Joseph Henry Mulvey (October 27, 1858 – August 21, 1928) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1883 to 1895 for the Providence Grays, Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies,

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

, Washington Senators, and Brooklyn Grooms. Mulvey survived a gunshot wound to the shoulder with Providence in his first major league season, and he became best known as a third baseman for the three Philadelphia teams between 1883 and 1892.

Early career

Mulvey broke into the major leagues with the Providence Grays of the National League in 1883. He played in a total of four games for the Grays, but his tenure there was not without some excitement. In June 1883, Grays outfielder

Cliff Carroll Samuel Clifford Carroll (October 18, 1859 – June 12, 1923) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He played professionally for the Providence Grays, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Washington Senators, Chicago Colts, St. Louis Browns, and Bos ...

had antagonized one of the team's fans – a man named Jimmy Murphy – by spraying Murphy with a water hose as the fan was watching the Grays warm up. Enraged, Murphy went home and retrieved a gun. Mulvey was not seriously injured in the shooting, and Murphy was arrested. He returned to the park, waited until the players were leaving the field at the end of the game, and fired a shot at Carroll. His aim was off, and the bullet struck Mulvey in the shoulder. Mulvey sustained only a flesh wound, and Murphy was arrested. Mulvey was traded to the Philadelphia Quakers (later renamed the Philadelphia Phillies) shortly after the shooting, and he played in another three games that season after switching to third base. The following year, Mulvey began playing regularly for the Quakers, appearing in 100 of their 120 games. He would play regularly for Quakers/Phillies through the 1889 season.

Later career

In 1890, following many other stars of the National League, he jumped to 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 ...

, where he joined the

as their starting 3rd baseman. When the

folded after a single season, the Athletics moved to the American Association, and Mulvey went with the team.Joe Mulvey Stats
Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019. The 1892 season saw Mulvey rejoining the Phillies, where he was now the back-up to Charlie Reilly. The following season saw him traded to the Washington Senators, where he split 3rd base duties with 3 other players:

Duke Farrell Charles Andrew "Duke" Farrell (August 31, 1866 – February 15, 1925) was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Oakdale, Massachusetts, he played for eight teams during his 18-year career. He made his major-league debut in 1888 and retired as ...

, Cub Stricker, and

Sam Wise Samuel Washington Wise (August 18, 1857 – January 22, 1910) was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball from 1881 to 1893, most often as either a shortstop or second baseman. He played ...

. Mulvey did not play in the 1894 season, but he returned to baseball for the 1895 season, playing with the Brooklyn Grooms, as the backup to

Billy Shindle William D. Shindle (December 5, 1860 – June 3, 1936) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played from 1886 to 1898 for the Detroit Wolverines (1886–87), Baltimore Orioles (1888–89, 1892–93), Philadelphia Athletics (18 ...

. For his career, Mulvey batted .261, with 28 home runs. According to his statistics, his best year was 1890 with the

, in which he achieved career highs for RBIs (87), walks (27), on-base percentage (.326), slugging percentage (.428) and doubles (26). He almost equaled his career bests for home runs (5) and batting average that year as well (.287). The most home runs he had in any one year was 6, with the Phillies in 1884 and 1889, and his best batting average was .289, also with the Phillies in 1889. Along with five other players, Mulvey still holds the record for most errors by a third baseman in a single game, 6, set on July 30, 1884.

Death

Mulvey was found dead inside the Phillies locker room at Shibe Park on the morning of August 21, 1928. He worked at the park as a watchman and had attended a boxing match there the previous night. Mulvey, who was 69, appeared to have suffered from heart problems. He is interred at Magnolia Cemetery.

References

External links

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Portraits at NYPL Digital Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulvey, Joe 1858 births 1928 deaths Major League Baseball third basemen Baseball players from Providence, Rhode Island 19th-century baseball players Providence Grays players Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Philadelphia Quakers players Philadelphia Phillies players Philadelphia Athletics (PL) players Philadelphia Athletics (AA 1891) players Brooklyn Grooms players Reading Actives players Binghamton Bingoes players Allentown Buffaloes players Allentown Kelly's Killers players Easton (minor league baseball) players Ashland (minor league baseball) players Allentown Goobers players Rochester Blackbirds players Rochester Brownies players Montreal Royals players