Bug Holliday

Infobox MLB retired
name=Bug Holliday
position=Center fielder


bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=#c6011f
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate= February 8 1867
city-state|St. Louis|Missouri
deathdate= death date and age|1910|2|15|1867|2|8
city-state|Cincinnati|Ohio
debutdate= April 17
debutyear= by|1889
debutteam= Cincinnati Red Stockings
finaldate= June 30
finalyear= by|1898
finalteam= Cincinnati Reds
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.311
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=65
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=617
teams=
* Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds (1889-1898)
highlights=
* American Association home run champion: 1889
* National League home run champion: 1892
* 4 seasons with a .300+ batting average
* 2 seasons with 100+ RBI
* 4 seasons with 100+ runs scored James Wear "Bug" Holliday (February 8 1867 – February 15 1910) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, from by|1889 through by|1898. He holds the distinction of being the first player to make his major league debut in post-season play, with the Chicago White Stockings in 1885. He played the rest of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, both when they were in the American Association and in the National League. He twice led the league in home runs, and was among the leaders in various other offensive categories throughout his career. After his playing career was over, he was an umpire for one season.

Career

Holliday was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and became the only player in major league history to make his debut in the post-season when he was called up by the Chicago White Stockings when they needed another outfielder after Game 4 of the by|1885 World Series.cite book |title=The Baseball Rookies Encyclopedia |last=Nemec |first=David |authorlink= |coauthors=Dave Zeman |year=2004 |publisher=Brassley's |location= |isbn=1574886703 |pages=40 ] He played in one game, and went hitless in four at bats.cite web| title = Bug Holliday's career stats | work = baseball-reference.com | url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hollibu01.shtml | accessdate = 2008-06-25] The distinction has since been matched by Mark Kiger, who played in the 2006 American League Championship Series for the Oakland Athletics as a defensive replacement.

Holliday made his regular-season major league debut in 1889 for the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association.cite web| title = Bug Holliday's career stats | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Phollb103.htm | accessdate = 2008-06-25] In his first season with the Red Stockings, he led the league in home runs with 19, while finishing in the top ten in many offensive categories. He was fifth in batting average with .321, fifth in runs batted in (RBIs) with 104, third in hits with 181, and ninth in doubles with 28.

Before the by|1890 season, the Red Stockings transferred their team over to the National League and officially became the Reds. Holliday picked up where he left off the previous season, with an opening day home run off Bill Hutchison in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Colts.cite web| title = Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1890 | work = baseballlibrary.com | url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1890 | accessdate = 2008-06-25] But after that, his season's power numbers dropped significantly, as he hit only four home runs, tallied 75 RBIs, and had a .270 batting average.

He bounced back the following season, when he hit nine home runs, which was fourth in the league, batted .319 to finish second in the league, and totaled 84 RBIs, which was ninth. He followed the by|1891 campaign with an even better by|1892 season, when he played in 153 games, batted 602 times, scored 114 runs, and tripled 16 times, all career highs. He also claimed his second home run title that season, with 13, and finished in the top ten with 176 hits as well.

Both by|1893 and by|1894 saw Holliday continue his batting production; although his home runs dipped to five in 1893, he still batted .310, totaled 84 RBIs, and scored 108 runs. But statistically, 1894 was his greatest season, when his .372 batting average was his career high, as well as his 119 runs scored, 190 hits, 119 RBIs, .420 on base percentage and .523 slugging percentage.

During the first six years of his career, he slugged 63 home runs, which was second to only Roger Connor during the same span; but in by|1895 he had an appendectomy, and was never the same player after that. In his last four seasonsm he was never more than a part-time player.cite book |title=The Baseball Rookies Encyclopedia |last=Nemec |first=David |authorlink= |coauthors=Dave Zeman |year=2004 |publisher=Brassley's |location= |isbn=1574886703 |pages=40 ]

Post-career

When Holliday's baseball career was over, he was a National League umpire for the by|1903 season, officiating in 53 games that season. He was involved in one incident in which Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jack Morrissey became engaged in words, which led to Wagner being surrounded by other Reds players. Holliday ejected Wagner from the game to quell the possibility of an altercation on the field.cite book |title=Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's "Flying Dutchman" |last=Hittner |first=Arthur D. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2003 |publisher=McFarland |location= |isbn=0786418117 |pages=111-12 ]

He continued to live in Cincinnati, and worked in a pool room while also covering horse racing for a local newspaper.cite web| title = Findagrave: James Wear Holliday | work = findagrave.com | url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8168035 | accessdate = 2008-06-25] He died at the age of 43 in Cincinnati of syphilitic locomotor ataxia,cite web| title = The Dead Ball Era: Too Young To Die | work = thedeadballera.com | url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/tooyoung.html | accessdate = 2008-06-25] and is interred at Spring Grove Cemetery, also in Cincinnati. "The New York Times" reported his illness on February 3 1910, and as a result, Reds manager Clark Griffith ordered all of the Cincinnati players to be vaccinated before they left for training camp.cite web| title = Baseball Notes | work = The New York Times, Feb. 3, 1910 | url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=2&res=9903E3DA1F3DEE32A25750C0A9649C946196D6CF&oref=slogin&oref=slogin | accessdate = 2008-06-25]

ee also

*List of Major League Baseball home run champions

References

External links

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Persondata
NAME = Holliday, Bug
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Holliday, James Wear; Holliday, James
SHORT DESCRIPTION = 19th century baseball player, home run champion
DATE OF BIRTH = February 8, 1867
PLACE OF BIRTH = St. Louis, Missouri
DATE OF DEATH = February 15, 1910
PLACE OF DEATH = Cincinnati, Ohio