Ed Delahanty
Edward James Delahanty (October 30, 1867 – July 2, 1903), nicknamed "Big Ed", was an American professional baseball player, who spent his Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career with the Philadelphia Quakers, Cleveland Infants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Senators. He was renowned as one of the game's early power hitters, and while primarily a left fielder, also spent time as an infielder. Delahanty won two batting titles, batted over .400 three times, and has the fifth-highest career batting average in MLB history. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. Delahanty died as a result of falling into the Niagara River or being swept over Niagara Falls (undetermined), after being removed from a train while intoxicated.
| Ed Delahanty | |
|---|---|
| Left fielder | |
| Born: October 30, 1867 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: July 2, 1903 (aged 35) Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 22, 1888, for the Philadelphia Quakers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 25, 1903, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .346 |
| Hits | 2,596 |
| Home runs | 101 |
| Runs batted in | 1,464 |
| Stolen bases | 455 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
| Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1945 |
| Election method | Old-Timers Committee |
Delahanty's biographer argues that:
- Baseball for Irish kids was a shortcut to the American dream and to self-indulgent glory and fortune. By the mid-1880s these young Irish men dominated the sport and popularized a style of play that was termed heady, daring, and spontaneous.... [Delahanty] personified the flamboyant, exciting spectator-favorite, the Casey-at-the-bat, Irish slugger. The handsome masculine athlete who is expected to live as large as he played.
Delahanty's younger brothers, Frank, Jim, Joe, and Tom, also played in the major leagues.