Phonney Martin
{{Short description|American baseball player (1845–1933)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name = Alphonse Martin
| image = Phonney Martin 1870.jpg
| position = Right fielder/Pitcher
| bats = Unknown
| throws = Unknown
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1845|8|4}}
| birth_place = New York, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1933|5|24|1845|8|4}}
| death_place = Hollis, New York, U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
| debutdate = April 26
| debutyear = {{Baseball year|1872}}
| debutteam = Troy Haymakers
|finalleague = MLB
| finaldate = October 21
| finalyear = {{Baseball year|1873}}
| finalteam = New York Mutuals
|statleague = MLB
| stat1label = Batting average
| stat1value = .243
| stat2label = Runs
| stat2value = 52
| stat3label = Runs batted in
| stat3value = 37
| teams =
; National Association of Base Ball Players
: Empire of New York (1864–1865)
: New York Mutuals (1866–1867, 1870)
: Brooklyn Eckfords (1868–1869)
; League player
: Troy Haymakers ({{Baseball year|1872}})
: Brooklyn Eckfords ({{Baseball year|1872}})
: New York Mutuals ({{Baseball year|1873}})
; League manager
: Brooklyn Eckfords ({{Baseball year|1872}})
}}
Alphonse Case "Phonney" Martin (August 4, 1845 – May 24, 1933) was an American professional baseball right fielder and pitcher who played two seasons in the National Association from {{Baseball year|1872}} to {{Baseball year|1873}}.{{cite web| title = Phonney Martin's Stats | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmartp104.htm | accessdate = 2008-06-06 }}
Career
Martin, born in New York City, was an American Civil War veteran{{cite web| title = Civil War Veterans Who Played Major League Baseball Project | work = sabr.org | url=http://www.sabr.org/cmsFiles/Files/Civil%20War%20veterans.pdf | accessdate = 2008-06-06 }} who played in organized baseball as far back as 1869, when he pitched for the Brooklyn Eckfords. That year, a reporter for the New York Clipper described him as an "extremely hard pitcher to hit for the ball never comes in a straight line‚ but in a tantalizing curve." If the observation is true, this would pre-date Candy Cummings, the pitcher given credit as the inventor of the curveball.{{cite web | title = Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1869 | work = baseballlibrary.com | url = http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1869 | accessdate = 2008-06-06 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081211104100/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1869 | archivedate = 2008-12-11 }} His pitching style led to his nickname of "Old Slow Ball".{{cite book|last=Fox|title=Big Leagues: Professional Baseball, Football, and Basketball in National Memory| year=1998| pages=201}}
Martin officially began his professional baseball career when he joined the {{Baseball year|1872}} Troy Haymakers of the National Association as a pitcher and right fielder, playing in 25 games, pitching in eight of those games. Later in the season, he returned to the Eckfords, now also in the Association, and played in the same pitcher/outfielder role for 18 games. That year, he is given credit for managing the Eckfords for nine games, with a record of 1 win and 8 losses. There is some dispute about this, as SABR and retrosheet.org list Andy Allison, Jimmy Wood, and Martin as managing the team that year,{{cite web| title = 1872 Brooklyn Eckfords | work = retrosheet.org | url=http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1872/TBR101872.htm | accessdate = 2008-06-06 }} while baseball-reference.com lists Jim Clinton and Wood as the managers.{{cite web| title = 1872 Brooklyn Eckfords | work = baseball-reference.com | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ECK/1872.shtml | accessdate = 2008-06-06 }} For the {{Baseball year|1873}} season, he joined the New York Mutuals, which turned out to be his last season at this level. He played 30 games in right field, and pitched six games.
Death
Martin died in Hollis, New York at the age of 87, and is interred at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Baseball stats |br=m/martiph01|retro=Pmartp104|fangraphs=1008191|mlb=118331}}
- {{Find a Grave}}
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{{S-ach|rec}}
{{Succession box| before = Harry Berthrong | title =Oldest recognized verified living baseball player| years = April 24, 1928 – May 24, 1933 | after = Harry Schafer}}
{{S-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Phonney}}
Category:Major League Baseball pitchers
Category:Major League Baseball right fielders
Category:New York Mutuals (NABBP) players
Category:Brooklyn Eckfords (NABBP) players
Category:Troy Haymakers players
Category:Brooklyn Eckfords players
Category:Brooklyn Eckfords managers
Category:New York Mutuals players
Category:Baseball player-managers
Category:Baseball players from New York City