Jerry Kane

Jeremiah Joseph Kane

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut May 2, 1890
• Final Game June 25, 1890
• Born October 11, 1865 in East St. Louis, IL USA
• Died October 25, 1948 in East St. Louis, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Jerry is an excellent back stop, a good thrower and a tricky player, and quite a nice hitter in the bargain." - Sporting Life, July 24, 1889, about Jerry Kane's work at Galveston

Jerry Kane played in the majors in 1890.

Much later, he managed two different teams nicknamed "Miners": the Butte Miners in the 1903 Pacific National League. whom Kane managed the first part of that season. The team went on to win the league title under another manager. In 1912 and again in 1914 Kane managed the McAlester Miners. The 1912 team was in the Oklahoma State League which disbanded in June with the team in 5th place. He began the 1914 season as the manager of another team called the McAlester Miners, this time as an entrant in the Western Association. He also owned 45% of the team.

He later became a justice of the peace in East St. Louis, IL; also active in municipal service at the time was another Jeremiah Kane, a city comptroller, and somehow the two got confused, with the wrong person's birth and death details becoming attached to the player. It took over half a century for his great granddaughter to set things straight, and her claims were verified in contemporary obituaries, which confirmed that the ballplayer had died in 1948 and not in 1949, which is when his near-namesake passed away.

Further Reading

• "Jerry Kane Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, January-February 2021, p. 1.