Tommy McCarthy was born on Friday, July 24, 1863, in Boston, Massachusetts. McCarthy was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on July 10, 1884, with the Boston Unions. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Tommy McCarthy baseball stats page.
"Although Tommy McCarthy is a member of the Hall of Fame, many baseball scholars consider his selection one of the biggest mistakes the Veterans (then Old-Times') Committee has made. McCarthy made it through a solid 13-year stint in three different leagues, but did not enjoy a standout career." - Author Matthew Silverman in Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (Total Sports Publishing, May 2000, Page 738)
Tommy McCarthy |
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Tommy McCarthyTommy McCarthy Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| 1884 | 21 | Unions | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .000 | 4.82 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 56.0 | 0 | 73 | 30 | 53 | 2 | 14 | - | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1886 | 23 | Phillies | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1888 | 25 | Browns | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4.15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1889 | 26 | Browns | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 7.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1891 | 28 | Browns | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1894 | 31 | Beaneaters | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
| 6 Years | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | .000 | 4.93 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 69.1 | 4 | 83 | 38 | 63 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | ||
Tommy McCarthyTommy McCarthy Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1884 | 21 | Unions | 53 | 209 | 37 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | .215 | .237 | .244 |
| 1885 | 22 | Beaneaters | 40 | 148 | 16 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | .182 | .209 | .196 |
| 1886 | 23 | Phillies | 8 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | .185 | .241 | .333 |
| 1887 | 24 | Phillies | 18 | 68 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | - | 5 | - | - | 1 | - | .162 | .197 | .191 |
| 1888 | 25 | Browns | 131 | 511 | 107 | 140 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 38 | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | .274 | .328 | .331 |
| 1889 | 26 | Browns | 140 | 604 | 136 | 176 | 24 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 46 | - | 26 | - | - | 6 | - | .291 | .348 | .364 |
| 1890 | 27 | Browns | 133 | 548 | 137 | 192 | 28 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 69 | 66 | - | - | - | - | 11 | - | .350 | .430 | .467 |
| 1891 | 28 | Browns | 136 | 578 | 127 | 179 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 95 | 50 | - | 19 | - | - | 10 | - | .310 | .375 | .408 |
| 1892 | 29 | Beaneaters | 152 | 603 | 119 | 146 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 63 | 93 | - | 29 | - | - | 4 | - | .242 | .347 | .310 |
| 1893 | 30 | Beaneaters | 116 | 462 | 107 | 160 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 111 | 64 | - | 10 | - | - | 3 | - | .346 | .429 | .465 |
| 1894 | 31 | Beaneaters | 127 | 539 | 118 | 188 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 126 | 59 | - | 17 | 9 | - | 6 | - | .349 | .419 | .490 |
| 1895 | 32 | Beaneaters | 117 | 452 | 90 | 131 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 73 | 72 | - | 12 | 15 | - | 3 | - | .290 | .391 | .341 |
| 1896 | 33 | Bridegrooms | 104 | 377 | 62 | 94 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 34 | - | 17 | 9 | - | 3 | - | .249 | .316 | .316 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 13 Years | 1,275 | 5,126 | 1,069 | 1,494 | 192 | 53 | 44 | 2 | 735 | 537 | - | 135 | 33 | 0 | 50 | - | .291 | .364 | .375 | ||
Tommy McCarthyTommy McCarthy Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1884 Unions | OF | 48 | - | - | 63 | 1.3 | 50 | 39 | 11 | 13 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .794 | 0.00 |
| 1884 Unions | P | 7 | 6 | 168 | 30 | 4.3 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 4.02 |
| 1885 Beaneaters | OF | 40 | - | - | 89 | 2.2 | 77 | 69 | 8 | 12 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .865 | 0.00 |
| 1886 Phillies | OF | 8 | - | - | 11 | 1.4 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .818 | 0.00 |
| 1886 Phillies | P | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1887 Phillies | 2B | 5 | - | - | 19 | 3.8 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .789 | 0.00 |
| 1887 Phillies | 3B | 2 | - | - | 4 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .250 | 0.00 |
| 1887 Phillies | OF | 8 | - | - | 29 | 3.6 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .897 | 0.00 |
| 1887 Phillies | SS | 3 | - | - | 16 | 5.3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .563 | 0.00 |
| 1888 Browns | OF | 131 | - | - | 308 | 2.4 | 287 | 243 | 44 | 21 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .932 | 0.00 |
| 1888 Browns | P | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1889 Browns | 2B | 2 | - | - | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .667 | 0.00 |
| 1889 Browns | OF | 140 | - | - | 299 | 2.1 | 267 | 229 | 38 | 32 | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .893 | 0.00 |
| 1889 Browns | P | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1890 Browns | 2B | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1890 Browns | 3B | 32 | - | - | 145 | 4.5 | 123 | 48 | 75 | 22 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .848 | 0.00 |
| 1890 Browns | OF | 102 | - | - | 197 | 1.9 | 176 | 157 | 19 | 21 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .893 | 0.00 |
| 1891 Browns | 2B | 14 | - | - | 76 | 5.4 | 64 | 34 | 30 | 12 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .842 | 0.00 |
| 1891 Browns | 3B | 3 | - | - | 5 | 1.7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .600 | 0.00 |
