Paddy Quinn (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Patrick "Paddy" Quinn was an American baseball player in the first professional league. He played catcher
in five games for the 1871 Fort Wayne Kekiongas
and he appeared in two other more major league
seasons in the 1870s.
Quinn was a regular league player during only one season, with three teams in 1875, primarily as a catcher. He led the Keokuk Westerns
in batting average (.326) with 14 hits, working 11 of 13 games before that club went out of business. He moved on to Hartford and Chicago, 33 games in all. In the National League
two seasons later, he returned to the Chicago White Stockings
for four games in the outfield
.
Quinn was a Chicago native and he played there as an amateur at the dawn of the professional era. The National Association of Base Ball Players
first permitted professional clubs in 1869 and the White Stockings were established as Chicago's first pro club one year later. Quinn played for Aetna of Chicago, a respectable member of the amateur class.
Jimmy Hallinan
also played for the Aetnas of Chicago in 1870, when both Hallinan and Quinn turned 21 years old during the baseball season. In 1871 they both played a few games for the Kekiongas of Fort Wayne, Indiana
, and the next league experience for both was at age 26 with the Westerns of Keokuk, Iowa
in 1875. Little is known about baseball in the 1870s, outside the leagues, but it seems that many clubs such as the Aetnas and their amateur or semipro rivals continued to operate, and thus adult players outside the leagues, such as Hallinan and Quinn before 1875, continued to play competitively. According to one obituary, Hallinan played four season for Aetna beginning 1870.
Quinn died, aged 59, from unknown causes in his native Chicago
in 1909.
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in five games for the 1871 Fort Wayne Kekiongas
Fort Wayne Kekiongas
The Fort Wayne Kekiongas were a professional baseball team, notable for winning the first professional league game on May 4, 1871. Kekionga - pronounced KEY-key-awn-guh - is the name of Chief Little Turtle's Miami Indian settlement where the St. Joseph River and the St. Mary's River join to form...
and he appeared in two other more major league
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...
seasons in the 1870s.
Quinn was a regular league player during only one season, with three teams in 1875, primarily as a catcher. He led the Keokuk Westerns
Keokuk Westerns
The Western club of Keokuk, Iowa, or Keokuk Westerns, were a professional baseball team in the National Association in 1875, the last season of that first professional league. They are considered a major league team by those who count the NA as a major league....
in batting average (.326) with 14 hits, working 11 of 13 games before that club went out of business. He moved on to Hartford and Chicago, 33 games in all. In the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
two seasons later, he returned to the Chicago White Stockings
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...
for four games in the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
.
Quinn was a Chicago native and he played there as an amateur at the dawn of the professional era. The National Association of Base Ball Players
National Association of Base Ball Players
The National Association of Base Ball Players was the first organization governing American baseball. The first, 1857 convention of sixteen New York City clubs...
first permitted professional clubs in 1869 and the White Stockings were established as Chicago's first pro club one year later. Quinn played for Aetna of Chicago, a respectable member of the amateur class.
Jimmy Hallinan
Jimmy Hallinan
James H. "Jimmy" Hallinan was an American baseball player born in Ireland. In the first professional league season, he played shortstop in five games for the 1871 Fort Wayne Kekiongas...
also played for the Aetnas of Chicago in 1870, when both Hallinan and Quinn turned 21 years old during the baseball season. In 1871 they both played a few games for the Kekiongas of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, and the next league experience for both was at age 26 with the Westerns of Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...
in 1875. Little is known about baseball in the 1870s, outside the leagues, but it seems that many clubs such as the Aetnas and their amateur or semipro rivals continued to operate, and thus adult players outside the leagues, such as Hallinan and Quinn before 1875, continued to play competitively. According to one obituary, Hallinan played four season for Aetna beginning 1870.
Quinn died, aged 59, from unknown causes in his native Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1909.