1858
Born February 14, 1858
Toronto, ON, CAN
Arthur Irwin Marquee
b. February 14, 1858 · Worcester Ruby Legs 1880–1882, Providence Grays 1883–1885, Philadelphia Quakers 1886–1889, Washington Nationals 1889, Boston Reds 1890–1891, Philadelphia Phillies 1894
Arthur Irwin broke two fingers in 1883 and, rather than sit out, padded a buckskin driving glove and wore it in the field. Whether or not he invented the fielder's glove, the story attached itself to him, and versions of the design were being sold within a few years.
He was Providence's shortstop for the 1884 club that won the National League and then the first postseason series against the American Association's New York Metropolitans. Fifteen seasons of playing were followed by managing five clubs and a long stretch scouting.
Born in Toronto in 1858, Irwin batted .241 with 934 hits across 1,010 games. His death in July 1921 came at sea, after he went missing from a steamer between New York and Boston.
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | WOR | 85 | 352 | 53 | 91 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 11 | 27 | 0 | .259 |
| 1881 | WOR | 50 | 206 | 27 | 55 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 0 | .267 |
| 1882 | WOR | 84 | 333 | 30 | 73 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 14 | 34 | 0 | .219 |
| 1883 | PRO | 98 | 406 | 67 | 116 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 44 | 12 | 38 | 0 | .286 |
| 1884 | PRO | 102 | 404 | 73 | 97 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 28 | 52 | 0 | .240 |
| 1885 | PRO | 59 | 218 | 16 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 0 | .179 |
| 1886 | PHI | 101 | 373 | 51 | 87 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 35 | 39 | 24 | .233 |
| 1887 | PHI | 100 | 374 | 65 | 95 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 56 | 48 | 26 | 19 | .254 |
| 1888 | PHI | 125 | 448 | 51 | 98 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 33 | 56 | 19 | .219 |
| 1889 | PHI/WHS | 103 | 386 | 58 | 89 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 42 | 48 | 43 | 15 | .231 |
| 1890 | BOS | 96 | 354 | 60 | 92 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 57 | 29 | 16 | .260 |
| 1891 | BOS | 6 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .118 |
| 1894 | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Career | — | 1010 | 3871 | 552 | 934 | 141 | 45 | 5 | 396 | 309 | 378 | 93 | .241 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | PRO | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| 1889 | WHS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Career | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.25 |
On this day & linked events
1921
Died July 16, 1921
1880
Major-league debut: Arthur Irwin
Arthur Irwin made a major-league debut on May 1, 1880.
1894
Final major-league game: Arthur Irwin
Arthur Irwin played a final major-league game on June 22, 1894.
Image: Goodwin & Company, public domain