| 1891 Browns | OF | 113 | - | - | 210 | 1.9 | 188 | 164 | 24 | 22 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .895 | 0.00 |
| 1891 Browns | P | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1891 Browns | SS | 12 | - | - | 78 | 6.5 | 66 | 30 | 36 | 12 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .846 | 0.00 |
| 1892 Beaneaters | OF | 152 | - | - | 281 | 1.8 | 248 | 219 | 29 | 33 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .883 | 0.00 |
| 1893 Beaneaters | 2B | 7 | - | - | 34 | 4.9 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .882 | 0.00 |
| 1893 Beaneaters | OF | 108 | - | - | 255 | 2.4 | 230 | 202 | 28 | 25 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .902 | 0.00 |
| 1893 Beaneaters | SS | 3 | - | - | 20 | 6.7 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .850 | 0.00 |
| 1894 Beaneaters | 2B | 1 | - | - | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1894 Beaneaters | OF | 127 | - | - | 353 | 2.8 | 319 | 291 | 28 | 34 | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .904 | 0.00 |
| 1894 Beaneaters | P | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1894 Beaneaters | SS | 2 | - | - | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1895 Beaneaters | 2B | 9 | - | - | 37 | 4.1 | 32 | 13 | 19 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .865 | 0.00 |
| 1895 Beaneaters | LF | 109 | - | - | 243 | 2.2 | 215 | 199 | 16 | 28 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .885 | 0.00 |
| 1896 Bridegrooms | OF | 103 | - | - | 212 | 2.1 | 195 | 175 | 20 | 17 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .920 | 0.00 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| OF Totals | 1,080 | 0 | 0 | 2,307 | 2.1 | 2,072 | 1,820 | 252 | 235 | 58 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .898 | 0.00 | |
| LF Totals | 109 | 0 | 0 | 243 | 2.2 | 215 | 199 | 16 | 28 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .885 | 0.00 | |
| 2B Totals | 39 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 4.4 | 146 | 71 | 75 | 26 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .849 | 0.00 | |
| 3B Totals | 37 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 4.2 | 127 | 49 | 78 | 27 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .825 | 0.00 | |
| SS Totals | 20 | 0 | 0 | 117 | 5.9 | 95 | 48 | 47 | 22 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .812 | 0.00 | |
| P Totals | 13 | 6 | 208 | 30 | 2.3 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 3.25 | |
| 13 Years | 1,298 | 6 | 208 | 3,023 | 2.3 | 2,680 | 2,193 | 487 | 343 | 83 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .887 | 347.88 | |
Tommy McCarthyTommy McCarthy Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1884 Unions | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.29 | 2.89 | 2.25 |
| 1885 Beaneaters | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.5 | - | - | - |
| 1886 Phillies | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 1.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 |
| 1887 Phillies | 15 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 13.6 | 11.3 | - | - | - |
| 1888 Browns | 93 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 511.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 0.50 | 2.08 | 4.15 |
| 1889 Browns | 57 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 302.0 | 23.2 | 9.6 | 0.17 | 1.80 | 10.80 |
| 1890 Browns | 83 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 91.3 | 0.0 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
| 1891 Browns | 37 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 72.3 | 30.4 | 6.1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1892 Beaneaters | 53 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 150.8 | 20.8 | 9.6 | - | - | - |
| 1893 Beaneaters | 46 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 92.4 | 46.2 | 4.2 | - | - | - |
| 1894 Beaneaters | 43 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 41.5 | 31.7 | 4.3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.50 |
| 1895 Beaneaters | 18 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 226.0 | 37.7 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
| 1896 Bridegrooms | 22 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 125.7 | 22.2 | 8.0 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 13 Years | 468 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 116.5 | 38.0 | 7.0 | 0.81 | 2.73 | 3.38 |
Tommy McCarthyTommy McCarthy Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1884 Boston Unions | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1885 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1886 Philadelphia Phillies | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1887 Philadelphia Phillies | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1888 St. Louis Browns | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1889 St. Louis Browns | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1890 St. Louis Browns | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1891 St. Louis Browns | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1892 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1893 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1894 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1895 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1896 Brooklyn Bridegrooms | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| Tommy McCarthy Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

The Union Association (UA) is an officially recognized league which lasted for only one season, 1884. The St. Louis Maroons won the pennant, Chicago moved to Pittsburgh in late August, four teams folded during the season, and most players simply moved from the the defunct league into the National League. [1884 Union Association History]
Tommy McCarthy, who made his debut with the 1884 Boston Unions (UA), is the only member of the Hall of Fame to have played in the Union Association.

