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Harry O'Neill (catcher)

Harry O'Neill
Born (1917-05-18)May 18, 1917
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died March 6, 1945(1945-03-06) (aged 27)
Iwo Jima, Marianas Islands
Place of burial Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service 1942–1945
Rank First Lieutenant
Unit 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Purple Heart
Harry O'Neill
Catcher
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 23, 1939, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
July 23, 1939, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Games played 1
Plate appearances 0
Teams

Harry Mink O'Neill (May 8, 1917 – March 6, 1945) was a professional baseball player who appeared in one game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939, as a catcher. O'Neill and Elmer Gedeon were the only two Major League Baseball players killed during World War II.

O'Neill distinguished himself as a very gifted college athlete. At Gettysburg College, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder sometimes called "Porkie," led the school's baseball, football and basketball teams to league championships. After graduation, he was the subject of a bidding war between two American League teams, eventually signing with his hometown Athletics.

As the third-string catcher for the Athletics, O'Neill appeared in just one game, as a late-inning defensive replacement. In a lopsided road loss to the Detroit Tigers on July 23, 1939, O'Neill caught the bottom of the 8th inning, and did not have a plate appearance.

Following his time with the Athletics, O'Neill played in 16 games with the minor league Harrisburg Senators and also played semi-pro basketball and football. After the outbreak of World War II, O'Neill enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942, and rose to the rank of first lieutenant with the Weapons Company, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. In January 1944, he took part in the amphibious assault on Kwajalein. On June 16, 1944, the second day of the Battle of Saipan, he was wounded in the shoulder by shrapnel, then treated for weeks back in the US. He returned to active duty in July, in time to participate in the Battle of Tinian. He was killed by a sniper at Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945. Among his surviving family was his young wife, Ethel McKay O'Neill.


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