| Bill Joyce | |
|---|---|
 Joyce in 1894 | |
| Third baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1867-09-22)September 22, 1867 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: May 8, 1941(1941-05-08) (aged 73) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1890, for the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 12, 1898, for the New York Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .293 |
| Home runs | 70 |
| Runs batted in | 609 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Michael Joyce (September 22, 1867 – May 8, 1941[1]) was an American professionalbaseball player andmanager. He was athird baseman over parts of eight seasons with theBrooklyn Ward's Wonders (of thePlayers' League),Boston Reds (of theAmerican Association),Brooklyn Grooms,Washington Senators, andNew York Giants. He also served as manager during his tenure with the Giants.
Joyce was born on September 22, 1867, to Irish immigrants inSt. Louis, Missouri. He worked in arolling mill before beginning his minor league career in theTexas League in 1887. He continued in the Texas League in 1888 and 1889.[2]
Joyce impressedSt. Louis Browns player-managerCharlie Comiskey at a December 1889 exhibition game, leading Comiskey to recommend thatPlayers' League founderJohn Montgomery Ward hire Joyce for hisBrooklyn Ward's Wonders club.[2] In the Players' League's lone season, Joyce led the league in walks, with 123 in 133 games.[3] In 1891, he reached base in 64 consecutive games, a major league record not bettered until 1941.[citation needed] After the Players' League folded, Joyce signed with the Boston Reds of the American Association for that league's final year, 1891. He then joined Monte Ward'sBrooklyn Grooms for the 1892 season.[2] After an offseason trade, heheld out against theWashington Senators for the entire 1893 season. He returned in 1894 and was namedteam captain.[2]
Joyce became a leading slugger for the next several seasons; between 1894 and 1898, he led the majors inhome runs (60), was fifth inslugging percentage (.497), and seventh inon-base percentage (.444).[4] He tied for the National League lead in home runs in 1896 (withEd Delahanty) while playing for Washington and New York, and finished second three other times. He holds the record with four triples in one game, which he accomplished in 1897 (tyingGeorge Strief's 1885 record).[5] Joyce served as player-manager with New York.
Despite generally being popular with other players, Joyce gradually lost favor with Giants ownerAndrew Freedman and was not brought back after the 1898 season. Joyce also developed a reputation as a frequent and vociferous critic of umpire calls, earning numerous fines for arguing. Pioneering baseball writerHenry Chadwick criticized his "pernicious habit of stupid kicking."[2]
In 906 games over eight seasons, Joyce posted a .293batting average (971-for-3,310) with 822runs, 153doubles, 106triples, 70 home runs, 609RBI, 266stolen bases, 721bases on balls, .435 on-base percentage and .467 slugging percentage. His walk rate of 17.3% was the second-highest in major league history between 1871 and 1920, the advent of thelive-ball era.[6]
After retiring in December 1899, Joyce held many jobs, including saloonkeeper, minor league owner and manager, professional baseball scout, security guard, and municipal smoke inspector. He married in 1908.[2]
Joyce died on May 8, 1941, in St. Louis, at the age of 73. He is buried atBellefontaine Cemetery.[2]
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle May 30, 1896 | Succeeded by |