Tommy McCarthy | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1946 (HOF)
Hall of Fame manager John McGraw said, "The best man in the business at the trapped ball trick was Tommy McCarthy. He had the play down pat, and on more than one occasion saved his team by resorting to it. I recall one game in which McCarthy had the opportunity of using the play twice, and on both occasions he made a double play out of it, and Wilbert Robinson was the victim each time. " Besides the trapped ball trick, McCarthy is sometimes given credit for developing the hit-and-run play and here is an exception description of McCarthy's "invention":
Frank Selee did not believe in giving up outs, and with Duffy and McCarthy in the lineup, he could play the hit and run game with confidence. The Beaneaters still used the sacrifice bunt in 1892, Tommy McCarthy's first season with Boston, mainly because pitchers dominated the game that year. In 1893 the league magnates moved the pitching box back ten feet, to it's current distance of 60 feet and six inches from the plate, and hitting made a remarkable comeback. The league batting average, only .247 in 1892, humped to .280 in 1893 and .309 the following year. With hitting suddenly made easier, the hit-and-run became a valuable weapon for teams that mastered it, and no ballclub executed the play better than the Beaneaters.
The "Heavenly Twins" did not invent the hit-and-run, but they and other Boston players contributed their own refinements. With Duffy on first and McCarthy at bat, Duffy might begin a steal attempt, then scamper back to first. In this fashion, the Beaneaters could ascertain which infielder was assigned to cover the bag on a real steal attempt. Duffy would light out for second on a later pitch, while McCarthy drove a grounder in the hole vacated by the covering infielder. The ploy moved Duffy on third with McCarthy on first, and the next batter would repeat the maneuver, grounding a single through the hole to score Duffy, with McCarthy advancing to third. The Beaneaters, most of whom were fast runners with good bat control, might perform several hit-and-run plays in a single inning.
John Ward, captain of the New York Giants, expressed amazement at the offensive brilliance of the Boston ballclub, "I have never, in my twelve years experience on the diamond, seen such skillful playing," said Ward in 1893. "McCarthy is the chief schemer. He is the man who has introduced his new style of play into the team and he has been able assisted by Nash, Duffy, Long, Lowe and Carroll. These men have the utmost confidence in one another's ability to carry out instructions, and they work together as one man. 'Team-work in the field' used to be a prime factor in a pennant-winning team, but not 'team-work at the bat' is the latest wrinkle and the Bostons have it down fine."
Source: More Ghosts in the Gallery: Another Sixteen Little-Known Greats at Cooperstown (McFarland Publishing, 04/03/2007, Page 58).

Tommy McCarthy | 1974 Fleer Baseabll Card (#13) | Baseball Almanac Collection
Who are the "Heavenly Twins" mentioned above? The press of the day called Tommy McCarthy and his future Hall of Fame teammate Hugh Duffy the "Heavenly Twins", a pair of close friends who roamed the outfield together and won two National League titles together.

Tommy McCarthy & Hugh Duffy - The Heavenly Twins | Chester Times | February 7, 1914 | Page 6