Paddy Mayes

Adair Bushyhead Mayes

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut June 11, 1911
• Final Game June 18, 1911
• Born March 17, 1885 in Locust Grove, Indian Territory USA
• Died May 28, 1962 in Fayetteville, AR USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"It ain't been overestimated none." - quote from Paddy Mayes (via Will Rogers) about the difficulty of the major leagues, and also title of an article about Paddy [1]

Adair Bushyhead "Paddy" Mayes got a lot of attention before he ever came to the majors. According to an article about him (see reference above), he was mistaken for a Native American, said to be better than Zack Wheat, reputed to be terrific at both fielding and hitting, and very fast on the bases. Mayes got his chance in the majors because John Titus was injured.

"We talked about rope handling. . ." - report from the famed humorist Will Rogers about his meeting with Paddy after Paddy made his major league debut

Humorist Will Rogers had known Paddy in Texas and therefore was interested in seeing him play in the majors. Rogers turned the event of Paddy's major league debut into a story that Rogers told and retold for many years.

While the article above claims he was not Native American, a 2019 exhibit at the Cherokee Heritage Center referred to him as Cherokee. [2].

Related Sites

Baseball History Daily story on Paddy Mayes