McCarthy, "Tommy" (Thomas F. M.)
Baseball
b. July 24, 1864, S. Boston, MA
d. Aug. 5, 1922
McCarthy was something of an innovator during the formative years of major-league baseball. He and Hugh Duffy, known as the "Heavenly Twins," perfected the hit and run and the double steal in the early 1890s, and McCarthy was a pioneer at faking a bunt to draw the opposing third baseman and then slapping the ball past him for a hit.
A right fielder, McCarthy also developed a defensive trick. Because of his great speed, he played shallow. With a runner on first base, McCarthy would often charge a line drive and deliberately trap it, then throw to second to start a double play.
While playing sandlot ball in 1884, McCarthy was signed by the Boston team in the rebel Union Association. The league folded after one season and he joined the Boston NL team, then played briefly with Philadelphia in 1886 and 1887, never hitting better than .200.
McCarthy caught on with the St. Louis team in the American Association, then a major league, in 1888. He hit .274, stole 93 bases, and scored 107 runs in 131 games to help St. Louis win a pennant. He led the league with 83 steals in 1890, when he batted .350, and he had a .310 average in 1891.
The American Association folded after the 1891 season and McCarthy returned to the Boston NL team. Duffy also joined the team in 1892 to play center field. McCarthy hit only .242 but he stole 53 bases and scored 119 runs for a pennant winning team.
He batted .346 and .349 the next two seasons. After dropping to .290 in 1895, he was traded to Brooklyn. He retired after hitting only .249 in 1896. He later served as a scout, a minor league manager, and a baseball coach at Boston College, Dartmouth, and Holy Cross.