Buck O'Brien

Thomas Joseph O'Brien

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 188 lb.

• Debut September 9, 1911
• Final Game August 6, 1913
• Born May 9, 1882 in Brockton, MA USA
• Died July 25, 1959 in Boston, MA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Buck O'Brien was a spitballer who had tremendous success for a few years. He is also remembered for being the object of the anger of Joe Wood and his brother Paul.

O'Brien came late to professional baseball, starting in 1910 when he was 28 years old, going 29-10 for Hartford. In 1911, he was 26-7 for the Denver Grizzlies who won 111 games. In September of that year, he came to the majors and went 5-1 with a 0.38 ERA for the Boston Red Sox.

O'Brien went 20-13 in 1912 and started the first game the Red Sox played in Fenway Park; it was the year in which Joe Wood won 34 games. During the 1912 World Series, he went out drinking one night, not knowing that the manager would assign him to pitch the next game. Both Wood and his brother Paul got into altercations with O'Brien the next day, with many explanations given as to the reason.

O'Brien's career declined quickly, apparently because his spitball was no longer a mystery to hitters, and because, as one sportswriter said, O'Brien didn't stay in condition. He pitched only a couple more years in the minors.

After his playing days, he remained in the Boston area.

Source: 1911 Denver Grizzlies web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=22

Notable Achievements

• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1912)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1912)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1912)
• Won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 1912

Related Sites

• Buck O'Brien at the SABR Bio Project