| Bug Holliday | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1867-02-08)February 8, 1867 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: February 15, 1910(1910-02-15) (aged 43) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| October 17, 1885, for the Chicago White Stockings | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 30, 1898, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .312 |
| Home runs | 65 |
| Runs batted in | 621 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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James Wear "Bug"Holliday (February 8, 1867 – February 15, 1910) was an Americancenter fielder inMajor League Baseball for ten seasons, in the1885 World Series and from1889 through1898. He was the first player to make his major league debut in post-season play, with theChicago White Stockings in 1885. He played the rest of his career with theCincinnati Reds, both when they were in theAmerican Association and in theNational League. He twice led the league inhome runs, and was among the leaders in various other offensive categories throughout his career. After his playing career was over, he was anumpire for one season.
Holliday was born inSt. Louis, Missouri, and became the first player in major league history to make his debut in the post-season when he was called up, at the age of 18, by theChicago White Stockings when they needed anotheroutfielder for Game 4 of the1885 World Series.[1] He played in one game, and had no hits in fourat bats.[2]
Holliday made his regular-season major league debut in 1889 for the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association.[3] In his first season with the Red Stockings, he led the league in home runs with 19, while finishing in the top ten in many offensive categories. He was fifth inbatting average with .321, fifth inruns batted in (RBIs) with 104, third inhits with 181, and ninth indoubles with 28.[2]
Before the1890 season, the Red Stockings transferred their team over to the National League and officially became the Reds.[2] Holliday picked up where he left off the previous season, with an opening day home run offBill Hutchison in a 5–4 loss to theChicago Colts.[4] But after that, his season's power numbers dropped significantly, as he hit only four home runs, tallied 75 RBIs, and had a .270 batting average.
He bounced back the following season, when he hit nine home runs, which was fourth in the league, batted .319 to finish second in the league, and totalled 84 RBIs, which was ninth.[2] He followed the1891 campaign with an even better1892 season, when he played in 153 games, batted 602 times, scored 114runs, andtripled 16 times, all career highs. He also claimed his second home run title that season, with 13, and finished in the top ten with 176 hits as well.[2]
Both1893 and1894 saw Holliday continue his batting production; although his home runs dipped to five in 1893, he still batted .310, totaled 84 RBIs, and scored 108 runs. But statistically, 1894 was his greatest season, when his .372 batting average was his career-high, as well as his 119 runs scored, 190 hits, 119 RBIs, .420on-base percentage and .523 slugging percentage.[2]
During the first six years of his career, he slugged 63 home runs, which was second to onlyRoger Connor during the same span; but in1895 he had anappendectomy, and was never the same player after that. In his last four seasons he was never more than a part-time player.[1]
In 930 games over 10 seasons, Holliday posted a .312batting average (1141-for-3658) with 735runs, 162doubles, 72triples, 65home runs, 621RBI, 252stolen bases, 360bases on balls, .377on-base percentage and .449slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .934fielding percentage primarily as an outfielder.[2]
When Holliday's professional baseball career was over, he played for fellow Cincinnatians Julius and Max Fleischmann on their semi-professional Mountain Athletic Club in 1899.[5][3] In 1903, he was a National League umpire for the1903 season, officiating in 53 games that season.[3] He was involved in one incident in whichHonus Wagner of thePittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Redssecond basemanJack Morrissey became engaged in words, which led to Wagner being surrounded by other Reds players. Holliday ejected Wagner from the game to quell the possibility of an altercation on the field.[6]
He continued to live in Cincinnati, and worked in apool room while also coveringhorse racing for a local newspaper. He died at the age of 43 in Cincinnati ofgangrene of foot and leg,[7] and is interred atSpring Grove Cemetery, also in Cincinnati.[3]The New York Times reported his illness on February 3, 1910, and as a result, Reds managerClark Griffith ordered all of the Cincinnati players to be vaccinated before they left for training camp.[8]
Holliday married Mary Thurman, daughter of Ohio politicianAllen G. Thurman and the former wife ofWilliam S. Cowles, in 1894.[9][10]
| Preceded by | American Association Home Run Champion 1889 (withHarry Stovey) | Succeeded by |
