James Edward "Tip" O'Neill (May 15, 1860 – December 31, 1915) was a Canadian professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player from approximately 1875 to 1892. He began playing organized baseball in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 46,705 according to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, at the head of the Thames River, On ...

, and later played ten seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

, principally as a

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 ...

, but also as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

, for four major league clubs. While playing with the

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 ...

(later renamed The St. Louis Cardinals) from 1884 to 1889, O'Neill helped the club compile a 516–247 record while also winning four pennants and the 1886 World Series. O'Neill won two American Association batting championships during those years and became the second person in major league history to hit for a triple crown, leading the league in 1887 with a .435

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 ...

, 14

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 123

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs). He also rewrote the major league record book, establishing new records in at least eight categories, including the highest

(originally .492, adjusted to .435),

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

(.490) and

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

(.691), and the most

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(225), runs scored (167), doubles (52),

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s (84), and

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...

(357) in a single season. His adjusted .435 batting average in 1887 remains the second highest in major league history. O'Neill, dubbed "Canada's Babe Ruth", was posthumously inducted into both the

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum () is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates the great players, teams, and events from Canadian baseball history. History The museum was founded in November 1982 in ...

and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Each year since 1984, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has presented the Tip O'Neill Award to the best Canadian baseball player.

Early life

O'Neill was born in 1860 at Springfield, Canada West, a village in modern-day

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario (census population 2,796,367 in 2021) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lake Huron (includ ...

that was later incorporated into the city of

Malahide Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of 18,608 as per the 2022 ...

. While O'Neill was a boy, his family moved approximately 30 miles northeast to Woodstock, where his parents operated a hotel.

Professional baseball player

Minor leagues

In 1875, O'Neill began playing organized baseball in Woodstock, and became known as "The Woodstock Wonder." He also traveled with barnstorming teams. In 1881, he reportedly played in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

,(available through the Library of Congress' Chronicling America database) and in 1882, he played for the New York Metropolitans in the

League Alliance The League Alliance was the first semi-affiliated minor league baseball league. Proposed by Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of p ...

New York Gothams

O'Neill made his major league debut on May 5, 1883, as a

for

New York Gothams The New York Giants were a Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the season as the New York Gothams and became known as the Giants in . They continued as the New York Giants until the team moved to San Francisc ...

(later renamed the Giants) of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

. Shortly after his major league debut, ''Sporting Life'' wrote: "O'Neill, the New York change pitcher, seems to have but one element of effectiveness in his delivery, viz.: fast and slow. This is a very weak reliance nowadays, as batsmen have only to note the speed of the ball and wait for a good one. O'Neill's delivery is wild and erratic -- hard work for the catcher and busy work for the field." O'Neill appeared in 19 games as a starting pitcher for the Gothams and compiled a

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

of 5–12 and a 4.07

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 ...

(ERA).

St. Louis Browns

1884 season

In 1884, O'Neill joined Charlie Comiskey's

(later renamed the Cardinals) of the American Association. He was signed by Comiskey to replace pitcher

Tony Mullane Anthony John Mullane (January 30, 1859 – April 25, 1944), nicknamed "Count" and "the Apollo of the Box", was an Irish professional baseball player who pitched for seven major-league teams during 1881–1894. He is best known as a switch pitch ...

, who left the Browns after the 1883 season. O'Neill compiled an 11–4

with a 2.68 ERA and led the league with a .733 winning percentage as pitcher. However, his arm reportedly "went back on him" during the 1884 season, requiring him to switch from pitching to playing in the outfield. He ended up playing 64 games as an outfielder in 1884 and was exclusively an outfielder thereafter.

1885 season

In 1885, O'Neill missed much of the season, suffering an injury on June 10 and not returning to the lineup until September 3. Despite the injury, O'Neill established himself as the Browns' best batter, hitting .350 in 52 games, nearly 80 points higher than any other player on the team. The 1885 Browns won the American Association pennant with a 79-33 record and tied the Chicago White Stockings in the 1885 World Series. O'Neill scored four runs but hit .208 in his first World Series.

1886 season

O'Neill played his first full season as a

position player In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. A pitcher is generally not considered a position player. A designated hitter, who bats but does not play any defensive position, is also not ...

in 1886 and became one of the most valuable players in baseball. He appeared in 138 games, all as an outfielder, and led the league with 107

(RBIs). He was also among the league leaders with a .328

(5th), .385

(5th), .440

(6th), 190

(2nd), 255

(2nd), 45

s (5th), and a 4.9 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) rating (2nd among position players). O'Neill's hitting helped lead the Browns to the American Association pennant with a 93-46 record. The team also went on to defeat the Chicago White Stockings of the

in the 1886 World Series. O'Neill hit .400 with a .500 on-base percentage, five runs scored, five RBIs, two home runs and two stolen bases in the World Series.

