Davy Force

David W. Force
(Wee Davy or Tom Thumb)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 4", Weight 130 lb.
• High School St. Mary's Colgan (Pittsburg, KS)
• Debut May 5, 1871
• Final Game August 20, 1886
• Born July 27, 1849 in New York, NY USA
• Died June 21, 1918 in Englewood, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Force and Wright were the two greatest shortstops of the early days of baseball..." - The Sporting News obituary of Davy Force, relying on Francis Richter

Davy Force had a long and famous career in baseball, beginning as early as 1866. After playing for several years before the first professional league was formed, he appeared five seasons in the National Association and ten in the National League, along with three in the minors. Esteemed for his defensive abilities, he was also a decent hitter in his earlier years.

He was the subject of the famous "Davy Force Case", a dispute involving two contracts signed by Force that eventually led indirectly to the demise of the National Association.

Force was the shortstop for several years when The Big Four comprised the rest of the infield for the Buffalo Bisons.

Force's .211 batting average (National League only/ National Association excluded) is the lowest all time of any player who was not primarily a pitcher or catcher. Of course, from 1879-1886 he was one of the oldest players in the league. In 1872 he was second in the National Association in batting and in 1873 he was sixth. He holds the record for most career pitching appearances without surrendering a walk or strikeout. He appeared in four career games, walking none and striking out none.

After his time in the majors he played in the minors in 1887 and 1888. He worked two games as an umpire, one in the National Association in 1873 and the other in the National League in 1881.

After baseball he worked for many years for the Otis Elevator Company.

On Christmas Eve in 1896, Force was reported to have killed a man named Joseph Manning in San Francisco, CA, with the Sioux City Journal publishing an article with the title “Davy Force Kills a Man" the next morning. Force was horrified when he heard of this, and things were cleared up that it was actually a case of mistaken identity.

He and Davy Jones are the only players remembered with the first name Davy, although there are several with the name Davey.

Notable Achievements

• NA Singles Leader (1872)

Related Sites

• BR Minors page
• Obituary by the Sporting News.
• Baseball History Daily story on Davy Force