Alex McKinnon (baseball)

Infobox MLB retired
name=Alex McKinnon


position=First baseman
birthdate=August 14, 1856
city-state|Boston|Massachusetts
deathdate=death date and age|1887|7|24|1856|8|14
city-state|Charlestown|Massachusetts
bats=Right
throws=Unknown
debutdate=May 1
debutyear=by|1884
debutteam=New York Gothams
finaldate=July 4
finalyear=by|1887
finalteam=Pittsburgh Alleganys
stat1label=Batting average
stat2label=Home runs
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat1value=.296
stat2value=14
stat3value=219
teams=As Player
*New York Gothams (by|1884)
*St. Louis Maroons (by|1885 - by|1886)
*Pittsburgh Alleganys (by|1887)As Manager
*St. Louis Maroons (by|1885)
highlights=

Alexander J. McKinnon (August 14 1856 – July 24 1887) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman from Boston, Massachusetts. He played for several teams in his short-lived career in the National League.cite web| title = Alex McKinnon's Stats | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmckia101.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ]

Early career and expulsion

Alex began his amateur career with the Boston Stars in by|1875, then joined the Syracuse Stars, and played first base for the next three seasons.cite web| title = Alex McKinnon Obituary | work = thedeadballera.com | url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/McKinnon.Alex.Obit.html | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ]

In by|1879, Alex was a member of the Troy Trojans of the National League when decided to "jump" his contract and play for the Rochester club of the International Association, which was against the league's policy and he was expelled for this action. This expulsion caused a ripple effect that meant that no National League team could play versus Rochester, nor could they play against teams that had played Rochester. Though this could have caused the Association a great deal of money, they stood behind the team's decision even though National League President William Hulbert had made a secret deal that allowed Rochester to reorganize and circumvent the losses.cite web| title =Early Baseball and the Rise of the National League, pgs 109-110 | work = by Tom Melville | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=pT11XAdIVhgC&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=%22alex+mckinnon%22+baseball&source=web&ots=x4uwhGIkQm&sig=J1fiFHghWha2txngce7fUvJZxos&hl=en#PPA109,M1 | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ] Alex did not play very much during that season as he was struck with sickness for much of the time.

He decided to quit playing baseball after the season and moved west to engage in business interests. On November 27, 1882, Alex was married in Boston, although the marriage produced no children. On March 5, by|1883, he was re-instated during a special session of the National League, and signed with the Philadelphia Quakers. He, again, was too sick to play and asked and received his release from the club for this reason.

Major League career

He formally began his Major League career for the by|1884 New York Gothams, and led the league in games played with 116. While he hit well with a .272 batting average and 12 triples, he committed a record 53 errors at first base, for a .955 fielding percentage, a record that still stands today for the lowest percentage for a first baseman in a single season.cite web| title = Baseball Almanac Record Book | work = baseball-almanac.com | url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_1bfa.shtml | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ]

Alex moved on the St. Louis Maroons for the next two seasons. In by|1885, he batted .294 and significantly improved his fielding at first base with a league leading .978 fielding percentage. Also during that season, he finished out the season as the player-manager, managing the final 39 games of the season, winning only six of them.cite web| title = Alex Mckinnon Managerial Stats | work = baseball-reference.com | url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/mckinal01.shtml | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ] This was his only stint as manager during his career. His hitting continued to improve in by|1886, when he batted .301 and hit eight home runs. After the season, on December 1, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Alleganys for Otto Schomberg and $400.

Late career and death

The by|1887 season began with Alex improving his hitting and fielding, likely becoming one of the better first basemen in the National League, when contracted typhoid pneumonia and subsequently died in Charlestown, Massachusetts at the age of 30, and was interred at Lowell Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts.cite web| title = Alex Mckinnon Find-A-Grave profile | work = findagrave.com | url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8483024 | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ] Pittsburgh wore a black crepe on their uniforms for the rest of the season to honor Alex.cite web| title = Dressed To The Nines | work = baseballhalloffame.org | url=http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/patches.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-08 ]

References

External links

*findagrave|8483024

Persondata
NAME = McKinnon, Alex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = McKinnon, Alexander J.
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Major League Baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH = August 14, 1856
PLACE OF BIRTH = Boston, Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH = July 24, 1887
PLACE OF DEATH = Charlestown, Massachusetts