Steve O'Neill
Note: This page is for catcher and manager Steve O'Neill; for the major league owner with the same name, click here.
Stephen Francis O'Neill
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.
- High School Minooka (PA) High School
- Debut September 18, 1911
- Final Game September 14, 1928
- Born July 6, 1891 in Minooka, PA USA
- Died January 26, 1962 in Cleveland, OH USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Catcher Steve O'Neill began his playing career with the Elmira Colonels in 1910 and spent most of the next year with the Worcester Busters before joining the Cleveland Naps late in the 1911 season. He spent more than a decade with Cleveland, with his best season coming in 1920 when he hit .321 with 3 homers and 55 RBIs. He also played in the World Series that year, hitting .333 in seven games as the Indians defeated the Brooklyn Robins to win their first Championship.
Before the 1924 season, O'Neill was traded to the Boston Red Sox, and he was sent to the New York Yankees a year later, in 1925. After playing in the International League in 1926, he returned to the big leagues as a backup catcher for the St. Louis Browns in 1927 and 1928 Browns.
Overall, in 17 years in the majors, O'Neill hit .263 with just 13 home runs. As of 2007, he has the fourth most passed balls in the modern era (145).
After his big league playing days ended, O'Neill was player/manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1929 to 1931, player/coach for the Toledo Mud Hens in 1932, and player/manager for the Mud Hens in 1933 and 1934.
O'Neill began the 1935 season as a Cleveland Indians coach but replaced Walter Johnson as manager in mid-season. In two and a half years at the helm there, he is credited with helping in the development of teenage phenom Bob Feller into a solid pitcher.
After managing the Buffalo Bisons for three seasons, O'Neill was a member of the Detroit Tigers coaching staff in 1941. He managed the Beaumont Exporters in 1942 and then returned to the majors as Detroit's skipper for the next six years, from 1943 to 1948. Under his leadership, the Tigers won the 1945 World Series in seven games over the Chicago Cubs and finished second in the American League three times. In 1947 he was named as part of the inaugural class of the International League Hall of Fame.
O'Neill returned to the Indians as a coach in 1949 and, after beginning 1950 as a Boston Red Sox coach, replaced Joe McCarthy as Boston manager in mid-season. After spending a season and half at the helm there, he managed the Philadelphia Phillies for parts of three seasons, from 1952 to 1954. He later scouted for the Indians from 1955 to 1957.
O'Neill was the brother of Jack O'Neill, Jim O'Neill, and Mike O'Neill, and the father-in-law of Skeeter Webb (whom he managed with the Tigers) and minor leaguer Hank Nowak.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- Won a World Series with the Cleveland Indians in 1920
- AL Pennants: 1 (1945)
- Managed one World Series Champion with the Detroit Tigers in 1945
| Preceded by Walter Johnson |
Cleveland Indians Manager 1935-1937 |
Succeeded by Ossie Vitt |
| Preceded by Del Baker |
Detroit Tigers Manager 1943-1948 |
Succeeded by Red Rolfe |
| Preceded by Joe McCarthy |
Boston Red Sox Manager 1950-1951 |
Succeeded by Lou Boudreau |
| Preceded by Eddie Sawyer |
Philadelphia Phillies Manager 1952-1954 |
Succeeded by Terry Moore |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Records Held[edit]
- Double plays, catcher, season, 36, 1916
Further Reading[edit]
- Adam Ulrey: "Steve O'Neill", in Mark Armour and Bill Nowlin, eds.: Red Sox Baseball in the Days of Ike and Elvis: The Red Sox of the 1950s, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2012, pp. 327-332. ISBN 978-1933599243
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