James Stephen "Queenie" O'Rourke (December 26, 1883 – December 22, 1955) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played in

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), ...

for the

New York Highlanders The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

in 1908, primarily as a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

and

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

Biography

O'Rourke was the son of

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

inductee Jim O'Rouke; the father was often called "Orator Jim" with the son referred to as "Jimmy". John O'Rourke, brother of Orator Jim, was also a major league player. Jimmy O'Rourke attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, where he played shortstop on the varsity baseball team in 1901 as a freshman. After being unable to play in 1902 for academic reasons, O'Rourke started playing professionally in 1903, ending his collegiate eligibility. He did complete his degree at Yale, graduating in June 1904. O'Rourke played baseball professionally from 1903 to 1915, and during 1922 and 1924. His major league career consisted of 34 games for the 1908 New York Highlanders, during which he compiled a .231

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with three

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

. He started 28 games for New York: 13 in left field, 10 at shortstop, three at second base, and two at third base. In the

minor leagues 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 ...

, O'Rourke played over 1200 games in 15 seasons. He batted .303 for the

Bridgeport Orators Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock ...

of the

Connecticut State League The Connecticut League, also known as the Connecticut State League, was a professional baseball association of teams in the state of Connecticut. The league began as offshoot of the original Connecticut State League, which dates back as far as 1884 ...

in 1907; records for some of his seasons are incomplete. After apparently not playing professionally from 1916 through 1921, O'Rourke batted .283 in 23 games for the Syracuse Stars of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

in 1922, and .236 in 88 games for the Ottawa-Hull Senators of the

Ontario–Quebec–Vermont League The Ontario–Quebec–Vermont League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1924 season. The Class B (baseball), Class B level league directly evolved from the 1922–1923 Eastern Canada League. The 1924 Ontario–Quebec–Vermont ...

in 1924. In 1923, he served as

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the Ottawa Canadiens in the

Eastern Canada League Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

. O'Rourke died in December 1955; he was survived by his wife and a son. While O'Rourke is listed on various baseball references sites under the nickname "Queenie", research by the

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

indicates that the nickname was "historically contrived", as it was not known to be used during O'Rourke's career and only appeared after his death.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orourke, Queenie 1883 births 1955 deaths Baseball players from Bridgeport, Connecticut Major League Baseball outfielders New York Highlanders players Yale Bulldogs baseball players Bridgeport Orators players Evansville River Rats players Columbus Senators players St. Paul Saints (AA) players St. Paul Apostles players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players Ottawa-Hull Senators players Minor league baseball managers American expatriate baseball players in Canada

Biography

See also

References

External links