| Barney Gilligan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1856-01-03)January 3, 1856 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: April 1, 1934(1934-04-01) (aged 78) Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 12, 1879, for the Cleveland Blues | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 27, 1888, for the Detroit Wolverines | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .207 |
| Runs | 217 |
| Runs batted in | 167 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Andrew Bernard"Barney" Gilligan (January 3, 1856 – April 1, 1934) was an American professionalbaseball player whose career spanned 12 seasons, 11 of which were spent with theMajor League Baseball (MLB)Cleveland Blues (1879–1880),Providence Grays (1881–1885),Washington Nationals (1886–1887), andDetroit Wolverines (1888). Gilligan, who predominately played as acatcher, also played as anoutfielder and ashortstop. Over his career, Gilligan compiled a careerbatting average of .207 with 217runs scored, 388hits, 68doubles, 23triples, threehome runs, and 167runs batted in (RBI) in 523games played. Although the majority of his career was spent in the major leagues, Gilligan also played inminor league baseball. He was listed as standing 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) and weighing 130 pounds (59 kg).[1]
Andrew Bernard Gilligan was born inCambridge, Massachusetts on January 3, 1856.[2] He was the sixth child of seven born to Patrick Gilligan, a laborer, and Sarah Gilligan. Both Patrick and Sarah had immigrated to the United States fromNorthern Ireland.[1]
Gilligan began his professional career playingright field in 1874 for the New York Flyaways, an amateur baseball club. He continued his professional baseball career in 1876 and 1877. In 1878, Gilligan played for various minor-league clubs such as the Somerville Unions ofSomerville, Massachusetts, and the Charlestown Alerts ofCharlestown, Massachusetts.[1]
In his first full MLB season, Gilligan played for the Cleveland Blues. After his first game with the Blues, theCleveland Leader stated "Gilligan caught exceedingly well taking some fine pickups."[1] Over 52 games played, Gilligan batted a career-low .171 with 11 RBI and six doubles.[3] Defensively, he played 27 games as catcher and 23 as an outfielder. Next season, Gilligan continued to play for the Blues, serving as backup catcher toDoc Kennedy[1] before leaving the team at the end of the season to sign with the Providence Grays. With the Grays, he served again as a backup catcher before the starter (Emil Gross) became injured;[1] on the season, Gilligan batted .219 with 20 RBI. Next year, in 1882, Gilligan became the starting catcher for the Grays; his backup,Sandy Nava, was the first Mexican-American baseball player.[1] When the season was over, the Grays finished 52–32, second in theNational League (NL), under managerHarry Wright.[4]
By 1883, Gilligan had become the Grays starting catcher. Despite breaking his finger and missing two weeks in May, Gilligan led the National League inassists as a catcher,[5] while his team finished third in the NL. He continued his tenure with the Grays the following season. Gilligan played in a career-high 82 games, while also recording career highs in RBI (38),strikeouts (41), andon-base percentage (.325)[3] and leading MLB in defensive games as a catcher (81).[6] After finishing at the top of the NL, the Grays played in the1884 World Series against theNew York Metropolitans of theAmerican Association. Gilligan went 4–for–9 over the three-game series, with the Grays defeating the Metropolitans three games to none.[1]
After spending the 1885 season with the Grays, and tyingAndy Cusick for the MLB lead inerrors committed as a catcher,[7] the Grays management sold out in November of that year.[1] The NL bought the Grays for$6,000, while Gilligan was assigned to the Washington Nationals. He served as captain of the team for the 1886 season, catching 71 games and batting .190. Before the 1887 season, he established a restaurant in theDistrict of Columbia.[1]
"[Cliff]Carroll was released by Washington last week. He and Barney Gilligan are both out in the cold; yet, both are good ballplayers. Fooling with [whiskey] has cost them dearly."
In 1887, Gilligan was fined $25 forbinge drinking and missing a game for the Nationals.[1] The next season, Gilligan was released by the team. In his final MLB season, Gilligan signed with the Detroit Wolverines. He played in one game for the team, going 1–for–5 with a run and a strikeout.[8] Later that year, Gilligan signed with the Lynn Shoemakers, appearing in 11 games before joining the Manchester Maroons for three games. For the next three years, Gilligan continued to play minor league baseball.[1] In 1889, he played for theHyannis town team in what is now theCape Cod Baseball League.[9][10][11]
His career MLB batting average (.207) is tied withJohn Henry for the seventh lowest all-time among batters with at least 1,000at bats.[12]
After retiring from baseball, Gilligan lived inLynn, Massachusetts, with his wife, Sara. He worked as a garbage collector before dying oferysipelas on April 1, 1934. Gilligan was interred atPine Grove Cemetery in Lynn.[1]
