Phonney Martin

Infobox MLB retired
name = Alphonse Martin


position = Right fielder/Pitcher
bats = Unknown
throws = Unknown
birthdate = birth date|1845|8|4
city-state|New York|New York
deathdate = death date and age|1933|5|24|1845|8|4
city-state|Hollis|New York
debutdate = April 26
debutyear = by|1872
debutteam = Troy Haymakers
finaldate = October 21
finalyear = by|1873
finalteam = New York Mutuals
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .243
stat2label = Runs
stat2value = 52
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 37
teams =As Player
* Troy Haymakers (by|1872)
* Brooklyn Eckfords (by|1872)
* New York Mutuals (by|1873)As Manager
* Brooklyn Eckfords (by|1872)
highlights =

Alphonse Case "Phonney" Martin (August 4 1845 – May 24 1933) was an American Major League Baseball baseball player who played two seasons in the National Association from by|1872 to by|1873.cite web| title = Phonney Martin's Stats | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmartp104.htm | accessdate = 2008-06-06 ]

Career

Martin, born in New York, New York, and a American Civil War veterancite web| title = Civil War Veterans Who Played Major League Baseball Project | work = sabr.org | url=http://www.sabr.org/cmsFiles/Files/Civil%20War%20veterans.pdf | accessdate = 2008-06-06 ] , played in organized baseball as far back as 1869 when he pitched for the Brooklyn Eckfords. That year, a reporter for the New York Clipper described him as an "extremely hard pitcher to hit for the ball never comes in a straight line‚ but in a tantalizing curve." If the observation is true, this would pre-date Candy Cummings, the pitcher given credit as the inventor of the curveball.cite web| title = Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1869 | work = baseballlibrary.com | url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1869 | accessdate = 2008-06-06 ] His pitching style led to his nickname of "Old Slow Ball".cite book|last=Fox|title=Big Leagues: Professional Baseball, Football, and Basketball in National Memory| year=1998| pages=p.201]

Martin officially began his professional baseball career when he joined the by|1872 Troy Haymakers of the National Association as a pitcher and right fielder, playing in 25 games, pitching in eight of those games. Later in the season, he returned to the Eckfords, now also in the Association, and played in the same pitcher/outfielder role for 18 games. That year, he is given credit for managing the Eckfords for nine games, with a record of 1 win and 8 losses. There is a level of dispute on this, sabr and retrosheet.org list Andy Allison, Jimmy Wood, and Martin as managing the team that year,cite web| title = 1872 Brooklyn Eckfords | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1872/TBR101872.htm | accessdate = 2008-06-06 ] while baseball-reference.com list Jim Clinton and Wood as the managers.cite web| title = 1872 Brooklyn Eckfords | work = baseball-reference.com | url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ECK/1872.shtml | accessdate = 2008-06-06 ] For the by|1873 season, he joined the New York Mutuals, which turned out to be his last season at this level. He played 30 games in the right field, and pitched six games.

Post-career

Martin died in Hollis, New York at the age of 87, and is interred at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

References

External links

*baseball-reference|id=/m/martiph01
*findagrave|2593611

Persondata
NAME = Martin, Phonney
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Martin, Alphonse Case
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Major League Baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH = August 4, 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH = New York, New York
DATE OF DEATH = May 24, 1933
PLACE OF DEATH = Hollis, New York