Vincent Maney

S. Vincent Maney
Previously thought to be Patrick Meaney

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut May 18, 1912
• Final Game May 18, 1912
• Born October 14, 1886 in Batavia, NY USA
• Died March 13, 1952 in Batavia, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Vincent Maney played one game for the Detroit Tigers on May 18, 1912. He took the place of regular shortstop was Donie Bush on the team of pick-up players that was hastily assembled to play the Philadelphia Athletics after the regulars struck to protest a suspension handed out to Ty Cobb for going after a fan a couple of days earlier. Maney had previously played many years of minor league ball, but he was working in an iron works and playing semi-pro ball at the time.

Maney did pretty well, but then this was a guy who had hit over .300 several times in the minors including in 1903 when he had the highest batting average on the San Francisco Seals. His professional experience was in contrast to most of his teammates that day, who had no playing experience to speak of.

There is some uncertainty about who played shortstop in that infamous game. His playing record was initially assigned to Patrick Meaney, who also had a long minor league career as an ambidextrous pitcher and outfielder, who would have been 40 at the time. Later evidence pointed to Maney as being the one who took the field, however.

Further Reading

• Kevin W. Barwin: "Paper Tigers: How a Player Strike Put a Team of 'Misfits' on a Major League Field for a Day", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 52 Number 1 (Spring 2023), pp. 5-13.