Tommy McCarthy Stats

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.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"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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Birth Name:   Thomas Francis Michael McCarthy
Nickname:   Tommy
Born On:   07-24-1863  (Leo)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Boston, Massachusetts
Year of Death Data Died On:   08-05-1922 (500 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Boston, Massachusetts
Cemetery:   Mount Calvary Cemetery, Roslindale, Massachusetts Click For Grave Photo
High School:   None Attended
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   5-07   Player Weight Chart Weight:   170
First Game:   07-10-1884 (Age 20)
Last Game:   09-26-1896
Draft:   Not Applicable

Tommy McCarthy

Tommy McCarthy Pitching Stats

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 -
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 McCarthy

Tommy McCarthy Hitting Stats

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
13 Years 1,275 5,126 1,069 1,494 192 53 44 2 735 537 - 135 33 0 50 - .291 .364 .375

Tommy McCarthy

Tommy McCarthy Fielding Stats

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
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 McCarthy

Tommy McCarthy Miscellaneous Stats

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 - - -
13 Years 468 - - 0 0 n/a 116.5 38.0 7.0 0.81 2.73 3.38

Tommy McCarthy

Tommy McCarthy Miscellaneous Items of Interest

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

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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 Hall of Fame Plaque

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 Baseball Card

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.

The Heavenly Twins, Tommy McCarthy and Hugh Duffy

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