Billy Maharg

William Joseph Maharg

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 4", Weight 155 lb.

• Debut May 18, 1912
• Final Game October 5, 1916
• Born March 19, 1881 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died November 20, 1953 in Philadelphia, PA USA

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Biographical Information

Billy Maharg was a amateur boxer in Philadelphia, PA when he was one of the replacement players fielded by the Detroit Tigers on May 18, 1912. He later appeared in another game in 1916, with the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he worked as an assistant trainer. He was a well-known professional boxer at the time, which led to his having many connections in the sporting world, resulting in his two one-off appearances in a major league baseball game.

In September 1919, Maharg was contacted by Bill Burns to assist with throwing the 1919 World Series, in which both worked as the middle-men. Maharg would blow the whistle on the fix in a September 1920 newspaper interview. In March 1921, American League President Ban Johnson, needing to find Burns to testify at the trial promised that Maharg would not be indicted if he could find Burns. He then traveled to Del Rio, TX, located Burns and brought him back to Chicago.

Further Reading

• Kevin W. Barwin: "Paper Tigers: How a Player Strike Put a Team of 'Misfits' on a Major League Field for a Day", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 52 Number 1 (Spring 2023), pp. 5-13.

Related Sites

• Billy Maharg at the SABR Bio Project