George Moriarty
Encyclopedia
George Joseph Moriarty was an American
third baseman
, umpire
and manager
in Major League Baseball
from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs
, New York Highlanders
, Detroit Tigers
and Chicago White Sox
from 1903 to 1916.
Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union Stock Yards
. He made his major league debut on September 7, at the age of 19 with the Cubs. He was an average hitter but excelled at stealing bases, recording eight consecutive seasons of 20 or more steals and retiring with 248 career stolen bases, and is credited with having stolen home eleven times in his career http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=George_Moriarty_1884. His final game as a player was on May 4, with the White Sox.
Afterward, he became an American League
umpire from 1917 to 1940, interrupted only by a 2-year stint as manager of the Tigers in 1927-28. He was one of the AL's most highly regarded umpires in his era, officiating in the World Series in 1921
, 1925
, 1930
, 1933
and 1935
, serving as crew chief in 1930 and 1935, as well as the All-Star
game in 1934
.
On Memorial Day in 1932, Moriarty worked behind the plate for a Cleveland Indians
home game against the White Sox; when several Chicago players took exception to his calls, he challenged them to settle the dispute under the stands of League Park
after the game. Pitcher Milt Gaston
took on the challenge, whereupon Moriarty knocked him flat, breaking his hand. Several White Sox, including manager Lew Fonseca
and catcher and future AL umpire Charlie Berry
, then proceeded to take on the official. The next day, AL president Will Harridge
issued numerous fines, as well as a 10-day suspension for Gaston.
It is reported that once while Moriarty was umpiring, Babe Ruth
, who was at bat, stepped out of the batter's box and asked Moriarty to spell his last name. When he had spelled it out, Ruth reportedly replied, "Just as I thought; only one I." The baseball card shown to the right of this text spells Moriarty's name incorrectly - with "two I's."
Moriarty also was noted for his influence on the life of Tigers first baseman Hank Greenberg
. During the 1935 World Series, Moriarty warned several Chicago Cubs players to stop yelling anti-semitic slurs at Greenberg http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080629&content_id=7848&vkey=hof_news. When the Cubs players persisted with their remarks, Moriarty took the unusual step of clearing the entire Chicago bench - a maneuver that got him fined by then-commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/excerpts/excerpt.php?book=hank_greenberg&page=6. Later, when Greenberg was pursuing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record, Moriarty kept the final game of the season going until darkness made it impossible to continue. Greenberg finished the night two homers shy of Ruth's record http://www.culturevulture.net/Movies/HankGreenberg.htm.
In his biography, Hank Greenberg recalled:
Despite his combative field persona, off the field Moriarty could be more congenial, maintaining close friendships with Jesuit
priests at the College of the Holy Cross
in Massachusetts
. Moriarty also fancied himself a lyricist, and collaborated with Richard A. Whiting
on the tune "Love Me Like the Ivy Loves the Old Oak Tree." http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d5300jw.htm
On the other hand, in 1944 divorce proceedings his wife stated that "His attitude toward the next-door neighbors was of intense hatred for no reason whatever. One time he heard the neighbor's radio. He was so angry he carried our radio to the open window next to the neighbor and turned it on full blast for about three hours."
Moriarty joined the AL public relations staff after retiring from field duties, and later became a scout for the Tigers, helping to discover such players as Harvey Kuenn
and Billy Hoeft
before retiring in December 1958.
George Moriarty died at the age of 79 in Miami, Florida
. He is also remembered today for being the grandfather of actor and former Law & Order
star Michael Moriarty
, who also played pitcher
Henry Wiggen in the 1973
baseball movie Bang the Drum Slowly
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, New York Highlanders
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Detroit Tigers
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...
and Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
from 1903 to 1916.
Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union Stock Yards
Union Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meat packing district in Chicago for over a century starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired swampland, and turned it to a centralized processing area...
. He made his major league debut on September 7, at the age of 19 with the Cubs. He was an average hitter but excelled at stealing bases, recording eight consecutive seasons of 20 or more steals and retiring with 248 career stolen bases, and is credited with having stolen home eleven times in his career http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=George_Moriarty_1884. His final game as a player was on May 4, with the White Sox.
Afterward, he became an American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
umpire from 1917 to 1940, interrupted only by a 2-year stint as manager of the Tigers in 1927-28. He was one of the AL's most highly regarded umpires in his era, officiating in the World Series in 1921
1921 World Series
In the 1921 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees five games to three. This was the last of the experimental best-five-of-nine series....
, 1925
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...
, 1930
1930 World Series
In the 1930 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games, 4–2. Philadelphia's pitching ace Lefty Grove won two games.The St...
, 1933
1933 World Series
The 1933 World Series featured the New York Giants and the Washington Senators, with the Giants winning in five games for their first championship since , and their fourth overall....
and 1935
1935 World Series
The 1935 World Series featured the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, with the Tigers winning in six games for their first championship in five Series appearances. They had lost in , , , and ....
, serving as crew chief in 1930 and 1935, as well as the All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
game in 1934
1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the second playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10 at the Polo Grounds in New York City, the home of the New...
