Doyle, "Larry" (Lawrence J.)
Baseball
b. July 31, 1886, Caseyville, IL
d. March 1, 1974
"Laughing Larry" won the Chalmers Award as the NL's most valuable player in 1912, when he batted .330, scored 98 runs, and had 90 RBI. A left-handed hitter, he played second base for New York Giants teams that won three straight pennants, from 1911 through 1913.
The ebullient Doyle is probably best known for exclaiming, "It's great to be young and a Giant." But he was a solid player, both offensively and defensively. Doyle joined the Giants in 1907 and led the league in hits with 172 in 1909. He was the triples leader in 1911 with 25.
Doyle's best year was 1915, when he won the batting title with a .320 average, also leading the league with 189 hits and 40 doubles. Late in the 1916 season, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and he remained with them through 1917, then returned to the Giants for three more seasons before retiring.