- Eddie O'Brien (baseball)
Edward Joseph O'Brien (born
December 11 ,1930 inSouth Amboy, New Jersey ) is a former backupshortstop inMajor League Baseball who played for thePittsburgh Pirates (1953, 1955-57. O'Brien batted and threw right-handed. His twin brother, Johnny, is a former major leaguesecond baseman .O'Brien attended Saint Mary's High School in South Amboy, now
Cardinal McCarrick High School , where he has been inducted into the school's sports hall of fame. [ [http://www.cardinalmccarrick.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118&Itemid=116 Cardinal McCarrick High School: Hall of Fame] , accessedApril 5 ,2007 .]He attended
Seattle University , where he played on the basketball team for the Chieftains (along with his brother Johnny) and participated in a stunning 84-81 upset over theHarlem Globetrotters on January 21, 1952. [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/55228_globe21.shtml Fifty years ago tonight, Seattle U. upset the mighty Globetrotters] , accessedJanuary 24 ,2008 ]In a five-season career, O'Brien was a .236 hitter (131-for-554) with 64 runs, 25 RBI, 10 doubles, four triples, and 11
stolen base s in 231games played .While in Pittsburgh, Johnny and Eddie O'Brien became the first twins in major league history to play for the same team in the same game. They are also one of only four brother combinations to play second base/shortstop on the same major league club. The others are Garvin and
Granny Hamner , for thePhiladelphia Phillies in 1945; Frank andMilt Bolling , with theDetroit Tigers in 1958, and Billy and Cal Ripken, for theBaltimore Orioles during the 1980s.In Jim Bouton's book "Ball Four," a memoir of the 1969 baseball season, O'Brien--who in that year had served as bullpen coach for the Seattle Pilots expansion club--was represented as Bouton's consistent antagonist.
References
External links
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/O/OBrien_Eddie.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/o'bried01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pobrie101.htm Retrosheet]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/submit/Sargent_Jim7.stm 2B/SS combinations]
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