Michael Joyce O'Neill (5 October 1877 – 12 August 1959) was a
starting pitcher and
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 ...
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), ...
. From
1901
Events
January
* January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...
through
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...
, he played for the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
(1901–04) and
Cincinnati Reds (1907). O'Neill batted and threw right-handed. A native of
Maam, Ireland, he played as ''Michael Joyce'' in his 1901
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
year with the Cardinals.
Birth
He was born in the village of
Maum, in
County Galway,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, to Michael O'Neill, a landholder, and Mary Joyce.
Career
O'Neill was a good-hitting pitcher who occasionally played in the left field. In 1901, he ended with a 2–2 record and a 1.32
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
, including a
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
, and hit .400 (6-for-15). His most productive season came in
1902
Events
January
* January 1
** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...
, when he posted an 18–12 record with two shutouts, a 2.75 ERA, and two
saves. On June 3, he was rested until being summoned as a
pinch hitter in the ninth inning with the
bases loaded
B backdoor breaking ball
:A breaking pitch, usually a slider, curveball, or cut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of the strike zone on the outside edge of the plate after seeming as if it would miss the p ...
. O'Neill responded by hitting the first pinch
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
in major league history off
Togie Pittinger of the
Boston Beaneaters. It was an
inside-the-park home run
In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer".
Discussion
To score ...
as O'Neill became the first
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 ...
pitcher to hit a grand slam in the 20th century.
Despite his 3.26 ERA in 1903, O'Neill had a 4-13 record, in part due to poor run support, as he posted a
WHIP of 1.56. He went 10-14 with a 2.09 ERA in 1904 and did not return with St. Louis the next year. He also played with the
Cincinnati Reds in 1907, strictly as a reserve left fielder and pinch-hitter, retiring from baseball at the end of the season. In a four-season pitching career, O'Neill posted a 32–44 record with 228
strikeouts and a 2.73 ERA in 694.1
innings. He
completed 68 games in 77 starts. In five seasons, he was a .255 hitter with two
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 41
RBI in 137
games played (85 as a pitcher).
[
O'Neill died in ]Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
at the age of 81.[
]
MLB Record
Pitching Record
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Batting Record
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
Head coaching record
Family
O'Neill was one of four brothers who played in the major leagues:
*Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
(1873–1975), 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 St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves (1902–1906), who also caught Mike's first start for St. Louis (April 4, 1902)
* Steve (1891–1962), who caught for the Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
, Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
, New York Yankees
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 ...
and St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
(1911–1928), and later managed the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies (1935–1954)
*Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
(1893–1976), 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 wh ...
for the Washington Senators (1920, 1923)
See also
*List of players from Ireland in Major League Baseball
The following is a list of Major League Baseball players born in European nations.
Austria
Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era success ...
References
External links
Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Mike
19th-century Irish people
20th-century Irish people
1877 births
1959 deaths
Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)
Sportspeople from County Galway
Cincinnati Reds players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Philadelphia Phillies scouts
Major League Baseball left fielders
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Ireland
Irish baseball players
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Minor league baseball managers
Scranton Miners players
Montreal Royals players
York Penn Parks players
Harrisburg Senators players
Elmira Colonels players
Utica Utes players
Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players
Shreveport Gassers players
Plattsburgh (baseball) players