Charles Comiskey | |||
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First baseman / Manager / Owner | |||
Born: Chicago, Illinois |
August 15, 1859|||
Died: October 26, 1931 Eagle River, Wisconsin |
(aged 72)|||
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MLB debut | |||
May 2, 1882, for the St. Louis Brown Stockings | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 12, 1894, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .264 | ||
Hits | 1,530 | ||
Runs | 994 | ||
Stolen bases | 416 | ||
Teams | |||
As player
As manager As Owner |
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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Member of the National | |||
Baseball Hall of Fame | |||
Inducted | 1939 | ||
Election Method | Veteran's Committee |
As player
As manager
As Owner
Charles Albert "Charlie" Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), also nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also founding owner of the Chicago White Sox.Comiskey Park, the White Sox' storied baseball stadium, was built under his guidance and named for him.
Comiskey's reputation was permanently tarnished by his team's involvement in the Black Sox Scandal, a conspiracy to "throw" the 1919 World Series which some have excused by allegations that his poor treatment of White Sox players fueled the conspiracy. Comiskey was inducted as an executive into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Comiskey was born on August 15, 1859, in Chicago, the son of Illinois politician John Comiskey. He attended public and parochial schools in Chicago, St. Ignatius College Prep, and St. Mary's College in Kansas. He played baseball at St. Mary's, and played for several professional teams in Chicago while apprenticed to a plumber and working at construction jobs including driving a brick delivery wagon for the construction crews building the fifth Chicago City Hall, which stood from 1873 to 1885.
Comiskey started his playing career as a pitcher, and moved to first base after developing arm trouble. He is credited with being the first to play hitters off of first base, allowing him to cover balls hit to more of the infield. He entered the American Association in 1882 with the St. Louis Brown Stockings. He managed the team during parts of its first seasons and took over full-time in 1885, leading the Browns to four consecutive American Association championships and a close second in 1889. He also played and managed for the Chicago Pirates in the Players' League (1890), the Browns again (1891), and the Cincinnati Reds in the National League (1892–94).