Thomas Edward Downey (January 1, 1884 – August 3, 1961) was a

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), ...

player. Born in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

, Downey played on several baseball teams after his first

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

appearance at age 25 on May 7, 1909. Downey played for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

from 1909 until 1911, both 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 ...

and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in 1912, and from 1914 to 1915, the

Buffalo Buffeds/Blues The Buffalo Blues were a professional baseball club that played in the short-lived Federal League, which was a minor league in 1913 and a full-fledged outlaw major league the next two years. It was the last major league baseball team to be bas ...

. He both batted and threw the ball right-handed. His last game, ending a six-year Major League career, was on September 30, 1915. Downey, who was and weighed , never had any

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

. He died in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...

External links

The Baseball Page: Tom DowneyBaseball-Reference.com Tom Downey statistics
* 1884 births 1961 deaths Cincinnati Reds players Philadelphia Phillies players Chicago Cubs players Buffalo Buffeds players Buffalo Blues players Major League Baseball shortstops Baseball players from New Jersey Sportspeople from Lewiston, Maine Bridgeport Orators players Lancaster Red Roses players Birmingham Barons players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Indianapolis Indians players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Newark Bears (International League) players Jersey City Skeeters players Kansas City Blues (baseball) managers Meriden Silverites players Baseball players from Androscoggin County, Maine {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub