Bill McGunnigle

Bill McGunningle
McGunnigle on an 1887Old Judgetobacco card
Outfielder/Pitcher/Manager
Born:(1855-01-01)January 1, 1855 Boston, Massachusetts,U.S.
Died:March 9, 1899(1899-03-09)(aged 44) Brockton, Massachusetts,U.S.
Batted:Right Threw:Right
MLB debut
May 2, 1879, for the Buffalo Bisons
Last MLB appearance
August 17, 1882, for the Cleveland Blues
MLB statistics
Batting average	.173
Win–loss record	11–8
Earned run average	2.81
Managerial record	327–248
Teams
As player Buffalo Bisons(1879–1880) Cleveland Blues(1882) As manager Brooklyn Bridegrooms(1888–1890) Pittsburgh Pirates(1891) Louisville Colonels(1896)
Career highlights and awards
AA pennant(1889) NL pennant(1890)

William Henry McGunnigle(January 1, 1855 – March 9, 1899) was an Americanbaseballmanagerfor theBrooklyn Bridegrooms,Pittsburgh PiratesandLouisville Colonels.He was nicknamed "Gunner" or "Mac" during his playing days.

McGunnigle the player

After moving toEast Stoughtonas a child, McGunnigle began his career in theMassachusetts Leaguewith theHoward Juniorsclub of nearbyBrockton.He went to theFall Riverteam in 1875, primarily pitching and catching, but also serving as a utility player for the club.

In 1876, he left to play pitcher and catcher for a club inBuffalowhich would eventually come to be known as the Bisons, winning theInternational Associationpennant in1878.The team became a professional club and joined theNational Leagueas theBuffalo Bisonsin 1879.

McGunnigle had an abbreviated playing record in top professional leagues, tallying 58 games for theBuffalo Bisons(1879–80),Worcester Ruby Legs(1880) andCleveland Blues(1882). McGunnigle won theClipper Medal,the equivalent of an all-star selection, as aright fielderfor the Bisons in 1879. Over his two years with Buffalo, he compiled an 11–8 record in 18 starts, leading the league with the lowest per-inning rates of hits and strikeouts in 1879 and posting the fourth-best winning percentage. He was briefly the player/manager for the Bisons in 1880, but team management replaced him with infielderSam Craneafter 17 games. As a professional, McGunnigle was a career.173 hitter with a.900 fielding percentage as a part-time outfielder.

McGunnigle was lured in1883,along with other top Massachusetts players, to the newly formedNorthwestern Leaguesince there were no high-levelminor leaguesin New England.He played for theSaginaw Old Goldsprimarily as a pitcher and right fielder in 1883 (where he caught future Hall-of-FamerJohn Clarkson) and part of 1884 before a midseason transfer to theBay City Independents.

He returned to theEast Coastin1885and, as manager/captain, led the Brockton club to theNew England Leaguechampionship. McGunnigle's skull was fractured by pitcherDick Conwayon July 23 of that season, effectively ending his playing career. According to theBrockton Weekly Gazette:

"[McGunnigle] dodged the first ball thrown at his head... with the second [pitch] he needed to drop to all fours to save himself... The unfortunate batsman could not avoid the [third] ball in time, and it struck him directly behind the left ear which caused a crash that was heard in every part of the grounds. Poor 'Mac' fell like an animal beneath the butcher's axe, and his quivering form was drawn up in agony as he lay upon the ground."

The rules of organized baseball had recently been changed to allow overhand pitching, and at the time, the pitchingrubberwas only 50 feet fromhome plate(much closer than the modern standard of 60 feet, 6 inches). TheBoston Globe,in writing about the incident, said "The only topic on the street tonight is the question of whether it was Conway's idea to frighten the batsman or if he was trying to get the balls as close to the batsman as possible"

After another year in Brockton, he moved to manage and captain theLowell Browns,winning the1887pennant.

A successful manager in the bigs

McGunnigle took over as manager of theBrooklyn Bridegroomsin1888,after the club had finished sixth in theAmerican Associationthe previous year under owner/managerCharlie Byrne.McGunnigle guided the team to a second-place finish that year, four games behind perennial league champSt. Louis.

