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Larry Doyle (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Joseph Doyle nicknamed "Laughing Larry," was an American
second baseman
in Major League Baseball
from 1907 to 1920 who played almost his entire career for the New York Giants
. The National League
's outstanding second baseman during the 1910s, he was awarded the Chalmers Award as the league's best player, and won the batting
title with a .320 average. The team captain
and top everyday star on three consecutive pennant winners (1911–13), his .408 career slugging average was the top mark by an NL second baseman when he retired, as were his career totals in hits
(1887), doubles
(299), triples
(123), total bases
(2654) and extra base hit
s (496). He ended his career among the major league leaders in career games (5th, 1730), putout
s (9th, 3635), assists
(9th, 4654), total chances
(9th, 8732) and double play
s (5th, 694) at second base, and set Giants franchise records for career games, at bat
s and doubles, each of which was broken by Bill Terry
.
Born in Caseyville, Illinois
, Doyle was a third baseman
in the minor leagues before his contract was purchased by the Giants for a then-record $4,500. He debuted with the Giants on July 22, , arriving late after taking the wrong boat across the Hudson River
; he cost his team the game with a ninth-inning error
, though he also had a pair of hits. Doyle moved to Breese, Illinois
, where his family owned a motel next to the current city hall. He expected to be returned to the minor leagues; instead, he was retained by manager John McGraw, who named him the team's field captain in 1908 – a year in which he finished third in the batting race with a .308 average. Doyle, who also became the roommate of Christy Mathewson
for several years, followed up with a season in which he led the NL in hits (172) and was among the league's top four players in batting (.302), slugging (.419), home run
s (6) and total bases (239). 1910 saw a slight dropoff, though he was still third in the NL in home runs (8) and fourth in runs scored
(97). He then entered the strongest part of his career; in he finished third in the voting for the initial Chalmers Award after hitting .310 and finishing second in the league with a .527 slugging average – the highest by an NL second baseman since Ross Barnes
slugged .590 in the league's inaugural 1876
campaign. Doyle also led the league with 25 triples, the most by an NL player since 1899; it remains the highest total by a Giant since 1900. He stole
30 bases for the third consecutive year, and finished fourth in the league in home runs (13) and fifth in runs (102). In the 1911 World Series
against the Philadelphia Athletics
, he batted .304; with the Giants facing elimination in Game 5, he went 4 for 5, doubling and scoring an intensely disputed run in the 10th inning for a 4-3 victory. He again doubled and scored for a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game 6, but the Giants lost the game 13-2, and with it the Series.
Doyle then had a 1912 season which was perhaps even better, winning the Chalmers Award after hitting a career-high .330 as the Giants repeated as NL champions. In the 1912 World Series
against the Boston Red Sox
he only hit .242, though he scored the first run in a Game 6 victory and was 3 for 4 with a home run in an 11-4 rout in Game 7. But he was 0 for 5 in Game 8 as the Red Sox won 3-2 in ten innings, after New York took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th, to capture the title. In 1913 the Giants won their third straight pennant; although he batted only .280, he stole 30 bases for the fifth year in a row and was eighth in the NL with 73 runs batted in
. That year, he became the first player to hit a home run out of the Polo Grounds
. He had an even more dismal 1913 World Series
, hitting only .150 against the Athletics as the Giants lost in five games, though he did drive in the first run of the Series. In he slipped to a .260 average, but was fourth in the league in runs. On July 17, he hit a home run in the top of the 21st inning to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates
3-1.
He enjoyed renewed success in 1915, however, winning the batting crown with a .320 average; it was the first title won by an NL second baseman since Barnes in 1876. He also led the league in hits (189) for the second time, and in doubles with 40 – a Giants franchise record until George Kelly
hit 42 in . Doyle was also second in the NL in runs (86) and fifth in slugging (.442). He began 1916 with a .278 average before being traded to the Chicago Cubs
in late August, a painful move for the fiercely loyal player who had famously said in 1911 that it was "great to be young and a Giant." After hitting .395 for the Cubs in nine games that year, he batted .254 for the team in 1917, finishing fourth in the league with 6 home runs, before a pair of January 1918 trades brought him back to New York. He hit .261 in his return to the Giants before having his last outstanding season in 1919; that year he again was league runnerup in slugging with a .433 average, and was fifth in home runs (7). He batted .285 in his final season in , and was granted his release so he could manage
the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League
. At the time, he was within five games of Johnny Evers
' league record for career games at second base.
