Phonney Martin

Alphonse Case Martin

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 7", Weight 148 lb.

• Debut April 26, 1872
• Final Game October 21, 1873
• Born August 4, 1845 in New York, NY USA
• Died May 24, 1933 in Hollis, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Martin invariably baffled a team the first time he faced them . . ." - from the book When Johnny Came Sliding Home, discussing Phonney Martin's repertoire of pitches

Alphonse "Phonney" Martin, "Old Slow Ball", was a two-way player who pitched and played outfield in the National Association in 1872 and 1873. Born in New York, the three teams for which he played were all based in the state.

Martin, who was 26 in 1872, was older than the average player in the National Association.

The book When Johnny Came Sliding Home discusses his pitch repertoire, indicating that he threw a kind of slider which caused lots of foul outs. Beginning in amateur ball in 1860, he played for six different amateur teams in the 1860-1870 period. In addition to pitching, he also played first base, at least in 1863. He was also an umpire between 1871 and 1876, that last season in the National League, for a total of 10 games.

Martin served in the Civil War under the name Alphonso Martin according to a SABR report.