.
On Memorial Day in 1932, Moriarty worked behind the plate for a Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
home game against the White Sox; when several Chicago players took exception to his calls, he challenged them to settle the dispute under the stands of League Park
League Park
League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and E. 66th Street in the Hough neighborhood. It was home to the National League Cleveland Spiders, the American League Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland...
after the game. Pitcher Milt Gaston
Milt Gaston
Nathaniel Milton Gaston was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1924-1934. Born in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, he played for the St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox. He died at age 100 in Barnstable, Massachusetts...
took on the challenge, whereupon Moriarty knocked him flat, breaking his hand. Several White Sox, including manager Lew Fonseca
Lew Fonseca
Lewis Albert Fonseca was an American first and second baseman in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox over a 12-year career. While not a power hitter, he hit for average and was a good contact hitter for most of his career...
and catcher and future AL umpire Charlie Berry
Charlie Berry
Charles Francis Berry was an American athlete and sports official who enjoyed careers as a catcher and umpire in Major League Baseball and as an offensive end and official in the National Football League...
, then proceeded to take on the official. The next day, AL president Will Harridge
Will Harridge
William Harridge was an American executive in professional baseball whose most significant role was as president of the American League from 1931 to 1958...
issued numerous fines, as well as a 10-day suspension for Gaston.
It is reported that once while Moriarty was umpiring, Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, who was at bat, stepped out of the batter's box and asked Moriarty to spell his last name. When he had spelled it out, Ruth reportedly replied, "Just as I thought; only one I." The baseball card shown to the right of this text spells Moriarty's name incorrectly - with "two I's."
Moriarty also was noted for his influence on the life of Tigers first baseman Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
. During the 1935 World Series, Moriarty warned several Chicago Cubs players to stop yelling anti-semitic slurs at Greenberg http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080629&content_id=7848&vkey=hof_news. When the Cubs players persisted with their remarks, Moriarty took the unusual step of clearing the entire Chicago bench - a maneuver that got him fined by then-commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/excerpts/excerpt.php?book=hank_greenberg&page=6. Later, when Greenberg was pursuing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record, Moriarty kept the final game of the season going until darkness made it impossible to continue. Greenberg finished the night two homers shy of Ruth's record http://www.culturevulture.net/Movies/HankGreenberg.htm.
In his biography, Hank Greenberg recalled:
Much later in my career George Moriarty and I became very good friends. Back in the early 1900s he played third base for Detroit, and he used to steal home. Somebody wrote a poem about him, and the title was “Never Die on Third Moriarty.” All through the rest of his life George felt he knew something about stealing home. When he was umpiring on third base, and on occasion when I'd get on third, he coached me on how to take a lead so I could steal home. I never had the guts enough to try, because I didn’t think I could make it. I'd run down the line, and he'd keep insisting that I take a bigger lead. I was always afraid that I was going to get picked off. But it was interesting to see Moriarty, who was umpiring at third base, coaching me on how to steal home for the Tigers. It became a joke among the players, but I never got up the nerve to try it. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/excerpts/excerpt.php?book=hank_greenberg&page=6
Despite his combative field persona, off the field Moriarty could be more congenial, maintaining close friendships with Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
priests at the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Moriarty also fancied himself a lyricist, and collaborated with Richard A. Whiting
Richard A. Whiting
Richard Armstrong Whiting was a composer of popular songs including the standards, "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" & "On the Good Ship Lollipop"....
on the tune "Love Me Like the Ivy Loves the Old Oak Tree." http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d5300jw.htm
On the other hand, in 1944 divorce proceedings his wife stated that "His attitude toward the next-door neighbors was of intense hatred for no reason whatever. One time he heard the neighbor's radio. He was so angry he carried our radio to the open window next to the neighbor and turned it on full blast for about three hours."
Moriarty joined the AL public relations staff after retiring from field duties, and later became a scout for the Tigers, helping to discover such players as Harvey Kuenn
Harvey Kuenn
Harvey Edward Kuenn was an American player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As a shortstop and outfielder, he played with the Detroit Tigers , Cleveland Indians , San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies . He batted and threw right-handed...
and Billy Hoeft
Billy Hoeft
William Frederick Hoeft was a pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. He was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.-Detroit Tigers :Hoeft was signed by the Detroit...
before retiring in December 1958.
George Moriarty died at the age of 79 in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. He is also remembered today for being the grandfather of actor and former Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
star Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
, who also played pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Henry Wiggen in the 1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
baseball movie Bang the Drum Slowly
Bang the Drum Slowly (film)
Bang the Drum Slowly is a 1973 film adaptation of the 1956 baseball novel of the same name by Mark Harris. It was previously dramatized in 1956 on the U.S. Steel Hour with Paul Newman and Albert Salmi....
.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- 1909 Detroit Tigers season1909 Detroit Tigers seasonThe 1909 Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 96-56, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 World Series, 4 games to 3. The season was their 9th since they were charter members of the American League in 1901. It was the third consecutive season in which they won...
External links
- Retrosheet
- George Moriarty at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...