Roger Bresnahan

Did You Know?

• Bresnahan worked as a hotel detective at the Boody House in Toledo, which he later purchased.
• He ran for sheriff of Lucas County as a Democrat in 1932 and for county commissioner in 1944, losing both elections.
• Bresnahan lost much of his money in the stock market crash of 1929 and later worked as a manual laborer and a guard at the Toledo Workhouse.

Professional career

Bresnahan began his major-league career as a pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1897, throwing a six-hit shutout in his debut against the St. Louis Browns. He posted a 4–0 record and a .375 batting average that season, but was released after a salary dispute when he sought $2,400 instead of the offered $2,000. He played minor-league ball in 1898 and 1899, then appeared in two games as a catcher for the Chicago Orphans in 1900. When the American League formed, John McGraw signed Bresnahan for the Baltimore Orioles before the 1901 season. Bresnahan backed up catcher Wilbert Robinson and also played outfield. On May 30, 1902, he hit two inside-the-park home runs. In July 1902, after the Orioles' ownership changed, Bresnahan was released along with several teammates and signed by the New York Giants, reuniting with McGraw.

Managerial career

After the 1908 season, the Giants traded Bresnahan to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he became player-manager. The Cardinals had won only 49 games in 1908; under Bresnahan they won 54 in 1909 and 63 in 1910, and attendance rose from 205,000 to 355,000. Robison died in March 1911, and his niece Helene Hathaway Britton inherited the team. In 1912, Bresnahan and Britton feuded publicly, and after the Cardinals fell to sixth place, she fired him. Bresnahan sued for the remainder of his salary and settled for $20,000. He then signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs as player-manager, but was released in 1915 when his batting average declined.

Later career

When the Federal League collapsed, the Cubs merged with the Chicago Whales and replaced Bresnahan with Joe Tinker. The Cubs paid Bresnahan for the remaining two years of his contract and helped him purchase the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association in 1916. Bresnahan played for the Mud Hens until 1918, then briefly for a semi-professional team in 1919 and in five games for the Mud Hens in 1921. He worked to add lights to Toledo's stadium for night games. He sold the Mud Hens before the 1924 season, then coached for the New York Giants from 1925 through 1928 and for the Detroit Tigers in 1930 and 1931.

Profile and legacy

In 1,446 major-league games, Bresnahan batted .279 with 26 home runs and 530 RBIs in 4,480 at-bats. His managerial record was 328–432. Miller Huggins named Bresnahan the catcher on his all-time team. Bresnahan was known for baiting umpires and was frequently ejected; a 1911 directive by NL president Thomas Lynch mentioned only Bresnahan by name. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945, one month after his death, after receiving a surge of votes. Bill James later criticized the election, stating that Bresnahan "wandered in the Hall of Fame on a series of miscalculations" and "clearly had no damn business being there."