John Roach

John F. Roach

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut May 14, 1887
• Final Game May 14, 1887
• Born November 19, 1867 in North Bend, PA USA
• Died April 2, 1934 in Peoria, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

John Roach pitched one game for the 1887 New York Giants at age 19. His minor league career ran from 1886-98.

He moved around a lot, playing for minor league teams in approximately 15 cities.

The Peter Morris site has some information on Roach, mentioning that one witness claims Roach pitched with both hands in his one major league game. Morris shows a baseball card with Roach holding the ball in both hands, thus perhaps supporting that claim. Morris states that Mike Roach was his brother. He also says that John died in 1934 in Peoria, a place where he had pitched several seasons.