Ed Delahanty

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Ed Delahanty
Ed Delahanty
Left Fielder
Born: October 30, 1867
Cleveland, Ohio
Died: July 2, 1903 (aged 35)
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 22, 1888
for the Philadelphia Quakers
Final game
June 25, 1903
for the Washington Senators
Career statistics
AVG     .346
HR     101
RBI     1464
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Career batting average: .346 (5th all-time)
  • Led the league in batting average: 1899 (.410), 1902 (.376)
  • Led the league in home runs: 1893 (19) & 1896 (13)
  • Led the league in RBIs: 1893 (146), 1896 (126), 1899 (137)
  • Led the league in stolen bases: 1898 (56)
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected     1945
Election Method     Veteran's Committee

Edward James Delahanty (October 30, 1867 – July 2, 1903), nicknamed "Big Ed", was a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player from 1888 to 1903.

A Cleveland, Ohio native nicknamed "Big Ed", Delahanty was an outfielder and powerful righthanded batter in the 1890s. The pitcher Crazy Schmit said of him, "When you pitch to (Ed) Delahanty, you just want to shut your eyes, say a prayer and chuck the ball. The Lord only knows what'll happen after that." (quoted in Autumn Glory by Louis P. Masur) Ed Delahanty was also the most prominent member of the largest group of siblings ever to play in the major leagues: brothers Frank, Jim, Joe and Tom also spent time in the majors.

Ed Delahanty began his career on May 22, 1888, with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, playing 74 games that season with an uncharacteristically low .228 average, 1 HR, and 31 RBIs. The next year, in 56 games, he raised his average to .293. In 1890 he jumped to the Player's League, but returned to the Phillies the next year when that league folded. After a healthy .306, 6 HR, 91 RBI season in 1892, Delahanty blossomed in 1893 with .368, 19 HRs and 146 RBIs, narrowly missing the Triple Crown (teammates Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson led the league in batting with .380 and .370 respectively).

Between 1894-96 Delahanty continued terrorizing the league, with astonishing batting marks: .407, 4 HR, 131 RBI; .404, 11 HR, 106 RBI; .397, 13 HR, 126 RBI; despite his high .407 in 1894, the champion bat belonged to Hugh Duffy with an amazing .440. The 1894 Phillies outfield featuring Delahanty was probably the most amazing collection of hitters assembled, with all four players averaging over .400. Delahanty won his first batting title in 1899 with a .410 batting average, adding nine homers and 137 RBIs.

On July 13, 1896, Delahanty hit four home runs in a game, being only the second player to do so (Bobby Lowe was the first in 1894) and the only player ever to do so with four inside-the-park homers. (The Phillies still lost the game, 9-8.) Later, in 1899, he hit four doubles in the same game. He remains the only man with a four-homer game to his credit to also have a game in which he hit four doubles. The same year Delahanty collected hits in 10 consecutive at bats, and in the 1890 and '94 seasons, he tallied six-hit games. After switching to the new American League in 1902, playing for the Washington Senators, Delahanty won his second batting title with a .376 mark. As of the end of the 2007 season, he is the only man to win a batting title in both major leagues.

In his 16 seasons with Philadelphia, Cleveland and Washington, Delahanty batted .346, with 101 HRs and 1464 RBIs, 522 doubles, 185 triples and 455 stolen bases. He also led the league in slugging average and runs batted in three times each, and batted over .400 three times. In the years since, Rogers Hornsby has been the only 3-time .400-hitter in the National League (1922, 1924-25). His lifetime batting average of .346 (for those who played in 1000+ games) ranks 4th all-time behind Ty Cobb, .366, Rogers Hornsby, .359, and Joe Jackson, .356. Lefty O'Doul, officially listed 4th, appeared in 970 games.

Delahanty died when he was swept over Niagara Falls in 1903. He was apparently kicked off a train by the train's conductor for being drunk and disorderly. The conductor said Delahanty was brandishing a straight razor and threatening passengers. After being kicked off the train, Delahanty started his way across the International Bridge (near Niagara Falls) and fell or jumped off the bridge (some accounts say Ed was yelling about death that night). Whether 'Big Ed' died from his plunge over the Falls, or drowned on the way to the Falls is uncertain.

He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

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