1887 season

In 1887, O'Neill rewrote the major league batting record book in just 124 games. That year, he won the American Association triple crown with a .435 batting average, 14 home runs and 123 RBIs. His batting average was originally recorded at .492,

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), better known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches during a plate appearance that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The bas ...

having been counted as hits during that season. At the time of his death in 1915, his unadjusted .492 average was recorded as the highest in major league history. Subsequently, batting averages for the 1887 season were adjusted by removing bases on balls from the calculations. Even after that adjustment, O'Neill's 1887 batting average of .435 was a major league record until 1894 when

Hugh Duffy Hugh Duffy (November 26, 1866 – October 19, 1954) was an American outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was a player or player-manager for the Chicago White Stockings, Chicago Pirates, Boston Reds, Boston Beaneaters, Milwau ...

established the current major league record by hitting .440. O'Neill's adjusted average for 1887 remains the second highest single season batting average in major league history. O'Neill's batting performance in 1887 also established new single season, major league records in at least seven other categories, including the highest

(.490),

(.691), most

(225), runs scored (167), doubles (52), and

s (84), and

(357). He also led all position players across Major League Baseball in 1887 with a 6.9

WAR War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

rating. O'Neill's hitting in 1887 helped lead the Browns to their third consecutive American Association pennant with a 95-40 record. The Browns lost the 1887 World Series to the

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 ...

, as O'Neill hit .200 in 65 at bats against Detroit's pitching in the World Series.

1888 season

In 1888, O'Neill won his second consecutive American Association batting title by hitting .335. He also ranked among the league leaders in multiple hitting categories for the third consecutive year with a .390 on-base percentage (2nd), .446 slugging percentage (3rd), 177 hits (1st), 236 total bases (3rd), 98 RBIs (4th), and 225 times on base (3rd). With O'Neill again leading the club in hitting, the Browns won their fourth consecutive pennant in 1888 with a 92-43 record. The Browns lost the 1888 World Series to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, though O'Neill compiled a .349 on-base percentage with eight runs, 11 RBIs and two home runs in his final World Series.

1889 season

O'Neill had his fifth consecutive strong season as a batter in 1889. He appeared in 134 games in the outfield and compiled a .335 batting average, the second highest in the American Association. He again ranked among the league leaders in multiple batting categories with a .419 on-base percentage (4th), .478 slugging percentage (4th), 179 hits (4th), 255 total bases (3rd), 33 doubles (4th), nine home runs (5th), 110 RBIs (3rd), and 50 extra base hits (3rd). The Browns compiled a 90-45 record in 1889 but finished in second place, two games behind the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. In O'Neill's first six seasons with the Browns from 1884 to 1889, he appeared in 656 games, scored 585 runs, compiled a WAR rating of 22.5, and hit .347 with a .407 on-base percentage, .498 slugging percentage, 925 hits, and 538 RBIs. During those six seasons, he was the Browns' dominant hitter and helped the club win four pennants and compile a record of 516 wins and 247 losses.

Chicago Pirates

O'Neill followed Charlie Comiskey 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 American professional baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Pr ...

in 1890, appearing in 137 games as an outfielder for Comiskey's

Chicago Pirates The Chicago Pirates were a baseball team in the Players' League for a single season in . The team played their home games at South Side Park (II). Their rivals were the National League Chicago Colts, which later became the Chicago Cubs. The Pir ...

. He hit .302 in the Players' League with a .377

. He led the league in games played and ranked second with 647

plate appearance In baseball, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner. This ha ...

s and seventh with 174 hits and 244 times on base.

Return to St. Louis

O'Neill followed Comiskey back to the Browns in 1891. He appeared in 127 games in the outfield and was among the league leaders with a .323 batting average (3rd), .404 on-base percentage (6th), .451

(8th), 166 hits (6th), 232 total bases (6th), 28 doubles (3rd), 10 home runs (4th), 95 RBIs (6th) and 42 extra base hits (8th).

Cincinnati Reds

In 1892, Charlie Comiskey jumped to the

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

of the

, and O'Neill again followed Comiskey. In nine of ten years of O'Neill's career, he played on teams managed by Comiskey. O'Neill appeared in 109 games as an outfielder for the Reds in 1892. At the start of spring training,

Ban Johnson Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson (January 5, 1864 – March 28, 1931) was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League (AL). Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of th ...

, then the Cincinnati correspondent to ''The Sporting News'', expressed hope that O'Neill would help the Reds to a pennant: "Tip O'Neill is big, hearty and strong, and gives promise of doing great things for the club in the near-approaching campaign for pennant honors." However, his batting average in 1892 dropped 72 points from the prior season to .251, his lowest season since his rookie year as a pitcher in 1883. O'Neill began the season slow, but in mid-May, Comiskey expressed confidence that O'Neill would "come back to his old form after a while." The following month, the New York ''Sun'' reported that O'Neill was one of the most frequent recipients of Comiskey's mid-game "lecture, without any curtain." By mid-July, ''The Sporting Life'' reported: "Tip O'Neill has lately been playing so poorly that the Cincinnati cranks have soured on him." He appeared in his last major league game on August 30, 1892, at age 34. In December 1892, Comiskey told ''The Sporting News'' that O'Neill had left the club without permission and had not been heard from since. However, Comiskey added: "If he can play ball for me as well as he did at St. Louis I should like to have him. Last year Tip was in poor health, and that is the reason I assigned for his weak stick work."

