Thomas Edward "Tom" Downey (1884 - 1961)

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Thomas Edward "Tom" Downey

Birth:	Jan. 1, 1884
Death:	Aug. 3, 1961
Major League Baseball Player. Played Major League baseball as a shortstop for six seasons (1909 to 1912, 1914 to 1915) with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs of the National League, and the Buffalo Buffeds of the Federal League. An excellent fielder, his lack of hitting ability kept him from having a sustained Major League career. From his rookie year of 1909 until 1911, he was the Reds starting shortstop, but was sent to the Phillies after the end of 1911. He split 1912 with Philadelphia and Chicago, and hit only one home run that year. However, that home run came on May 4 off of legendary New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson. Sent to the Minor Leagues, he toiled there until 1914, when the creation of the rival Federal League afforded him a chance to return to the Majors. Joining the Buffalo team, he still batted poorly, but was excellent in the field, leading all Federal League shortstops in fielding percentage. His return to the Big Leagues would be short lived, for after the 1915 season the Federal League folded, and he was out of baseball for good. His career totals were 651 Games Played, 520 Hits, 7 Home Runs, 188 RBIs and a career .240 Batting Average. (bio by: Russ Dodge) Search Amazon for Thomas Downey

Burial: Saint Michaels Cemetery Stratford Fairfield County Connecticut, USA
Maintained by: Find A Grave Originally Created by: Russ Dodge Record added: Jul 11, 2003 Find A Grave Memorial# 7677122