| Jimmy Collins | |
|---|---|
 Collinsc. 1896–1900 | |
| Third baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1870-01-16)January 16, 1870 Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: March 6, 1943(1943-03-06) (aged 73) Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1895, for the Louisville Colonels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 29, 1908, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .294 |
| Home runs | 65 |
| Runs batted in | 983 |
| Managerial record | 455–376 |
| Winning % | .548 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1945 |
| Election method | Old-Timers Committee |
James Joseph Collins (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played 14 seasons inMajor League Baseball. In1945, Collins was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame. He played for theBoston Beaneaters,Louisville Colonels,Boston Americans, andPhiladelphia Athletics. He also managed the Americans.
Collins was especially regarded for his defense. He was best known for his ability to field abunt—prior to his debut, it was theshortstop who fielded bunts down the third base line—and is regarded as a pioneer of the modern defensive play of a third baseman. As of 2012, he is second all-time inputouts by a third baseman behindBrooks Robinson.[1] At the plate, Collins finished his career with 65home runs, 1055runs scored, 983RBI and a .294batting average.[2]
Collins was also the first manager of theBoston Red Sox franchise, then known as the Boston Americans. He was the winning manager in the firstWorld Series, as Boston defeated thePittsburgh Pirates in the1903 World Series, five games to three.
Jimmy Collins was born in Niagara Falls,New York. After graduating fromSt. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, he went to work for theDelaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and played baseball in the Buffalo City League.
Collins began his professionalbaseball career with theminor leagueBuffalo Bisons of theEastern League, the forerunner of the currentInternational League, in 1893. That season, he was used primarily as ashortstop, batting .286 in 76 games.[3]
In 1894, Collins was moved to theoutfield by the Bisons. He batted .352 with nine home runs in 125 games, and after the season his contract was purchased by theBoston Beaneaters for $500.[2]
Collins began his major league career as aright fielder, playing ten games at the position with the Beaneaters in 1895. On May 19, 1895, he was loaned to theLouisville Colonels, again for $500.[2] He was soon made the team's starting third baseman, batting .279 over the remainder of the season. His larger impact was on defense, where he played in on the grass rather than back to cut down on the number of bunt hits.[4]
Collins was returned to the Beaneaters after the 1895 season.Joe Harrington was the club's starting third baseman at the beginning of the season, but Collins soon asserted himself as the starter, and Harrington was released in July.[5]
Collins asserted himself as a skilled player in 1897 when he held a .346batting average andknocked in 132 runs. He led the league in bothputouts andassists as well, a feat he would duplicate in 1900. He followed with an equally impressive 1898 season, in which he hit .328—seventh in the league—drove in 111 runs and belted a league-high 15home runs.
Following the 1900 season, Collins, who was by now regarded as the best third baseman in the game, was offered themanager's job with theBoston Americans of the newAmerican League. He accepted the job, which came with a salary of $5,500, a $3,500 signing bonus, and a cut of the team's profits, despite efforts by Beaneaters ownerArthur Soden to keep him.[4] The two traded accusations in the press, and Collins went further, accusing National League owners of conspiring to hold down salaries, stating "I would not go back now if they offered me the whole outfit."[4] Collins recruited other National League stars for the Americans' roster, includingCy Young,[4] and in his first season asplayer-manager guided the team to a second-place finish, four games behind theChicago White Sox.
In 1902, Collins was limited to 108 games by injury, and the Americans finished third.[4] He did hit the team's first ever inside-the-park grand slam home run. The next season, Collins led the Americans to their first American Leaguepennant, winning the league by14+1⁄2 games over thePhiladelphia Athletics.
With an agreement in place for the champions of the American and National Leagues to meet in a best-of-nine "World Series", Boston represented the Junior Circuit. After losing two out of three at home to start the series, then losing the first game in Pittsburgh, the Americans won the next three in Pittsburgh, then returned home to win Game Eight in Boston to become the first-ever World Series Champions. Collins himself batted .250 in the Series, with a pair oftriples and fiveruns scored.
The Americans won the pennant again in 1904, with Collins batting .271 and leading the league in putouts for the fifth time in eight seasons. However, the Americans would not get the opportunity to defend their title, asJohn McGraw and theNew York Giants refused to play them in the postseason.
In 1905, the Americans slipped to fourth place, and Collins clashed with team presidentJohn I. Taylor, reportedly quitting on the team during the season.[6] As a player, Collins batted .276, but again missed time due to injury. In 1906, Collins found himself in hot water, as not only were the Americans in last, but he himself was suspended twice, and was eventually replaced as manager byChick Stahl.[6] He also missed the end of the season with a knee injury.[4]
Collins began the 1907 season with Boston, but it was only a matter of time before he departed. For reasons that have never become clear, Stahl had committed suicide duringspring training;[7] instead of Collins, the Americans turned to Cy Young as manager, following byGeorge Huff, and thenBob Unglaub, all within the first three months of the season. After playing 41 games with the Americans, Collins was traded to thePhiladelphia Athletics in June for infielderJohn Knight. While he batted .278, he had a career-low (to that point) .330slugging percentage, and failed to hit a home run for the first time in his career. In 1908, he slumped even further, batting just .217, and was let go.
After his major league career ended, Collins continued to play and manage in the minor leagues. He spent 1909 with theMinneapolis Millers of theAmerican Association, then spent two seasons with theProvidence Grays in the Eastern League before retiring.
When Collins was inducted into the Hall of Fame in1945, he was the first to be chosen primarily as a third baseman.[8] In 1981,Lawrence Ritter andDonald Honig included him in their bookThe 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. Collins became a charter member of theBuffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.[9]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BOA | 1901 | 136 | 79 | 57 | .581 | 2nd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BOA | 1902 | 137 | 77 | 60 | .562 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BOA | 1903 | 70 | 40 | 30 | .571 | 1st in AL | 5 | 3 | .625 | WonWorld Series (PIT) |
| BOA | 1904 | 153 | 91 | 62 | .595 | 1st in AL | 0 | 0 | – | World Series not played (NYG) |
| BOA | 1905 | 152 | 78 | 74 | .513 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BOA | 1906 | 114 | 35 | 79 | .307 | fired* | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 831 | 455 | 376 | .548 | 5 | 3 | .625 | |||
* Remained as a player only
Jimmy Collins married Sarah Murphy in 1907, and the couple had two daughters.[4] After his retirement from baseball, they moved back to Buffalo, where Collins worked for the Buffalo Parks Department.[4] Collins died of pneumonia on March 6, 1943, at the age of 73.[4]
Boston-basedCeltic punk bandDropkick Murphys recorded the song "Jimmy Collins' Wake" on their 2013 albumSigned and Sealed in Blood. The song, originally written by Richard Johnson, recounts Collins' wake in Buffalo, New York, at what is currently K.O. Bar and Grill on Delaware Ave.[10]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
