Tom Malone

Thomas F. Malone
previously listed as Martin Malone

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut June 20, 1872
• Final Game September 13, 1872
• Born April 1847 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died October 2, 1917 in Brooklyn, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

For the longest time, almost nothing was known about Tom Malone who played pitcher and outfielder for the Brooklyn Eckfords in 1872, hitting .313. In fact, he was long listed wrongly as Martin Malone and there was a Civil War veteran by that name, but he was not the ballplayer. One other player named Malone was active in 1872, that being Fergy Malone, the catcher/first baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Researcher Justin McKinney finally managed to shed some light on him in 2024, as he searched through historical newspapers for mentions of the Eckfords, and found references to Thomas Malone. In 1924, an old-timer reminiscing about these far-away days (even then) mentioned that Tom had later become a firefighter and had died a few years before. With those clues, Justin found a story about a Thomas Malone who had died of asphyxiation in 1917 while living with his sister, and more digging confirmed that not only was he the ballplayer, but that his sister had been married to his former teammate with the Eckfords, Martin Swandell.

He was also an umpire in four National Association games in 1875.

Further Reading

• "Thomas Malone Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, May/June 2024, p. 1.