Jimmy Collins: Difference between revisions

|birth_place=[[Niagara Falls, New York]], U.S.

|death_place=[[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.

|debutdate= April 19

|debutyear= 1895

|debutteam= Louisville Colonels

|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]

;'''As player'''

;'''As manager'''

|hofdate={{[[1945 Baseball yearHall of Fame balloting|1945}}]]

|hofmethod=Veteran'sOld-Timers Committee

'''James Joseph Collins''' (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an [[American people|American]] professional [[baseball]] player. He played fourteen14 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]]. In [[1945 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1945]], Collins was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1945.

Collins was especially regarded for his defense. He was best known for his ability to field a [[Bunt (baseball)|bunt]]—prior to his debut, it was the [[shortstop]] who fielded bunts down the third base line—and is regarded as a pioneer of the modern defensive play of a third baseman. As of 2012, he is second all-time in [[putout]]s by a third baseman behind [[Brooks Robinson]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/PO_3b_career.shtml Career Leaders & Records for Putouts as 3B]</ref> At the plate, Collins finished his career with 65 [[home run]]s, 1055 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], 983 [[run batted in|RBI]] and a .294 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].<ref name="br" />

Collins was also the first manager of the [[Boston Red Sox]] franchise, then known as the Boston Americans. He was the winning manager in the first-ever [[World Series]], as Boston defeated the [[1903 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PittsburgPittsburgh Pirates]] in the [[1903&nbsp;World Series]], five games to three.

Jimmy Collins was born in Niagara Falls, N[[Buffalo, New York|ewNew York]]. After graduating from [[St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute]], he went to work for the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]] and played baseball in the Buffalo City League.

Collins began his [[professional baseball]] career with the [[Minor League Baseball|minor league]] [[Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970)|Buffalo Bisons]] of the [[Eastern League (1884–1912)|Eastern League]], the forerunner of the current [[International League]], in 1893. That season, he was used primarily as a [[shortstop]], batting .286 in 76 games.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=collin003jam Jimmy Collins Minor League Statistics & History]</ref>

Collins began his major league career as a [[right fielder]], playing ten games at the position with the Beaneaters in 1895. On May 19, 1895, he was loaned to the [[Louisville Colonels]], again for $500.<ref name=br/> He was soon made the team's starting third baseman, batting .279 over the remainder of the season. However, hisHis larger impact was on defense, where he played in on the grass rather than back to cut down on the number of bunt hits.<ref name=sabr>{{sabrbio|7068ba1f|Stan Hamlet|6 July 2012}}</ref>

Collins asserted himself as a skilled player in 1897 when he held a .346 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and [[runs batted in|knocked in]] 132 runs. He led the league in both [[putout]]s and [[assist (baseball)|assist]]s as well, a feat he would duplicate in 1900. He followed with an equally impressive 1898 season, in which he hit .328—seventh in the league—drove in 111 runs and belted a league-high 15 [[home run]]s.

In 1902, Collins was limited to 108 games by injury, and the Americans finished third.<ref name=sabr/> He did hit the team's first ever inside-the-park grand slam howeverhome run. The next season, Collins led the Americans to their first American League [[pennant (sports)|pennant]], winning the league by {{frac|14½|1|2}} games over the [[1903 Philadelphia Athletics season|Philadelphia Athletics]].

With an agreement in place for the champions of the American and National Leagues to meet in a best-of-nine "[[World Series]]", Boston represented the Junior Circuit. After losing two out of three at home to start the series, then losing the first game in PittsburgPittsburgh, the Americans won the next three in PittsburgPittsburgh, then returned home to win Game Eight in Boston to become the first-ever World Series Champions. Collins himself batted .250 in the Series, with a pair of [[triple (baseball)|triple]]s and five [[run (baseball)|runs scored]].

In 1905, the Americans slipped to fourth place, and Collins clashed with team president [[John I. Taylor]], reportedly quitting on the team during the season.<ref name=sportinglife>{{cite news|last=Morse|first=J. C.|title=Manager Jimmy Collins, of the Boston Americans, Again Suspended|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1906/VOL_47_NO_26/SL4726027.pdf|accessdateaccess-date=6 July 2012|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=September 8, 1906}}</ref> As a player, Collins batted .276, but again missed time due to injury. In 1906, Collins found himself in hot water, as not only were the Americans in last, but he himself was suspended twice, and was eventually was replaced as manager by [[Chick Stahl]].<ref name=sportinglife/> He also missed the end of the season with a knee injury.<ref name=sabr/>

Collins began the 1907 season with Boston, but it was only a matter of time before he departed. UnableFor toreasons copethat withhave thenever pressures ofbecome managingclear, Stahl had committed suicide during the[[spring offseasontraining]];<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/e96a130c |title=Chick Stahl |first=Dennis |last=Auger |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |access-date=November 3, but2018}}</ref> instead of Collins, the Americans turned to Cy Young as manager, following by [[George Huff (coach)|George Huff]], and then [[Bob Unglaub]], all within the first three months of the season. After playing 41 games forwith Bostonthe Americans, Collins was traded to the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] in 1907June for infielder [[John Knight (baseball)|John Knight]]. While he batted .278, he had a career-low (to that point) .330 [[slugging percentage]], and failed to hit a home run for the first time in his career. In 1908, he slumped even further, batting just .217, and was let go.

When Collins was inducted into the Hall of Fame in [[Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1945|1945]], he was the first to be chosen primarily as a third baseman.<ref>[http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/colliji01/bio Jimmy Collins at The Baseball Page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720214804/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/colliji01/bio |date=2014-07-20 }}</ref> In 1981, [[Lawrence Ritter]] and [[Donald Honig]] included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time''. Collins became a charter member of the [[Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milb.com/team1/page.jsp?ymd=20100224&content_id=8132850&vkey=team1_t422&fext=.jsp&sid=t422|title=Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame|accessdateaccess-date=29 August 2012}}</ref>

Jimmy Collins married Sarah Murphy in 1907, and the couple had two daughters.<ref name=sabr/> After his retirement from baseball, they moved back to Buffalo, where Collins worked for the Buffalo Parks Department.<ref name=sabr/> Collins died of pneumonia on March 6, 1943, at the age of 73.<ref name=sabr/>

Boston-based [[Celtic punk]] band [[Dropkick Murphys]] recorded the song "Jimmy Collins' Wake" on their 2013 album ''[[Signed and Sealed in Blood]]''. The song, originally written by Richard Johnson, recounts Collins' wake in Buffalo, New York, at what is currently K.O. Bar and Grill on Delaware Ave.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/lawrenceacademygroton/posts/373631976061843 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/97000964130/373631976061843 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Alumni Update….Congratulations to Rich... – Lawrence Academy |publisher=Facebook |date=2012-12-07 |accessdateaccess-date=2014-01-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==NotesReferences==

{{reflist|30em}}

*{{Baseball-reference managerBaseballstats|br=c/colliji01|brm=collin003jam}}

*{{bbhof|collins-jimmy}}

[[Category:Baseball players from Buffalo, New York (state)]]

[[Category:1870St. birthsJoseph's Collegiate Institute alumni]]

[[Category:1943World deathsSeries–winning managers]]