Ed Irvin
Encyclopedia
William Edward Irvin was a 30-year-old replacement player in one game for the Detroit Tigers
on May 18, 1912, after the regular team went on strike to protest the suspension of Ty Cobb
, following Cobb's attack on a handicapped fan in New York.
Irvin had two triples in three at-bats against the Philadelphia Athletics. He shares the record with Cecil Bolton
for most triples in a career with no other hits at two. Irvin was the only member of the replacement Tigers to get a hit in a 24-2 loss, although two members of the coaching staff (Deacon McGuire
and Joe Sugden
), who were pressed into service for that game, each got one hit.
Irvin's performance at third base was not as strong, as, despite being charged with only one error, Allan Travers
, the pitcher for the replacement Tigers, later recalled: "I was doing fine until they started bunting. The guy playing third base had never played baseball before." http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1937&pid=14325
Irvin finished with a .500 fielding percentage
at third base, and a .667 batting average
, 2.000 slugging percentage, and 2.667 OPS.
A play about his life, "The Perfect Hands of the Irresistible Ed" was written by David James Brock. [2
According to The Baseball Necrology, Irvin died in 1916 from injuries suffered when he was "thrown through a saloon window" in Philadelphia. (The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of Over 7,600 Major League Players and Others, by Bill Lee.)
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
on May 18, 1912, after the regular team went on strike to protest the suspension of Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, following Cobb's attack on a handicapped fan in New York.
Irvin had two triples in three at-bats against the Philadelphia Athletics. He shares the record with Cecil Bolton
Cecil Bolton
Cecil Glenford Bolton was a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Cleveland Indians just at the end of the 1928 season...
for most triples in a career with no other hits at two. Irvin was the only member of the replacement Tigers to get a hit in a 24-2 loss, although two members of the coaching staff (Deacon McGuire
Deacon McGuire
James Thomas "Deacon" McGuire was a catcher, manager and coach in Major League Baseball who spent over a quarter of a century playing professional baseball in a much-traveled career which saw him set several records for durability...
and Joe Sugden
Joe Sugden (baseball)
Joseph Sugden , was a professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, St...
), who were pressed into service for that game, each got one hit.
Irvin's performance at third base was not as strong, as, despite being charged with only one error, Allan Travers
Allan Travers
Aloysius Joseph "Allan" Travers, aka Rev. Aloysius Stanislaus Travers was a Major League Baseball pitcher who made a one-game appearance during the 1912 strike of the Detroit Tigers....
, the pitcher for the replacement Tigers, later recalled: "I was doing fine until they started bunting. The guy playing third base had never played baseball before." http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1937&pid=14325
Irvin finished with a .500 fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
at third base, and a .667 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, 2.000 slugging percentage, and 2.667 OPS.
A play about his life, "The Perfect Hands of the Irresistible Ed" was written by David James Brock. [2
According to The Baseball Necrology, Irvin died in 1916 from injuries suffered when he was "thrown through a saloon window" in Philadelphia. (The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of Over 7,600 Major League Players and Others, by Bill Lee.)