Doyle ended his career with a .290 batting average, putting him behind only Nap Lajoie
(.338), Eddie Collins
(then at .329) and Cupid Childs
(.306) among players with 1000 games at second base. His 74 home runs placed him third at his position behind Fred Pfeffer
(94) and Lajoie (83). He also had 960 runs and 793 RBI in 1766 games, as well as 300 stolen bases including 17 steals of home plate; he held the Giants club record for career steals from 1918 to 1919, when teammate George Burns
passed him. Baseball Magazine selected Doyle as the second baseman on their NL All-America Team in 1911 and 1915.
Doyle contracted tuberculosis
in 1942, and entered the Trudeau Sanitorium in Saranac Lake, New York
. When the institution closed in 1954 due to the development of an effective antibiotic treatment, he was the last resident to leave; Life Magazine photographers covered his last meal and his departure, on foot, from the grounds. He stayed on in Saranac Lake, and died there twenty years later, at age 87.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
from 1907 to 1920 who played almost his entire career for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. The National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
's outstanding second baseman during the 1910s, he was awarded the Chalmers Award as the league's best player, and won the batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
title with a .320 average. The team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
and top everyday star on three consecutive pennant winners (1911–13), his .408 career slugging average was the top mark by an NL second baseman when he retired, as were his career totals in hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(1887), doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(299), triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(123), total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
(2654) and extra base hit
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
s (496). He ended his career among the major league leaders in career games (5th, 1730), putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s (9th, 3635), assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
(9th, 4654), total chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
(9th, 8732) and double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s (5th, 694) at second base, and set Giants franchise records for career games, at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s and doubles, each of which was broken by Bill Terry
Bill Terry
William Harold Terry was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Terry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1999, he ranked number 59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee...
.
Born in Caseyville, Illinois
Caseyville, Illinois
Caseyville is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,310 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Caseyville is located at ....
, Doyle was a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in the minor leagues before his contract was purchased by the Giants for a then-record $4,500. He debuted with the Giants on July 22, , arriving late after taking the wrong boat across the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
; he cost his team the game with a ninth-inning error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
, though he also had a pair of hits. Doyle moved to Breese, Illinois
Breese, Illinois
Breese is a large town in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,221 which the majority are of German ancestry.-History:...
, where his family owned a motel next to the current city hall. He expected to be returned to the minor leagues; instead, he was retained by manager John McGraw, who named him the team's field captain in 1908 – a year in which he finished third in the batting race with a .308 average. Doyle, who also became the roommate of Christy Mathewson
Christy Mathewson
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...
for several years, followed up with a season in which he led the NL in hits (172) and was among the league's top four players in batting (.302), slugging (.419), home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (6) and total bases (239). 1910 saw a slight dropoff, though he was still third in the NL in home runs (8) and fourth in runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(97). He then entered the strongest part of his career; in he finished third in the voting for the initial Chalmers Award after hitting .310 and finishing second in the league with a .527 slugging average – the highest by an NL second baseman since Ross Barnes
Ross Barnes
Charles Roscoe Barnes was one of the stars of baseball's National Association and the early National League , playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston Red Stockings teams of the early 1870s, along with Albert Spalding, Cal McVey, George Wright, Harry Wright, Jim...
slugged .590 in the league's inaugural 1876
1876 in baseball
After a tumultuous six-year existence, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , folded following the season. The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs was formed in Chicago, Illinois by businessman, and owner of the Chicago White Stockings, William Hulbert, for the...
campaign. Doyle also led the league with 25 triples, the most by an NL player since 1899; it remains the highest total by a Giant since 1900. He stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
30 bases for the third consecutive year, and finished fourth in the league in home runs (13) and fifth in runs (102). In the 1911 World Series
1911 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 14, 1911 at Polo Grounds in Manhattan, New York-Game 2:Monday, October 16, 1911 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-Game 3:Tuesday, October 17, 1911 at Polo Grounds in Manhattan, New York-Game 4:...
against the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, he batted .304; with the Giants facing elimination in Game 5, he went 4 for 5, doubling and scoring an intensely disputed run in the 10th inning for a 4-3 victory. He again doubled and scored for a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game 6, but the Giants lost the game 13-2, and with it the Series.
