Jack Doyle (baseball player)

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John Joseph Doyle (October 25, 1869 - December 31, 1958) was an Irish-American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned 17 seasons, mainly in the National League. He was born in Killorglin, Ireland, and emigrated to the U.S. when he was a child, his family settling in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Contents 1 Early career 2 Dirty Jack 3 Minor league success 4 Other career capacities 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early career

His baseball career spanned 71 years, starting in 1887. Doyle first apeared at the major league level by signing and playing two years for the Columbus Solons of the American Association. Afterward, Doyle played for ten clubs from 1889-1905, batting .299 in 1,564 games with 516 stolen bases. He began as a catcher-outfielder and became a first baseman in 1894. His best years were 1894, when he batted .367 for the New York Giants, and 1897, when he hit .354 with 62 stolen bases for the Baltimore Orioles.^[1] He is credited with being the first pinch-hitter in pro ball, with Cleveland at Brooklyn on June 7, 1892. Patsy Tebeau was the manager and Doyle came through with a game-winning single.^[2]

[edit] Dirty Jack

Because of his aggressive base-running, Doyle was known as “Dirty Jack,” often feuding with umpires, fans, opposing players, and even, at times, his own teammates. On one occasion, in Cincinnati on July 4, 1900, while in the 3rd inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Doyle slugged umpire Bob Emslie after being called out on a steal attempt. Fans jumped from the stands as the two got into it, and players finally separated the two fighters. Two policemen chase the fans back into the stands and then arrested and fined Doyle. On July 1, 1901, when he was being harassed by a Polo Grounds fan, he jumped into the stands and hit him once with his left hand, reinjuring it after having broken it several weeks earlier.^[3]

He carried on a lengthy feud with John McGraw that started when they were teammates at Baltimore. McGraw, of course, had to have the last word. In 1902, McGraw was appointed manager of the Giants, and his first act was to release Doyle, even though he was batting .301 and fielding .991 at the time. Even with these seemingly out-of-control traits, Doyle was deemed a natural leader and was selected as team captain in New York, Brooklyn and Chicago, and served as an interim manager for the Giants in 1895 and Washington Senators in 1898.

[edit] Minor league success

In 1905, after playing one game with the New York Highlanders, Doyle became manager of Toledo of the Western Association. One year later, in 1906, he was named the manager of the Des Moines Champions, so named because they won the league championship the previous year, and they won it again under Doyle's helm. Following his championship season at Des Moines, he managed Milwaukee in 1907.

[edit] Other career capacities

In 1908-09, the only years of his adult life spent outside of baseball, he served as police commissioner of his hometown of Holyoke. Doyle returned to the game as an umpire and worked in the National League for 42 games in 1911.^[4] After ten years as an arbiter, he joined the Cubs as a scout in 1920. In his many years with the Cubs, Doyle was credited with signing or recommending the acquisition of such stars as Gabby Hartnett, Hack Wilson, Billy Herman, Stan Hack, Bill Jurges, Charlie Root, Bill Lee, Augie Galan, Riggs Stephenson and Phil Cavarretta.^[5] He remained in that capacity until his death at age 89 on New Year's Eve 1958. He was buried at St. Jerome Cemetery in Holyoke.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• SABR Biography

Preceded by George Davis	New York Giants Managers 1895	Succeeded by Harvey Watkins
Preceded by Tom Brown	Washington Senators Managers 1898	Succeeded by Deacon McGuire