Fergus G. Malone (August, 1844 – January 1, 1905) was a 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 in the 1860s and 1870s. He was the

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

in 1871, champion of the first professional league season. Born 1842 in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

(today part of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

), Malone was one of four Irish natives to play in the first National Association season and one of five in the first

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 ...

season. If the NA is disregarded as a major league, he and Andy Leonard share distinction as the first major leaguers born in Ireland, their teams having met in the first NL game, 22 April 1876 (Leonard is first overall taking the NA into account). Although a left-handed thrower, Malone was mainly a catcher with major teams, both amateur and pro. Physically it was a demanding position, no one using a face mask or regularly using a glove. (

Doug Allison Douglas L. Allison (July 12, 1846 – December 19, 1916) was an American Major League Baseball player. He began his career as a catcher for the original Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional baseball team. Allison was one of ...

used buckskin mittens in 1870, but gloves and masks were only adopted for regular use by some catchers beginning in the late 1870s.) Malone was the primary

for the

1871–72,

Philadelphia White Stockings The Philadelphia White Stockings were an early professional baseball team. They were a member of the National Association from 1873 to 1875. Their home games were played at the Jefferson Street Grounds. They were managed by Fergy Malone, Jimm ...

1873, and Chicago White Stockings 1874. In 1873–74, he was team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, earning manager's credit today. He returned to the Philadelphia Whites and played in eight games in 1875, then returned to the

for the inaugural

season, catching 20 of 60 games. Malone was the highest paid player in professional baseball in 1874 with an annual salary of $2,800 (). Fergy Malone was 34 when the Athletics were expelled from the National League, which contracted from eight to six for 1877. He returned to the majors with the one-year

Union Association The Union Association was an American professional baseball league which competed with Major League Baseball, lasting for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelv ...

in 1884, managing its Philadelphia entry and playing in one game. In 220 major league games Fergy Malone batted .274 with one

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 ( ...

, 157

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 ...

, and 200

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...

. He was a

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for his teams in 1873, 1874, and 1884, recording a total of 47 wins and 66 losses. Malone died 1905 in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

at the age of 60. He is buried at New Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia. The

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on Au ...

list Malone as a Civil War veteran, having enlisted in a 100 days’ regiment on July 15, 1864, and serving with Dick McBride as a private and corporal in Company A, 196th Pennsylvania.

References

*Wright, Marshall (2000). ''The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857–1870''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co.

External links

*Retrosheet
"Fergy Malone"
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Fergy 19th-century Irish people Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball player-managers Philadelphia Keystones (NABBP) players Washington Olympics (NABBP) players Philadelphia Athletics (NABBP) players Philadelphia Athletics (NA) players Philadelphia White Stockings players Philadelphia White Stockings managers Chicago White Stockings players Philadelphia Athletics (NL) players Philadelphia Keystones players Major League Baseball first basemen Irish emigrants to the United States Major League Baseball players from Ireland Irish baseball players 1844 births 1905 deaths Minor league baseball managers Philadelphia (minor league baseball) players San Francisco Californias players Holyoke (minor league baseball) players Sportspeople from County Tyrone People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War

See also

References

External links