Peter J. Conway (October 30, 1866 – January 13, 1903) was a right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

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 five seasons with 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 ...

(1885),

Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...

(1886),

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 ...

(1886–1888), and

Pittsburgh Alleghenys The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Franchise beginnings (1870s-1899) Early baseball in Pittsburgh and the American Association The earliest mention of "base ball" in the region was found in the journal ...

(1889). He won two games for Detroit in the

1887 World Series The 1887 World Series was won by the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, over the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, 10 games to 5. It was played between October 10 and 26, and played in numerous neutral cities, as well as in De ...

and followed in 1888 with a season record of 30 wins and 14 losses. He was also the first coach of the

Michigan Wolverines baseball The Michigan Wolverines baseball team represents the University of Michigan in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Michigan athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games ...

team in 1891 and 1892. In his five-year career, Conway had a record of 61–61 with 117 complete games and a 3.59 earned run average. He also played 44 games as an outfielder. His career batting average was .224 with nine home runs and 60 runs batted in.

Early years

Conway was born in either 1866 or 1867 in the Burmont section of

Lansdowne, Pennsylvania Lansdowne is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, located southwest of the Center City Philadelphia. It was named for the Marquess of Lansdowne. As of the 2010 census the borough had a population of 10,620. Lansdowne grew quickly in the ...

, a southwest suburb of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He was the son of Irish immigrants, Francis and Grace Conway. His father was the superintendent of a guardroom. His mother came to the United States as a child in the 1850s. Conway had three brothers, Michael (born c. 1858), James (born 1859) and Frank (born c. 1864). His older brother James Conway played

as a

for the

Brooklyn Atlantics The Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn ("Atlantic" or the "Brooklyn Atlantics") was baseball's first champion and its first dynasty. The team was also the first baseball club to visit the White House in 1865 at the invitation of President And ...

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 ...

in 1884 and 1885.

Baseball player

Buffalo Bisons

Conway began pitching in

with the

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 ...

in 1885. He made his Major League debut on August 10, 1885. He pitched a six-hit complete game victory in his debut against his hometown team, the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. ''

The World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

'' of New York reported on Buffalo's rookie pitcher: "The Buffalo Club tried Conway, of the local Solar Tip Club, in the box today, and he proved quite a success. The six hits obtained by the Philadelphians were scattered, two being made in the first inning and one each in the second, third, fifth and sixth. In the fourth inning, Conway struck out the side, saving a man on third base." One day after his Major League debut, Conway pitched his second complete game victory, this time against St. Louis. Conway allowed only four hits up to the eighth inning in the game. Two days later, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' took note: "Conway, Buffalo's new pitcher, is handling the ball very cleverly." Later that week, ''The New York Times'' added: "Conway, Buffalo's new pitcher, is said to be a first-class man. He appears to be doing good work." At the end of September 1885, Conway lost a game against the Brooklyn Giants at the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

. Although Brooklyn won the game 11–2, ''The New York Times'' again praised the effort of the young Conway: "With the exception of the second inning Conway pitched a good game, and was very effective. The support given him, however, was of the worst possible character, and allowed the local men to tally unearned runs with apparent ease." During the 1885 season, the 18-year-old rookie appeared in 27 games and pitched 26 complete games. As his debut came on August 11, his 26 complete games were thrown over a seven-week period in August and September – a remarkable average of almost four complete games per week. Conway compiled a record of 10 wins and 17 losses for a Buffalo team that finished in seventh place (next-to-last) with a 38-74 record.

Kansas City Cowboys

After the 1885 season, the Buffalo franchise folded, and Conway signed with the

of the National League. Again, Conway played for a team that finished the year in seventh place, as the Cowboys compiled a 30–91 record. Conway appeared in 34 games for the Cowboys, 31 as a starter, and threw 30 complete games. He compiled a record of 5 wins and 15 losses.

Detroit Wolverines

Conway was traded late in the 1886 season to the

, where he pitched 11 complete games in 1886 with a record of 6–5. On September 2, 1886, Conway defeated the Brooklyn Giants 8–2 in a game played in Detroit. ''The New York Times'' wrote that the Giants were unable "to bat the curves of young Conway, Detroit's new pitcher", adding that Conway "handled the ball in rare style, and, with the exception of Connor, completely puzzled the batters from New York." In his first full season in Detroit, Conway played on the 1887 Detroit Wolverines team that won the

pennant. Conway pitched 16 complete games and led the team with a 2.90 ERA, though his record was 8–9. When he defeated his hometown Phillies at Philadelphia in late August 1887, ''The New York Times'' wrote: "Conway pitched a great game of ball for Detroit to-day, holding local players down to three actual hits and giving only three bases on balls. ... The Phillies ... were seemingly dazed by the effectiveness of Conway's pitching." Conway pitched four games in the

against 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 ...

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 ...

, winning two and losing two, as the Wolverines won the World Series 10 games to 5. Conway had his best season in 1888. He appeared in 45 games for Detroit and pitched 43 complete games and 391 innings. He finished the season with a record of 30 wins and 14 losses, and his winning percentage (.682) was the second highest in the

. It would be 80 years before another Detroit pitcher would win 30 games, when

Denny McLain Dennis Dale McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain became ...

did it for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 1968.