Thenext season,McGunnigle's boys edged the Browns for the American Associationpennant.Facing theNew York Giantsof the rivalNational Leaguein the 1889World Series,the Bridegrooms were outscored by more than 20runsand bowed, 6–3, in the exhibition.

Pennants won
as a manager
Club	Lg	Year
Brockton *	NE	1885
Lowell Browns *	IA	1887
Brooklyn Bridegrooms	AA	1889
Brooklyn Bridegrooms	NL	1890
* player/manager

The team was admitted to the National League the following year, and McGunnigle again led the team to a pennant, helping the Bridegrooms become the first team in any professional sports league to win two championships in consecutive years. Despite back-to-back pennant runs (and tying the1890World Series 3–3–1), McGunnigle was let go after the season and replaced byJohn Montgomery Ward.

After the1891Pittsburgh Piratesgot off to a 31–47 start on the heels of a 23–113 season, the club demoted captain/managerNed Hanlonand hired McGunnigle. (Relatedly, Hanlon would later be a successful manager for the Brooklyn club at the turn of the century.) McGunnigle managed the Pittsburgh club to a modest 24–33 record over the remainder of the year. He was not brought back for the following season.

During 1891, McGunnigle also managed theProvidenceteam in the amateurEastern League,playing in the first Sunday organized baseball game ever played in New England on August 9, 1891, inRhode Island.At the time, custom and law forbade Sunday baseball, but it was allowed by officials inWarwick, Rhode Islandfor games at theRocky Point Resort.

When theNew England Leaguewas re-formed in1892,McGunnigle again became the player/manager of the Brockton club. He joined the team at midseason, immediately spurring Brockton on a 12-game winning streak and vaulting the team into first place. However, the club could not retain their spot in the standings. He helpedFred Doeorganize the firstprofessionalbaseball game to ever be played on a Sunday in New England. The Brockton club won the game at Rocky Point Resort, 7–6, overWoonsocketon July 10, 1892. The game eventually led to a change of Massachusetts law, which forbade Sunday baseball, in 1928.McGunnigle returned to Lowell in1893,and spent 1894 and 1895 involved in the game ofpolo.

In1896,the NL'sLouisville Colonelsstarted 2–17 under managerJohn McCloskey,who was subsequently let go. McGunnigle came on board and managed the Colonels to a 36–76 record the rest of the way, finishing last in the league, two games behind St. Louis. McGunnigle was not asked to manage the team further, being "roughly handled" in his dismissal, according to theBrockton Times.His career professional managerial record in 586 games with Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, and Louisville was 327–248 (.569).

An automobile struck a carriage carrying McGunnigle and other men in an 1897 accident, throwing them out of the vehicle. McGunnigle was chronically ill thereafter, and homeridden for the last months of his life. He died at age 44 and is buried atSt. Patrick's Cemeteryin Brockton.

Trivia

• Some local sources indicate that McGunnigle once wore a pair ofbricklayer's gloves in a game against Harvard in 1875, becoming the firstcatcherto wear aglovein a baseball game.
• As a manager, McGunnigle employed atin whistleto signal his players.
• McGunnigle has the best winning percentage in the history of the Dodgers franchise among those who managed at least one full season.
• Led the 1889/1890Brooklyn Bridegroomsto back-to-back pennants in different leagues, becoming the first of three professional American sports franchises to do so. (The 1948/1949Minneapolis Lakersof theNBLand BAA (now theNBA) and the 1949/1950 Cleveland Browns of theAAFCandNFLare the other two.)

References

• Baseball-Reference.comcareer managing record and playing statistics
• Bill McGunnigle
• Brockton Timesobituary,reprinted byThe Dead Ball Era
• History of Avon, Massachusetts, chapter IX,Avon, Massachusetts city site
• Saginaw, Michigan Ball Clubs of 1883 & 1884 Return
• Harry Wrightat theSABR Baseball Biography Project,by Christopher Devine, Retrieved October 10, 2013.
• Buffalo Bisons history,MinorLeagueBaseball.com
• Retrosheetprofile