Jim O'Rourke (baseball)

Jim O'Rourke
Outfielder
Born: September 1, 1850(1850-09-01) Bridgeport, Connecticut
Died: January 8, 1919(1919-01-08) (aged 68) Bridgeport, Connecticut
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 26, 1872 for the Middletown Mansfields
Last MLB appearance
September 22, 1904 for the New York Giants
Career statistics
Batting average	.311
Hits	2,643
Runs	1,729
Teams
As Player Middletown Mansfields (1872) Boston Red Stockings/Boston Red Caps (1873–1878) Providence Grays (1879) Boston Red Caps (1880) Buffalo Bisons (1881–1884) New York Giants (1885–1889) New York Giants (Players League) (1890) New York Giants (1891–1892) Washington Senators (1893) New York Giants (1904) As Manager Buffalo Bisons (1881–1884) Washington Senators (1893)
Career highlights and awards
National Association pennant: 1873–1875 National League pennant: 1877–1879, 1888, 1889 National Association home run champion: 1874, 1875
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1945
Election Method	Veteran's Committee

James Henry O'Rourke (September 1, 1850 – January 8, 1919), nicknamed "Orator Jim", was an American professional baseball player in the National Association and Major League Baseball who played primarily as a left fielder. For the period 1876–1892, he ranks behind only Cap Anson in career major league games played (1644), hits (2146), at-bats (6884), doubles (392) and total bases (2936), and behind only Harry Stovey in runs scored (1370). (Stovey was a younger player. Anson played five seasons and O'Rourke four prior to 1876.)

He was born in East Bridgeport, Connecticut. On April 22, 1876, he had the first base hit in National League history. After leaving the major leagues following the 1893 season he continued to play in the minor leagues until he was over 50 years old. In 1904 he made a final appearance with the New York Giants under manager and friend John McGraw, becoming at age 54 the oldest player ever to appear in the National League, and the oldest player to hit safely in a major league game.^{[citation needed]} He returned to the minors as president of the Connecticut League, and in 1912 returned to the field to catch a complete minor league game at the age of 60.^{[citation needed]}

O'Rourke is one of only 29 players in baseball history to appear in Major League games in four decades.

He graduated from Yale Law School (a non-graduate degree at the time), practicing law in Bridgeport between early playing stints, and earning the nickname "Orator Jim" because of his verbosity on the field, his intellect, and his degree—uncommon in a game regarded as a rough immigrant sport at the time.^[1] Legend has it that O'Rourke, a child of Irish immigrants, was asked to drop the "O'" from his last name when he signed a contract with Boston and its Protestant backers, but refused, saying "I would rather die than give up my father's name. A million dollars would not tempt me."^[2] As an executive, O'Rourke later hired the first African American minor league baseball player in history.^[3]

O'Rourke died of pneumonia at age 68 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 as one of the earliest inductees from the 19th century. His older brother John O'Rourke and his son James "Queenie" O'Rourke also played in the majors.

"O'Rourke has made a brilliant record for himself as an outfielder, being an excellent judge of a ball, a swift runner, and making the most difficult running catches with the utmost ease and certainty. As a thrower, too, he stands pre-eminent, being credited with a throw of 365 feet, the next to the longest yet accomplished by any player."

— The Sporting Life

See also

• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
• Hitting for the cycle
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
• List of Major League Baseball triples champions

References

1. ^ C.J. Hughes, Famous and Forgotten: A Baseball Legend From Bridgeport, New York Times (Aug. 8, 2004)
2. ^ Lawrence Baldassaro and Richard A. Johnson, eds., The American Game: Baseball and Ethnicity (S. Ill. Univ. Press 2002), pp.61–62
3. ^ Bridgeport Banner, A Fitting Tribute for Orator Jim (Jun. 17, 2009) http://bridgeportbanner.typepad.com/bridgeport/2009/06/a-fitting-tribute-for-orator-jim.html

External links

• Jim O'Rourke (baseball) at the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Preceded by Charley Jones

National League Home Run Champion 1880 (with Harry Stovey)

Succeeded by Dan Brouthers

Persondata
Name	O'Rourke, Jim
Alternative names	O'Rourke, James Henry
Short description	Major League Baseball player, manager
Date of birth	September 1, 1850
Place of birth	Bridgeport, Connecticut
Date of death	January 8, 1919
Place of death	Bridgeport, Connecticut