Jimmy Collins: Difference between revisions

{{shortShort description|American baseball player (1870–1943)}}

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

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

|hofmethod=VeteransOld-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 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|Pittsburgh Pirates]] in the [[1903 World Series]], five games to three.

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>

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]].

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. For reasons that have never become clear, Stahl had committed suicide during [[spring training]];<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/e96a130c |title=Chick Stahl |first=Dennis |last=Auger |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |accessdateaccess-date=November 3, 2018}}</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 with the Americans, Collins was traded to the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] in June 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>

*{{Baseballstats|br=c/colliji01|brm=collin003jam}}

*{{Baseball-reference manager|colliji01}}

*{{bbhof|collins-jimmy}}

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

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

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