Tony Mullane

Infobox MLB retired

---

name=Tony Mullane
position=Pitcher
birthdate=January 20, 1859
city-state|County Cork|Ireland
deathdate=death date and age|1944|4|25|1859|1|20
city-state|Chicago|Illinois
bats=Both
throws=Both
debutdate=August 27
debutyear=by|1881
debutteam=Detroit Wolverines
finaldate=July 26
finalyear=by|1894
finalteam=Cleveland Spiders
stat1label=W-L
stat1value=284–220
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=3.05
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1,803
teams=
*Detroit Wolverines (by|1881)
*Louisville Eclipse (by|1882)
*St. Louis Browns (by|1883)
*Toledo Blue Stockings (by|1884)
*Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds (by|1886–by|1893)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|1893–by|1894)
*Cleveland Spiders (by|1894)
highlights=
*No-hitter September 11, 1882
*First pitcher to throw left-handed and right-handed in the same game
*Helped the Orioles to win the 1894 NL Pennant.
*Led AA in Games, Strikeouts and Games Started in 1882
*Led AA in Saves in 1883, 1888 and 1889 and NL in 1893 and 1894
*Led AA in Shutouts in 1884 and 1887
*Led AA in Games Finished in 1886 and 1889 and NL in 1893
*Cincinnati Reds Career Leader in Complete Games (264)

Anthony John "Tony" Mullane (January 20 1859 – April 25 1944), nickamed "Count" and "The Apollo of the Box", was an Irish Major League Baseball player who pitched for seven teams during his 13 season career. He is best known as a pitcher that could throw left-handed and right-handed, and for having one of the highest career win totals of pitchers not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Career

Born in County Cork, Ireland, Mullane emigrated to the United States in 1864. He made his Major League debut with the Detroit Wolverines on August 27, by|1881, picking up his first career win in a 9–1 victory over the Chicago White Stockings.

Like the present-day pitcher Billy Wagner, Mullane suffered an injury to his right arm and managed to teach himself to throw left-handed. Unlike Wagner, however, Mullane resumed throwing right-handed once the injury healed, and he would even alternate throwing right-handed and left-handed in the same game, which was easy for him since he did not wear a glove. Mullane would face the batter with both hands on the ball, and then use either one to throw a pitch. (Another ambidextrous pitcher of recent years, Greg A. Harris, even used a specially made ambidextrous glove, but he was prohibited by the Red Sox from pitching left-handed; Harris did get to switch-pitch in one game shortly before he retired with the Montreal Expos, becoming the only such pitcher in the 20th Century).

In by|1882, Mullane moved on to the American Association and joined the Louisville Eclipse, where he started 55 of the team's 80 games and compiled a record of 30–24 with a 1.88 ERA, the first of five consecutive thirty-win seasons. On September 11, he pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Red Stockings. He recorded 35 victories with the by|1883 St. Louis Browns.

In by|1884, Mullane attempted to sign with the St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association, a new independent league, even though under the reserve clause the Browns still had rights to his services. Threatened with banishment for defying his contract, Mullane relented. The Browns then sold Mullane to the expansion Toledo Blue Stockings, with whom Mullane won a career-high 36 games. The Browns attempted to reclaim Mullane after the 1884 season when both the Union Association and the Blue Stockings folded, but before the Browns could re-sign him under the rules, Mullane managed to sign with Cincinnati. For this action, the American Association suspended Mullane for the entire by|1885 season. Coming in the midst of his string of consecutive 30-win seasons, this likely cost Mullane a 300-win career.

Following the suspension, Mullane joined the Cincinnati Red Stockings for the by|1886 season and remained there for the next seven and a half years, over which he won 163 games. At the plate, in by|1889 he recorded career-highs with 24 stolen bases, a .296 batting average, and a slugging percentage of .418 in 196 at-bats.

The by|1893 season brought several rules changes, most notably the moving of the pitcher's mound an additional five feet from home plate. Mullane began the season a mediocre 6–6, and was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on June 16. He staggered to an 18–25 record with the Orioles in a little more than one full season over 1893 and by|1894. Mullane set a dubious record on June 18, 1894, by allowing 16 runs in the first inning of a game with the Boston Beaneaters. A month later he was traded once again, this time to the Cleveland Spiders, for whom he played only four games.

Mullane retired after the 1894 season with a record of 284–220 and an 3.05 ERA over a 13-year career. He also worked five games as an umpire. His 284 wins tie him with Ferguson Jenkins for 27th on the all-time list; he is fourth among eligible pitchers not in the Hall of Fame, behind only Bobby Mathews (297), Tommy John (288), and Bert Blyleven (287).

Post-career

After his baseball career, Mullane went on to join the Chicago Police Department, from which he retired in 1924. Tony Mullane died at the age of 85 years in Chicago, Illinois, and is interred in an unmarked grave at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery located in Worth, Illinois.cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmullt101.htm|title=Tony Mullane's career statistics|publisher=retrosheet.org|accessdate=2008-08-29]

ee also

* List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
* List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
* List of Major League Baseball saves champions
* Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
* List of players from Ireland in Major League Baseball
* List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

References

External links

*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=m/mullato01 |fangraphs=1009291 |cube=
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pmullt101.htm Playing statistics at Retrosheet]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/M/Mullane_Tony.stm BaseballLibrary.com profile]
* [http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Mullane.Tony.Obit.html Mullane's obituaries in "The New York Times" and "Chicago Daily News"]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=23261 Tony Mullane at Find-A-Grave]

Persondata
NAME = Mullane, Tony
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Mullane, Anthony John; Count; Apollo of the Box
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Major League Baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH = January 20, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH = County Cork, Ireland
DATE OF DEATH = April 25, 1944
PLACE OF DEATH = Chicago, Illinois