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

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

for the 1926 New York Giants, has the distinction of having one of the shortest known

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), ...

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, the ninth inning of a game against

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

in June of that year (which the Giants lost 8–0). After three

outs In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ha ...

, 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 A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse refers to a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops, found mainly in North America. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as ...

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 John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

sent him to replace Paul Florence 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 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 ...

. 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 Ralph Francis "Buzz" Boyle (February 9, 1908 – November 12, 1978) was a professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1929 through 1935. He played for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1934, hi ...

played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Boyle played football and baseball at

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...

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 Steve Rushin is an American journalist, sportswriter and novelist. He was named the 2005 National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. ...

. 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