| Jimmy O'Connell | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: February 11, 1901 Sacramento, California |
|
| Died: November 11, 1976 (aged 75) Bakersfield, California |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1923 for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1924 for the New York Giants | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .270 |
| Home runs | 8 |
| Runs batted in | 57 |
| Teams | |
|
|
James Joseph O'Connell (February 11, 1901 – November 11, 1976) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball.
Contents |
O'Connell was born in Sacramento, California. He started his professional baseball career in the Pacific Coast League at the age of 18. Playing for the San Francisco Seals, O'Connell batted over .330 in 1921 and 1922; he was then purchased by the New York Giants for $75,000 (which was a lot of money in those days). He served as a backup outfielder for the Giants in 1923 and 1924.
In the final series of the 1924 season, the Giants were playing the Philadelphia Phillies at the Polo Grounds and battling for the pennant with the Brooklyn Dodgers. O'Connell offered Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand $500 to throw the games. Sand rejected the bribe and reported it to Phillies manager Art Fletcher. It eventually led to the life-time suspension of O'Connell and Giants coach Crazy Dolan by Commissioner Landis, although future-Hall of Famers Frankie Frisch, George Kelly, and Ross Youngs were also implicated.[1]