Pittsburgh Alleghenies

At the end of the 1888 season, the Detroit franchise disbanded. Conway traveled to New York in November 1888 to offer his services to other clubs at a meeting of the National League.

William A. Nimick William Albert Nimick (September 2, 1848 – January 19, 1907) was a part owner of the Pittsburgh professional baseball team in Major League Baseball, and was president of the team during the – seasons. Initially nicknamed the Alleghenys, the fr ...

, the president of the

, offered Conway a salary of $3,500 per year, but Conway refused to sign unless he was paid $4,000 per year. Conway indicated that he preferred to play for the

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

, where four of his Detroit teammates known as the "Big Four" (

Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , wh ...

Hardy Richardson Abram Harding "Hardy" Richardson (April 21, 1855 – January 14, 1931), also known as "Hardie" and "Old True Blue", was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1875 to 1892 with a brief minor league comeback in 1898. He ...

Jack Rowe John Charles "Jack" Rowe (December 8, 1856 – April 25, 1911) was an American professional baseball player, manager and team owner from 1877 to 1898. He played 12 years in Major League Baseball, as a shortstop (657 games), catcher (298 games), ...

, and

Deacon White James Laurie "Deacon" White (December 2, 1847 – July 7, 1939) was an American baseball player who was one of the principal stars during the first two decades of the sport's professional era. The outstanding catcher of the 1870s during baseball ...

) had signed. However, Conway was told that, following the breakup of the Detroit franchise, he "had been allocated to Pittburg." After talking with

Fred Dunlap Frederick C. "Sure Shot" Dunlap (May 21, 1859 – December 1, 1902) was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1891. He was the highest paid player in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889. He has also been rated b ...

, a former teammate who had played for the Alleghenies in 1888, Conway ultimately agreed to sign a two-year contract for $3,500 per year. During the 1889 season, Conway appeared in only three games for the Alleghenies. Though he won two of the three games, his earned run average soared to 4.91 – more than double his 1888 earned run average of 2.26. Conway appeared in his final Major League game on May 9, 1889. He was suspended without pay by the Alleghenies who claimed that he was not in condition to play. It was reported in the press that Conway had "snapped a cord in his arm," and that his "anterior detroid muscle was out of whack." The Alleghenies' suspension of Conway without pay following his injury sparked an early controversy over players' rights. In August 1889, newspaper accounts noted: "Pete Conway will be backed by the brotherhood in a suit against the Pittsburg club this fall. He was laid off without pay, but reports for duty, every day." In September 1899, Conway was reported to be using electricity on his arm to offset the effect of the injury.

Players' League

In March 1890, Conway signed with the Brooklyn franchise in the newly formed

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 ...

. By late June, newspapers reported that he had been with the team for two months, but had not yet appeared in a game. A reporter quipped, "If he is drawing salary he is rather an expensive ornament." By the beginning of August 1890, it was reported that "Conway has not drawn a dollar from the Brooklyn club" and that he was "at his home in Philadelphia."

Baseball coach

In 1891, the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

hired Conway as the first coach of the

team. Although Michigan had fielded a baseball team since the 1860s, the team had never engaged the services of a professional coach. H. T. Abbott, the student manager of the baseball team, attempted to hire

Billy Sunday William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century. Bo ...

and

Charlie Bennett Charles Wesley Bennett (November 21, 1854 – February 24, 1927) was an American professional baseball player from 1875 or 1876 through the 1893 season. He played 15 years in Major League Baseball, principally as a catcher, with the Milwaukee Gr ...

, but both declined the offer. Conway accepted and became Michigan's "first official coach." Conway arrived in Ann Arbor at the beginning of April 1891 and remained through the end of May. The 1891 Wolverines finished with a 10–3 record, including victories over Harvard (4–3) and Cornell (8–6). Conway returned as Michigan's baseball coach in 1892. In two years as Michigan's baseball coach, Conway compiled a 22–9–1 record ().

Later years and family

At the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Conway was living with his mother (Grace, born 1840 in Ireland) and three brothers in

Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania Clifton Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on Darby Creek west of downtown Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census the population was 6,652. History The population of the borough was 1,820 in 1890, 3,155 ...

, a suburb of

located approximately a mile from where he was born. His occupation was listed as

mule skinner A skinner is a person who skins animals such as cattle, sheep, and pigs, part or whole. Historically, skinners engaged in the hide and fur trades. "Mule skinner" (or "muleskinner") is slang for muleteer, a driver or wrangler of mules. See also *W ...

.Census listing for Grace Conway, born November 1840, in Ireland, listing 1851 as the year of immigration to the United States. She was living on Edgmount Avenue in Clifton Heights with her sons, Michael (Worker, born February 1860), James (Day Labor, born October 1862), Francis (born June 1864), and Peter (Mule Skinner, born October 1867). Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census atabase on-line Census Place: Clifton Heights, Delaware, Pennsylvania; Roll: T623_1405; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 167. Conway died in 1903 at age 36 in Clifton Heights.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Pete 1866 births 1903 deaths People from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania Major League Baseball pitchers Buffalo Bisons (NL) players Detroit Wolverines players Kansas City Cowboys (NL) players Pittsburgh Alleghenys players Baseball players from Pennsylvania Michigan Wolverines baseball coaches 19th-century baseball players University of Michigan alumni