Jimmy "Browntown" Boyle (January 19, 1904 in Cincinnati, Ohio – December 24, 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio), a catcher for the 1926

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. ...

, has the distinction of having one of the shortest known Major League Baseball careers. Although Boyle is only one of about 900 ballplayers who have played in only a single major league game, he is distinguished by having played for only one

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

, the ninth inning of a game against Pittsburgh in June of that year (which the Giants lost 8–0). After three outs, Boyle never got to bat and never played again; he is even further distinguished by having never played in the minors, moving straight to the Giants from college, and retiring from baseball completely at the end of his one-inning season. He later went on to make his famous New York City steakhouse called The Browntown Beefery.

Playing History

Boyle was called up to New York in the summer of 1926, arriving by Pullman train car. He signed a contract for $250 to play with the Giants, minus a $30 deposit for both his home and away uniforms. His brief career started at the top of the ninth inning when John McGraw sent him to replace

Paul Florence Paul Robert Florence (April 22, 1900 – May 28, 1986) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Giants in its 1926 season. Career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Florence graduated from Georgetown University, where he was a ...

behind homeplate at the Polo Grounds. That would be the extent of his career in the Majors.

Family History

Boyle's family emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s and settled in Cincinnati. His father James worked as a brewery truck driver and a fireman. Jimmy was a second-generation ballplayer (uncommon in an era when there had only been two generations of ball players); his two uncles Jack and Eddie Boyle were catchers for the Phillies and Pirates, respectively. As well, his brother Buzz Boyle played for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

. Boyle played football and baseball at Xavier University in Cincinnati; he was class president and enjoyed "feminine companions and

Chesterfield cigarettes Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette, named after Chesterfield County, Virginia. The brand is owned by conglomerate Altria and produced by its subsidiary Philip Morris USA. History A blend of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, Chesterfields were int ...

" according to his yearbook. He is the grandfather of sportswriter Steve Rushin. His granddaughter remembers seeing his signed Giants contract next to a photo of him in uniform in their house. Jimmy died of leukemia on Christmas Eve, 1958.

Sources

References

Major League Baseball catchers 1904 births 1958 deaths New York Giants (NL) players Xavier Musketeers baseball players Baseball players from Cincinnati {{US-baseball-catcher-1900s-stub