Michael Moynahan (1856 – April 9, 1899) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player from 1879 to 1886. He appeared in 169 games across four seasons 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), ...

, principally as a

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 ...

, for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

(1880),

Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...

(1881), Cleveland Blues (1881, 1884), and

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 ...

(1883-1884). He was the starting shortstop, and with a .310

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 ...

the leading hitter, for the 1883 Athletics team that won the American Association pennant with a 66-32 record.

Early years

Moynahan was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois in 1856.

Professional baseball player

Moynahan began his career as a professional baseball player in 1879 with the

Davenport Brown Stockings Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

of the

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...

. In August 1880, Moynahan made his major league debut with the Buffalo Bisons of 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 ...

. He appeared in 27 games, all at shortstop for the Bisons, and compiled a .330

. During the 1881 season, Moynahan played for two National League clubs. He appeared in 33 games, 32 in the outfield, for the Cleveland Blues, and one game for the Detroit Wolverines. In total, he compiled a .230 average in 142 games during the 1881 season. In 1882, Moynahan played minor league baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies, then part of the League Alliance. He returned to the major leagues in 1883 as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics 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 ...

. Moynahan appeared in 95 games, all at shortstop, for the Athletics during the 1883 season, compiling a .310 batting average, scoring 90 runs, and hitting 18 doubles and 10 triples with 67 RBIs. He was the starting shortstop, and the leading hitter, for the 1883 Athletics team that won the American Association pennant with a 66-32 record. His teammates on the 1883 Athletics included

Harry Stovey Harry Duffield Stovey (''né'' Stowe; December 20, 1856 – September 20, 1937) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player and the first player in major league history to hit 100 home runs. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stovey played fo ...

. Moynahan began the 1884 season with the Athletics, but he was released on May 17, 1884, after appearing in only one game with the club. He was then signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Blues of the National League. He appeared in 13 games for the Blues in 1884 and compiled a .289 batting average before being released on June 23, 1884. Although Moynahan's major league career ended in June 1884, he continued to play minor league baseball, including stints with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1884 and the Utica Pent Ups in 1885.

Later years

Moynahan died in 1899 at age 43 in Chicago. He was buried at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in that city.

References

External links

Mike Moynahan
at

SABR 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 ...

(Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moynahan, Mike 1856 births 1899 deaths Major League Baseball infielders Buffalo Bisons (NL) players Cleveland Blues (NL) players Philadelphia Athletics (AA) players Detroit Wolverines players 19th-century baseball players Davenport Brown Stockings players Philadelphia Phillies (minor league) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Utica Pent-Ups players