| Eddie McGah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1921-09-30)September 30, 1921 Oakland, California, US | |
| Died: September 30, 2002(2002-09-30) (aged 81) Oakland, California, US | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 26, 1946, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 21, 1947, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .157 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 3 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Edward Joseph McGah (September 30, 1921 – September 30, 2002) also known asE.J. McGah,[1] was an American reservecatcher inMajor League Baseball who played with theBoston Red Sox for parts of the 1946 and 1947 seasons. Listed at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 183 lb (83 kg), McGah batted and threwright-handed. He was born inOakland, California. After his baseball career, he and his father (Edward J. and Edward W., respectively) were minority owners in theOakland Raiders.[1][2][3]
McGah attended Roosevelt High School in Oakland, and after graduating was signed by a Red Sox scout.[3] McGah first played in the Boston minor league system in 1940, with theCanton Terriers of the Class CMiddle Atlantic League; his season was cut short by a knee injury.[3] In 1941 he began the season with theOneonta Indians of the Class CCanadian–American League, then moved up to theScranton Red Sox of the Class AEastern League. He was still with Scranton in 1942, but again had his season cut short by knee problems.[3] Records for his early seasons are incomplete; the available records cover 125 games where he batted 147-for-458 (.321).
Later in 1942 he joined theUS Navy, where he spent the next three years in military service duringWorld War II – he was stationed, and excelled while playing baseball on military teams, in Oakland and Hawaii.[3]
McGah was the third-string catcher for Boston for much of the1946 season. He played sparingly, behind more experienced catchersHal Wagner andRoy Partee.Frankie Pytlak had also started the year catching with the team, but his last appearance was April 25, the day before McGah's first appearance. In 15 games played – two in April, three in May, six in June, and four in September – McGah batted 8-for-37 (.216) with just 1 RBI. The Red Sox went to the1946 World Series, losing in seven games to the Cardinals, but McGah did not play in the postseason.
At the start of the1947 season, McGah was optioned to the Triple-ALouisville Colonels of theAmerican Association.[3] He appeared in 59 games with the Colonels, batting .218 with 6 home runs and 16 RBI. He did play in 9 games with Boston –1 game in both July and August, then 7 games in September – however was hitless in 14 at bats.
In parts of two seasons with Boston, he was a .157 hitter (8-for-51) with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI in 24 games. In 21 catching appearances, he committed 2errors in 81total chances for a .975fielding percentage.
In 1948, McGah, now playing third base,[3] closed out his time in the Red Sox organization with 35 games for Scranton, hitting .248 and again experiencing knee problems.
After his baseball career, he and his father were part-owners of theOakland Raiders football team.[1] That ownership stake was the subject of a lawsuit,[4] after McGah died in his hometown in 2002, on the day of his 81st birthday. Some remaining members of his family run a pub, which carries the family name, inDanville, California.[1]
· Baseball Almanac