Doyle then had a 1912 season which was perhaps even better, winning the Chalmers Award after hitting a career-high .330 as the Giants repeated as NL champions. In the 1912 World Series
1912 World Series
In the 1912 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three .This dramatic series showcased great pitching from Giant Christy Mathewson and from Boston fireballer Smoky Joe Wood. Wood won two of his three starts and pitched in relief in the final game...
against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
he only hit .242, though he scored the first run in a Game 6 victory and was 3 for 4 with a home run in an 11-4 rout in Game 7. But he was 0 for 5 in Game 8 as the Red Sox won 3-2 in ten innings, after New York took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th, to capture the title. In 1913 the Giants won their third straight pennant; although he batted only .280, he stole 30 bases for the fifth year in a row and was eighth in the NL with 73 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. That year, he became the first player to hit a home run out of the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. He had an even more dismal 1913 World Series
1913 World Series
In the 1913 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics beat the New York Giants four games to one.The A's pitching gave the edge to a closer-than-it-looked Series in 1913...
, hitting only .150 against the Athletics as the Giants lost in five games, though he did drive in the first run of the Series. In he slipped to a .260 average, but was fourth in the league in runs. On July 17, he hit a home run in the top of the 21st inning to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
3-1.
He enjoyed renewed success in 1915, however, winning the batting crown with a .320 average; it was the first title won by an NL second baseman since Barnes in 1876. He also led the league in hits (189) for the second time, and in doubles with 40 – a Giants franchise record until George Kelly
George Kelly (baseball player)
George Lange Kelly , nicknamed "Long George" and "High Pockets", was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He played most of his MLB career for the New York Giants , but also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago Cubs , and Brooklyn Dodgers...
hit 42 in . Doyle was also second in the NL in runs (86) and fifth in slugging (.442). He began 1916 with a .278 average before being traded to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in late August, a painful move for the fiercely loyal player who had famously said in 1911 that it was "great to be young and a Giant." After hitting .395 for the Cubs in nine games that year, he batted .254 for the team in 1917, finishing fourth in the league with 6 home runs, before a pair of January 1918 trades brought him back to New York. He hit .261 in his return to the Giants before having his last outstanding season in 1919; that year he again was league runnerup in slugging with a .433 average, and was fifth in home runs (7). He batted .285 in his final season in , and was granted his release so he could manage
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
. At the time, he was within five games of Johnny Evers
Johnny Evers
John Joseph Evers was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946...
' league record for career games at second base.
Doyle ended his career with a .290 batting average, putting him behind only Nap Lajoie
Nap Lajoie
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie , also known as Larry Lajoie, was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. He was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island...
(.338), Eddie Collins
Eddie Collins
Edward Trowbridge Collins, Sr. , nicknamed "Cocky", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman, manager and executive...
(then at .329) and Cupid Childs
Cupid Childs
Clarence Algernon "Cupid" Childs was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball with a 13-season career from 1888, 1890–1901, playing for the Philadelphia Quakers, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos and Chicago Orphans of the National League and the Syracuse Stars of the American...
(.306) among players with 1000 games at second base. His 74 home runs placed him third at his position behind Fred Pfeffer
Fred Pfeffer
Nathaniel Frederick "Dandelion" Pfeffer was an American baseball player. He played second baseman in Major League Baseball. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His debut game took place on May 1, 1882. His final game took place on June 14, 1897...
(94) and Lajoie (83). He also had 960 runs and 793 RBI in 1766 games, as well as 300 stolen bases including 17 steals of home plate; he held the Giants club record for career steals from 1918 to 1919, when teammate George Burns
George Burns (outfielder)
George Joseph Burns was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career as the leadoff hitter for the New York Giants. A soft-spoken person, he was nicknamed "Silent George" by his teammates, and he was said to be one of the best pool players ever to play major...
passed him. Baseball Magazine selected Doyle as the second baseman on their NL All-America Team in 1911 and 1915.
Doyle contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1942, and entered the Trudeau Sanitorium in Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
. When the institution closed in 1954 due to the development of an effective antibiotic treatment, he was the last resident to leave; Life Magazine photographers covered his last meal and his departure, on foot, from the grounds. He stayed on in Saranac Lake, and died there twenty years later, at age 87.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
External links
- BaseballLibrary - biography and career highlights
- Baseball Evolution Hall of Fame - Player Profile