John Henry Neun was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 first baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 for the 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 the Boston Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 from 1925 to 1931.

Career

Although never an everyday player (he never played more than 97 games a season), Neun entered baseball immortality on May 31, against the 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...

, when he caught a line drive from Homer Summa

Homer Summa

Homer Wayne Summa was a right fielder in major league baseball from 1920 to 1930. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but played most of his career for the Cleveland Indians before finishing as a reserve with the Philadelphia Athletics. His career batting average was .302...

, stepped on first to retire Charlie Jamieson

Charlie Jamieson

Charles Devine Jamieson was an American baseball player, an outfielder for the Washington Senators , Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians ....

, and despite shouts from his shortstop to throw him the ball, raced towards second base to retire Glenn Myatt

Glenn Myatt

Glenn Calvin Myatt , was a retired professional baseball player who was a catcher in the Major Leagues from -. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, New York Giants, and Detroit Tigers.-External links:...

, completing the seventh unassisted triple play

Unassisted triple play

In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes all three putouts by himself in one continuous play, without any teammates touching the ball . In Major League Baseball , it is one of the rarest of individual feats, along with hitting four home runs in one game and the...

 in MLB history, and the first such play to end a game. That feat would not be duplicated for 82 years, when on August 23, 2009, Eric Bruntlett

Eric Bruntlett

Eric Kevin Bruntlett is a retired Major League Baseball utility player who last played in the New York Yankees organization. He was known for his defensive versatility; he usually played second base or shortstop, but has also played left field. Bruntlett played every position except for catcher...

 turned an unassisted triple play for the Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 to end a game against the New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

. Neun turned the triple play as a first baseman and not a second baseman or shortstop, one day after Jimmy Cooney

Jimmy Cooney (1920s shortstop)

James Edward Cooney , nicknamed "Scoops," was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for six different teams between and . Listed at 5' 11", 160 lb., Cooney batted and threw right-handed. His father Jimmy Sr...

 of 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...

 had done so. A switch-hitter who threw left-handed, Neun batted

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 :...

 .289 with two home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s in 945 at bat

At bat

In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...

s during his seven-year 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...

 career.

In , after retiring as a player, Neun began managing in the New York Yankees

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...

' farm system, and from through , he piloted the AA

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 Newark Bears

Newark Bears

The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...

, winning International League

International League

The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...

 regular season championships in 1938 (104 wins) and 1941 (100 wins) and the 1938 playoff title. He then spent two seasons as skipper of the Yanks' other top affiliate, the Kansas City Blues

Kansas City Blues (American Association)

The Kansas City Blues are a former minor league baseball team located in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Midwestern United States. The team was one of the eight founding members of the American Association....

 of the American Association

American Association (20th century)

The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...

 (where he won another regular-season pennant, in ), before joining the New York coaching

Coach (baseball)

In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...

 staff in .

In September , he was hired as the manager of the Yankees, replacing Bill Dickey

Bill Dickey

William Malcolm Dickey was a Major League Baseball catcher and manager.He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the New York Yankees . During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning eight championships...

. His stint in New York lasted only 14 games (8-6) through the third-place Yankees' final regular season game. During the offseason, he was hired by the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 as the successor to Hall of Fame manager Bill McKechnie

Bill McKechnie

William Boyd McKechnie was an American third baseman, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. He was the first manager to win World Series titles with two different teams , and remains one of only two managers to win pennants with three teams, also capturing the National League title in 1928...

. Neun had a record of 117-137 in parts of two seasons. He was dismissed after 100 games in in favor of Bucky Walters

Bucky Walters

William Henry "Bucky" Walters was an American Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Walters played for the Boston Braves , Boston Red Sox , Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds...

. He continued working in the game, and into his eighties was a scout and instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

.

Neun died of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...

 in his birthplace of Baltimore at age 89.

External links

• Johnny Neun at Find a Grave
  Find A Grave
  Find 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:...