Ben Tincup

Austin Ben Tincup

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut May 22, 1914
• Final Game September 15, 1928
• Born December 14, 1890 in Adair, Indian Territory USA
• Died July 5, 1980 in Claremore, OK USA

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Biographical Information

A full-blooded Cherokee Indian, pitcher Ben Tincup had a long minor league career, during which he won 251 games, led the 1912 Oklahoma State League and the 1913 Texas-Oklahoma League in strikeouts, and threw a perfect game on June 18, 1917 for the Little Rock Travelers. In 1933 he umpired in the American Association. From 1936-1939, he managed in the minor leagues. He was a coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940 and a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1941 until July when he resigned to become manager of the Paducah Indians [1]. He then scouted for the Boston Braves (1946-1948), Pittsburgh Pirates (1949-1953), and Philadelphia Phillies (1956-1958). He may also have been a coach for the New York Yankees in 1960-1961.

Tincup and his contemporary Jim Bluejacket are the only two major leaguers born in Adair, OK.

Although his ML average of .135 does not reflect this, Tincup was an excellent hitter. His debut in the ML was with the Phillies on May 22, 1914 as a pinch-hitter and he singled in his initial ML AB. In 1920, playing for Hall of Fame Manager Joe McCarthy in Louisville of the American Association, Tincup had a Babe Ruthian-like season. As a pitcher, he was 15-12 with a 2.84 ERA. When not pitching, he played the outfield and ended up with a .331 average which was only four points behind the leader, Goldie Rapp.

Tincups' nephew Frank Tincup was a minor league pitcher from 1939-1948 [2].

The American Indian Integration of Baseball indicates that Tincup also played outfield, and had a .271 minor league batting average in 1203 games.