John Anthony Boyle (March 22, 1866 – January 7, 1913), nicknamed "Honest Jack", was an American

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 ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. His younger brother,

Eddie Boyle Edward Joseph Boyle (May 8, 1874 – February 10, 1941) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates during the season. Listed at 6' 3", 200 lb., Boyle batted and threw right-han ...

, played in 1896.

Baseball career

Born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Boyle began his professional baseball career in 1886, playing in one game for the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867� ...

of the American Association. On November 12, 1886, he was traded, along with $350, to the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

in exchange for

Hugh Nicol Hugh N. Nicol (January 1, 1858 – June 27, 1921) was a Scottish born professional baseball player. An outfielder, Nicol played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Stockings, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Red Stockings, and Cincin ...

. In 1887, Boyle caught only a couple of games until July 3. Although some sources credit Boyle with having caught 87 straight games, the correct statistic is 43 straight games--after that he played right field, ending his then-record streak. Boyle accompanied

Charles Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "the Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager, and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League and was als ...

to the

Chicago Pirates The Chicago Pirates were a baseball team in the Players' League for a single season in . The team played their home games at South Side Park (II). Their rivals were the National League Chicago Colts, which later became the Chicago Cubs. The Pir ...

of the

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded American professional baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Pr ...

team in 1890 and returned with him to St. Louis the following year. In 1892, Boyle signed with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

for $5,500. After one season with New York, Boyle was traded, with Jack Sharrott and cash, on March 11, 1893, to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

in exchange for

Roger Connor Roger Connor (July 1, 1857 – January 4, 1931) was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for several teams, but his longest tenure was in New York, where he was responsible for the New York Gothams becoming kno ...

. Boyle spent the next five years as a catcher and first baseman for the Phillies. On July 9, 1898, he was sold by Philadelphia to the Giants for $1,000. However, he did not play a single game for them and was returned to Philadelphia on August 15, 1898. A well-respected and versatile fielder, Boyle played every position but pitcher during his major league career. One of only four major league players to have played 500 games at catcher and had at least two seasons with 100 games or more at first base (with

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. Regarded as one of the greatest contact h ...

Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre Jr. (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball Senior management, executive and former player, Manager (baseball), manager, and television color commentator. He has served as a special assistant to the Commiss ...

and

Gene Tenace Fury Gene Tenace (; born Fiore Gino Tenacci; October 10, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from through , most notably as a member of the Oaklan ...

), he has been described as a "19th-century multi-position sensation". Popular with fans and teammates, Boyle captained the Phillies in the mid-1890s. He also served as an

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

in the

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 ...

(4 games) and American Association (1 game) between 1888 and 1897. The origins of Boyle's nickname are uncertain. It has been proposed that "Honest Jack" refers to his candor with his teammates and the press, or that it was originally bestowed by his teammates to distinguish him from his fellow catcher "Dirty" Jack Doyle when they both played for the Giants.

Later life

Boyle opened a saloon in the Ohio River city on Seventh Street. In 1913, Boyle died at his home in

at the age of 46. He was interred at the St. Joseph New Cemetery in Cincinnati.

References

External links

Jack Boyle
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Jack 1866 births 1913 deaths 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball first basemen Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) players St. Louis Browns (AA) players Chicago Pirates players New York Giants (baseball) players Philadelphia Phillies players Minor league baseball managers Terre Haute Hottentots players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Baseball players from Cincinnati Deaths from nephritis

Baseball career

Later life

See also

References

External links