| Jimmy Callahan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher /Left fielder | |
| Born:(1874-03-18)March 18, 1874 Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: October 4, 1934(1934-10-04) (aged 60) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 12, 1894, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 29, 1913, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 11 |
| Runs batted in | 394 |
| Win–loss record | 99–73 |
| Earned run average | 3.39 |
| Strikeouts | 445 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Joseph Callahan (March 18, 1874 – October 4, 1934) was an Americanpitcher andleft fielder inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for thePhiladelphia Phillies,Chicago Colts/Orphans, andChicago White Sox. He alsomanaged the White Sox, as well as thePittsburgh Pirates. In 1902, he pitched the firstno-hitter inAmerican League history.
Though best known today by his childhood nickname "Nixey", in reality, he was seldom ever referred to by that name in contemporary sources during his playing days, as he instead preferred to go by Jimmy (or James) Callahan.[1]
Callahan was born inFitchburg, Massachusetts on March 18, 1874. He played amateur baseball throughout Massachusetts.[2]
Callahan made his debut for the1894 Philadelphia Phillies, theNational League team run byArthur Irwin. Callahan pitched in nine games that year, giving up more than an earned run per inning, so he was sent to the minor leagues for the 1895 season. He came back up to the major leagues in 1897 with the Chicago Cubs, where he stayed for four seasons.[2]
On September 20, 1902, Callahan pitched the firstno-hitter inAmerican League history.[3] Remarkably, only two years earlier, in the other extreme of his career, he had given up 48 hits in two consecutive starts in 1900, yielding 23 on September 11 and 25 in the game before.[4]
Callahan is also the only pitcher to have collected five hits in a game three times: June 29, 1897; May 18, 1902; and May 18, 1903.[5]
Callahan finished his major league career with 901 hits and 99 wins. Since then, no player has matched both these numbers, althoughBabe Ruth came close. Three nineteenth-century pitcher/infielders beat these numbers:John Montgomery Ward,Kid Gleason andDave Foutz.
Callahanmanaged theChicago White Sox on two separate occasions and also managed thePittsburgh Pirates.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CWS | 1903 | 137 | 60 | 77 | .438 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1904 | 41 | 23 | 18 | .561 | fired* | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1912 | 154 | 78 | 76 | .506 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1913 | 152 | 78 | 74 | .513 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1914 | 154 | 70 | 84 | .455 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS total | 638 | 309 | 329 | .484 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| PIT | 1916 | 154 | 65 | 89 | .422 | 6th in NL | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 1917 | 60 | 20 | 40 | .333 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| PIT total | 214 | 85 | 129 | .397 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 852 | 394 | 458 | .462 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
* Callahan was "asked" to step down as manager, he remained as a player only.
Callahan took a five-year break from playing in the American League to run his own semi-pro team, "Callahan's Logan Squares". He said that he did this for financial reasons, but he returned when his team's attendances fell.
Callahan died at age 60 inBoston on October 4, 1934.[6][7][8]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher September 20, 1902 | Succeeded by |