Jim McElroy

James D. McElroy

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.
• School Saint Mary's College of California
• Debut May 26, 1884
• Final Game August 21, 1884
• Born November 5, 1862 in Napa County, CA USA
• Died February 24, 1889 in Needles, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Jim McElroy played for two teams in the majors in 1884. A pitcher, he started 14 games. He pitched 13 for the National League's Philadelphia Quakers, and pitched five innings for the Union Association's Wilmington Quicksteps. He was also briefly in the outfield for each team.

Jim was born in California in 1862 and attended St. Mary's College of California at the same time as four other future major leaguers. His major league debut was at age 21. Along with the two major league teams, he also pitched 6 games in the Eastern League in 1884, with a good ERA.

McElroy lived a troubled life, becoming addicted to drugs, and on February 24, 1889, he was hanging around with other opium addicts when a man named John "Kid" Eubanks injected him with the drug resulting in McElroy's death. Eubanks was charged with the murder of Jim McElroy but was released. Many papers printed different versions of the story, some even saying that McElroy had killed himself though this was proven false.

"Six years ago there was quite an exodus of ball-playing Californians to the East . . . About the middle of the season, one sultry evening, quite a crowd of Californians of distinction congregated in front of the Bingham House in your city (Philadelphia), a round dozen in fact, made up of Taylor, of the Alleghenys; Carroll, Norris and Tom Brown, of Columbus; Cahill, Fogarty, McElroy and Hardie, of Philadelphia, and Denny, Nava, Sweeney and Cliff Carroll, of Providence." - reminiscence of Sporting Life's California correspondent, January 8, 1890 issue

Related Sites

• Jim McElroy at the SABR Bio Project