Joe McGinnity
Only Cy Young won more professional baseball games than Joe McGinnity, who racked up 480 victories in 35 seasons in the major and minor leagues. Had he not developed a wicked underhanded delivery, McGinnity may have never broke into the major leagues and went on to a Hall of Fame career. As a rookie he won 28 games and never looked back. For the next decade he averaged 25 wins a season, pitching over 300 innings every year but one. Later with the Giants, he and Christy Mathewson formed a feared duo on the mound, helping New York to two pennants. McGinnity paced the NL in innings seven times and games pitched six times. His final year with the Giants was 1908, but he pitched far longer than that, preferring to accept a playing manager role with Newark in the Eastern League. Later he pitched while serving as manager, GM, and league president in various minor leagues. In all, McGinnity pitched in the minor leagues for 20 seasons, racking up 234 wins to go along with his 246 in the majors.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 477 |
1297 |
251 |
109 |
0 |
90 |
26 |
.194 |
.225 |
.221 |
.446 |
67.4 |
|
Quotes About Joe McGinnity
"McGinnity was a magician in the box. It was difficult for a batter to get his measure. Sometimes his fingers would almost scrape the ground as he hurled the ball. He knew all the tricks for putting a batter on the spot." — Connie Mack, in his biography My 66 Years in the Big Leagues
Joe McGinnity in Minor League Baseball
Best Season: 1904
The 33-year old right-hander led the National League with a 1.61 ERA, 35 wins, 51 games pitched, five saves, 408 innings and nine shutouts.
Factoids
In 1903, Joe McGinnity set a league record by throwing 434 innings, a mark which still stands. That season he completed 44 of his 48 starts.
Description
McGinnity was a no-nonsense man. When he arrived in the majors he was one of the biggest players in the league, weighing in at well over 200 pounds. He was just 5' 11" but stocky and thick. He was known to get into a fight once and a while. He fought with teammates, opponents and even umpires, once spitting in the face of arbiter Tom Connolly. When he was 54-years old, McGinnity was still in good shape, winning six games for Dubuque of the Mississippi Valley League.
Born
Joseph Jerome McGinnity was born on March 20, 1871, in Cornwall, IL.
Died
November 14, 1929, Brooklyn, NY
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 18,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1899
Coming soon...
Nicknames
Iron Man
McGinnity earned the nickname "Iron Joe" long before his days as a successful pitcher in the big leagues. He was known as "Iron Joe" or "Iron Man" because he had worked in iron mines in Pennsylvania. Later, some of his teammates called him "Big Mac."
Similar Players
Clark Griffith, Stan Coveleski
Related Players
John McGraw, Christy Mathewson
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
12 |
6.0% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
36 |
13.7% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
32 |
11.7% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
59 |
25.3% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
44 |
17.8% |
1946 |
BBWAA |
47 |
17.9% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
53 |
26.2% |
1946 |
Old Timers |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1905 World Series
Pitching Feats
Replaced By
When John McGraw lost McGinnity in 1909, he had Rube Marquard, another future Hall of Famer, to replace him in the rotation.
Best Strength as a Player
Durability
Largest Weakness as a Player
Defense: McGinnity made 100 errors as a pitcher.
Learn More about Joe McGinnity
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