The Washington herald., 1918-02-11
BROTHERS TN
NATIONALG
Delehanty the Most Famous
Family IN Baseball.
ONeils Prominent. &.

huue Inere nave Deou some famous
brothers in baseball Il really is
rarity where two or more Of the same
family possess suficient ability to get
on q big league payroll. Looking back
ward over the last three decades, ana
considering the great number Of play
ers who have come and gone during
that period, Il really is remarkabie
how seldom brothers in the same fam
ty have become famous In the base
ball profession
And It is not because the younger
brothers did not try. The fame and
fortune acquired by Ty Cobb. christy /
Aathewson. Johnny Evers, Ed Plank.
Joe Wood and Ed Walsh stirred the
ambitions Of the Kid brothers Of these
stars 10 shine as brightly as their big
brothers, but in each case mentioned
the light Of the young hopeful soon
was extinguished.
The most famous Of baseball fami-
Hes were the Delehsntys. i've Of whom
entered their names in big league box
scores Ed. Of course, was the most
famous. No man in baseball ever hit
a ball harder than Big Del, who held
q unique record Of four home runs in
a game. Delehanty played on the
Phillies before the American League
war, Larry Latoie being co-star on
the same team. There have been some
famous slugging combinations in re-
cent years, including Cobb and Craw-
ford in Detroit, Collins and Baker in
Philadelphia, Speaker and Duffy
Lewis in Boston. and the same Lsjoie
and Joe Jackson in Cleveland. but
none OF these combinations touched
the old Delehanty-Lajoie duo for
straight hitting.
The combination was broken up
during the American League war;.
when Delehanty Jumped to the wash
ington team and Lajoie jumped to
the Athletics and later was assigned
to Cleveland Ed met with a tragic.
death. either committing suicide or
falling OF a train as It was crossina
the Detroit River
The other Delehsntys naturally in,
herited a lot OF the renown won bvi
their older brother and were pretty.
fair ball players. though only Jim.
who played his best ball in Detroit.
ever approached Ed in hitting. The
second Delehanty TO get a chance
on big time was Tom DeIehanty. who.
broke in with the Cleveland National
League team in 1886. He was a sec
ond baseman and was supposed to
be even better than his big brother.
However, he proved the big bust
Of the family, and soon drifted among.
the smaller minor league clubs. where.
his brothers fame helped him in land-
ing a Job.
The next DeIehanty TO land In the
big leagues was Jim. who did a lot.
Of roaming around in his big league
career, both in regard 10 teams hs
played on and in positions. He starts
ed with the Giants in 1902 as an OUT
fielder. drifted to the Braves, where
he played third base, and then was
traded to the Reds. He later made
the rounds OF the American League.
with the Browns. WashinCtons and
Detroits. having then shifted TO Sec
ond base. Jim also had a whirIi
around the Federal circuit on the
Brook-feds
Frank Delehsnty, the next OF Tn.
quintet, came up with the Yankees
in 1906 and fingered until 1875 when
he flicekred out with Cleveland. Frans-
was rs hitter, but he took paru
in one batting feat on the old hill
top grounds which stamped him az
a real Delehshty. In a Ginning gams
against Washington Frank hit 1wni
homers, a triple and a single, Had,
the game gone nine innings. there is
no, telling what Frank would have
accomplished. !
The fifth Delehanty. Joe, came up
with the Cardinals in 1907 and
lasted three seasons. Like Frank.
he never amounted to much as ~
batter. However. no family ever,
mas approached the Delehanty's for.
baseball prowess.
Perhaps the baseball family which
approaches the Delehanty's CIoscr-
than any other is the O'NeiIrs. Miks
O'Neill. pitcher. and Jack O'Neill.l
catcher, were a famous battery onl
the Cardinals in the early DAYS OF,
this century, and now their Kid
brother Steve is the star catcher OF,
the Cleveland Indians.
Steve. by the way, Is a catcher
solely because his brothers insisted
he be one. He is a little fellow and
preferred to try his hand in ibai
infeld. preferably short, but his
brothers would not listen TO it.,
The ONeills were a battery family
ana they would listen TO nothing
but that Steve should become a.
catcher. Steve therefore had no.
alternative but TO become a catche -
and now is one OF the best in tho
game. Mike O'NeiIl still is in the
game, though he hrs-been in the
minors for some time. Last esSon
ne managed and played outfieId for
the Syracuse New York State I,cs-
que team.
The' Coveleskies, like the O'NciIIs.
nave three baseball players in their.
family, two of whom were stars.
Harry CoYeleskie. the original
Giant killer, pitched the Giants out
or pennant in 1908, when in the
last week OF the season, while pitch
ing for the Phillies, he defeated the
Giants three times. Harry Cove
leskie, however. has done his best
work in the American League, and
until last season. when his arm
gave him trouble, he was the maiu-
stay of the Detroit pitching stan.
His younger brother, Stanley,
looks as though he may even win
more fame than Harry. Stanley IS
a right-handed pitcher, though
Harry. the original CoveIeskic.
throws with his left hand. Stanley
Is one Of the few young players
turned back to the minors by Con-
ME Mack who has shown elsewhere.
Released by the Athletics in 1913.
he came back with Cleveland in
1916. and has had two sensational
seasons. In the 1917 season Stanley
led the pitchers of both leagues in
twirling shutouts. The third Cove
leskie is an outfielder who put in most
of his baseball career in the old
Tri-State League.
There also were Nthree waEners
who played ball, though only two.