Highlighted Year: Ed Delahanty, 1902

Outfielder/First Baseman, Washington Senators

Age:  34

1^st season with Senators

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 170 

Prior to 1902:

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Delahanty played several sports, but primarily baseball, in his youth. Demonstrating clear talent as a hitter, he joined the semipro Cleveland Shamrocks. Successful with that team, he moved on to Mansfield of the Ohio State League in 1887 for $50 per month. He batted .351 and scored 90 runs. In 1888 with Wheeling of the Tri-state League, Delahanty was hitting .421 after 21 games when his contract was purchased by the NL’s Philadelphia Phillies. Lacking discipline at the plate at this time he batted only .228 in 74 games and also was a disappointment at second base during the remainder of 1888. His batting improved in 1889 to .293 with a .333 OBP. He also played 31 games in the outfield in addition to 24 at second base. In 1890 he made the jump to Cleveland of the rival Players League and hit .296 with 26 doubles, 13 triples, 3 home runs, and 64 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, and a .337 OBP. Following the demise of the Players League Delahanty returned to the Phillies as an outfielder/first baseman but batted only .243 in 1891. Having worked out in the offseason and reporting to the Phillies in excellent condition in 1892, he put together an impressive season, hitting .306 with a .360 OBP while leading the NL in triples (21) and slugging (.495). The key hitter in a highly productive Philadelphia lineup, Delahanty followed up in 1893 by pacing the league in home runs (19), RBIs (146), and slugging (.583) while hitting .368 with 35 doubles, 18 triples, and a .423 OBP. A pull-hitting power hitter, Delahanty was adept at frustrating defenses by sometimes hitting to the opposite field. When outfielders respecting his power played deep, he could poke hits just beyond the infield. “Big Ed” was also a disciplined hitter who drew many walks as his career progressed. In 1894 he batted .405 with a .477 OBP and .585 slugging percentage (which were not league-leading figures) along with 39 doubles and 19 triples, and 133 RBIs, although his home run total dropped to 4. He also went six-for-six batting in a game along the way (a feat he had already performed in the Players League in 1890). In 1895 he did led the league with a .500 OBP and 49 doubles while hitting .404 with 11 home runs and 106 RBIs. In 1896 he topped the circuit with 13 home runs, of which four came in one game (the second player to perform the feat which remains a single-game record). Additionally, he topped the NL with 44 doubles and a .631 slugging percentage. In addition to his prodigious hitting, Delahanty developed into a good defensive left fielder. Along with center fielder Billy Hamilton and right fielder Sam Thompson, Delahanty was part of one of the best outfields of his era. Despite the presence of Delahanty and his outfield mates, the Phillies failed to win a pennant during his time with the club. Delahanty remained a highly productive hitter in 1897 and ’98, when he also led the league with 58 stolen bases, a testament to his speed on the basepaths. In 1899 he won a batting title with his .410 average. After hitting .323 in 1900 and .354 with a league-leading 38 doubles in 1901, all while earning $3000 a year, Delahanty jumped to the Senators of the new rival American League in 1902 where he was named team captain.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 123 games

LF – 111, 1B – 13

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 541

At Bats – 473

Runs – 103 [5]

Hits – 178 [4]

Doubles – 43 [1, tied with Harry Davis]

Triples – 14 [3, tied with Hobe Ferris]

Home Runs – 10 [5]

RBI – 93 [5, tied with George Davis]

Bases on Balls – 62 [6, tied with Dave Fultz]

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 9

Stolen Bases – 16

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .376 [2]

OBP - .453 [1]

Slugging Pct. - .590 [1]

Total Bases – 279 [4]

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 4

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – N/A

League-leading OBP was +.034 ahead of runner-up Nap Lajoie

League-leading slugging percentage was +.025 ahead of runner-up Nap Lajoie

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 19, 3B – 9, HR - 5, RBI – 52, AVG – .390, OBP - .461, SLG – .610

---

Most hits, game – 4 (in 6 AB) at Detroit 8/31 – 10 innings

Longest hitting streak – 19 games

HR at home – 9

HR on road – 1

Most home runs, game – 1 on ten occasions

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Phila. A’s 4/28, vs. Chi. White Sox 5/30

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding (OF)

Chances – 257

Put Outs – 236

Assists – 11

Errors – 10

DP – 0

Pct. - .961

---

The Senators went 61-75 to finish sixth in the AL, 22 games behind the pennant-winning Philadelphia Athletics while leading the league in doubles (261), home runs (47), slugging (.395), and fewest stolen bases (121). The Senators were 14-21 by the end of May and remained mired deep in the second division. By Pennsylvania court order, Delahanty could not play for the Senators when they went to Philadelphia. He was originally awarded the AL batting championship although later research showed that Cleveland’s Nap Lajoie finished with a higher average of .378.

Aftermath of 1902:

Later in 1902 Delahanty’s wife suffered a serious illness and he lost considerable money due to gambling and heavy drinking. He signed a large three-year contract with the NL’s New York Giants that was invalidated by the peace agreement between the AL and NL, forcing Delahanty to have to return a $4000 cash advance to the Giants and return to the Senators in 1903. Sidelined by back and ankle injuries, he hit well when he returned to action in late May and had a .333 average after 42 games when he abruptly quit the team, still hoping to join the Giants. With his behavior becoming more erratic, he briefly returned to the Senators, who were on the road in Detroit. Traveling by train to New York, Delahanty’s violent and disruptive behavior caused the conductor to order him off the train on the Canadian side of the Niagara River across from Buffalo. Attempting to cross the International Railway Bridge on foot, he scuffled with the night watchman who later reported that Delahanty either jumped or fell from the bridge. He was swept over Niagara Falls and his body was found a week later 20 miles downriver from the Falls. Dead at 35, it was a sad end to Delahanty’s life and career. For his major league career, Delahanty batted .346 with 2597 hits that included 522 doubles, 186 triples, and 101 home runs. He scored 1600 runs and compiled 1466 RBIs, 456 stolen bases, a .411 OBP, and a .505 slugging percentage. With the Senators he batted .366 with 125 runs scored, 230 hits, 54 doubles, 15 triples, 11 home runs, 114 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, a .437 OBP, and a .552 slugging percentage. Delahanty was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. Three of his brothers, Jim, Joe, and Tom also played major league baseball.

---

Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.