Career statistics

Over 10 major league seasons, O'Neill appeared in 1,052 games (1,022 as an outfielder) and made 4,712 plate appearances and compiled a .326 batting average, .392 on-base percentage, and .458 slugging percentage. He totaled 879 runs scored, 1,385 hits, 222 doubles, 92 triples, 52 home runs, 757 RBIs, 161 stolen bases, 420

, and 1,947 total bases. O'Neill is one of only 15 players in baseball history to have won the Major League Baseball Triple Crown. Of the 14 triple crown winners who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame (

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed Miggy, is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins a ...

is not yet eligible), O'Neill and

Paul Hines Paul Aloysius Hines (March 1, 1855 – July 10, 1935) was an American center fielder in professional baseball who played in the National Association and Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1891. Born in Virginia, he is credited with winning base ...

are the only two who have not been inducted. At the end of the 2013 season, O'Neill's .326 career batting average was the 36th highest in major league history. Of the 35 players with higher career batting averages than O'Neill, only five eligible players (

Dave Orr David L. "Dave" Orr (September 29, 1859 – June 2, 1915) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1883 through 1890. Orr played most of his career in the American Association for the New York Metropolitans (1883–1887), ...

342

Pete Browning Louis Rogers "Pete" Browning (June 17, 1861 – September 10, 1905), nicknamed "Gladiator" and "the Louisville Slugger", was an American professional baseball center fielder and left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1882 to ...

341 __NOTOC__ Year 341 ( CCCXLI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellinus and Probinus (or, less frequently, year 1094 ''ab Urbe condita''). The denominati ...

Jake Stenzel Jacob Charles Stenzel (June 24, 1867 – January 6, 1919) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1890 to 1899 for the Chicago Colts, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, S ...

337 __NOTOC__ Year 337 (Roman numerals, CCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Felicianus and Titianus (or, less frequently, year 1090 ''Ab urbe condita ...

Riggs Stephenson

336 Year 336 ( CCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nepotianus and Facundus (or, less frequently, year 1089 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 336 for ...

and

Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American professional baseball outfielder and actor. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National League for seven te ...

332 have not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Later years, death and honours

Shortly after O'Neill retired from baseball, ''The Sporting Life'' reported in July 1893 that he was "making book" at

Sheepshead Bay Sheepshead, Sheephead, or Sheep's Head, may refer to: Fish * '' Archosargus probatocephalus'', a medium-sized saltwater fish of the Atlantic Ocean * Freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', a medium-sized freshwater fish of North and Central ...

, a horse racing track in New York City. He also worked as a "big league

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

" and as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for various baseball clubs, including the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

where he lived with his brother and assisted in acquiring a minor league baseball club for the city. On December 31, 1915, O'Neill died suddenly at age 55 in Montreal while riding a streetcar. The cause of death was determined to be a heart attack.(available through the LOC Chronicling America database) His body was returned to Woodstock and he was buried in St. Mary Cemetery. In 1983, O'Neill was posthumously honoured as one of the first inductees into the

which, each year, presents the Tip O'Neill Award in his honour to "the player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals." A municipal baseball field in Woodstock is named Tip O'Neill Field in his honour. He was inducted into the

Ontario Sports Hall of Fame The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is an association dedicated to honouring athletes and personalities with outstanding achievement in sports in Ontario, Canada. The hall of fame was established in 1994 by Bruce Prentice, following his 15-year tenure ...

in 1997.

Other "Tip" O'Neills

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were several other athletes who went by the name "Tip" O'Neill. In 1898, O'Neill wrote to ''The Sporting Life'' to correct a report that he was managing a baseball team in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. He noted: "It seems strange that every ball player whose name happens to be O'Neill should call himself Tip. One Tip died in London, Can., a few years ago, and when I would meet friends that I had not met for some time they would take me for a ghost. The Chicago "Record" last spring had me dying of consumption." The confusion of "Tip" O'Neills continues as some sources erroneously state that O'Neill served as the president of the Western League, a minor league based in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. To the contrary, the individual who served as president of the Western League was Norris "Tip" O'Neill. Years later, the future American politician and Speaker of the House, Thomas "Tip" O'Neill (1912–1994), was given the nickname "Tip" as a boy, due to his shared surname with the 19th century baseball player.Hodgson, G. (1994, January 7). Obituary: Thomas P. O'Neill. ''The Independent (London)'', pp. 14.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Tip 1860 births 1915 deaths 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Major League Baseball Triple Crown winners Baseball people from Ontario Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from Canada Canadian baseball players Canadian sportspeople of Irish descent New York Gothams players St. Louis Browns (AA) players Cincinnati Reds players Chicago Pirates players New York Metropolitans (minor league) players People from Elgin County