distinguish him from his fellow catcher "Dirty" Jack Doyle when they both played for the Giants.

Later life

Boyle opened a saloon in the Ohio River city on Seventh Street. In 1913, Boyle died at his home in

at the age of 46. He was interred at the St. Joseph New Cemetery in Cincinnati.

References

External links

BaseballLibrary.com

Jack Boyle
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Jack 1866 births 1913 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball first basemen Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) players St. Louis Browns (AA) players Chicago Pirates players New York Giants (NL) players Philadelphia Phillies players Minor league baseball managers Terre Haute Hottentots players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Baseball players from Cincinnati Deaths from nephritis

Baseball career

Later life

See also

References

External links