Connie Mack’s Days as a Player With The Washington Nationals

by Bob Warrington

Introduction

Most baseball fans with a sense of history are aware of the legendary managerial career of Connie Mack—the skipper of the Philadelphia Athletics between 1901-50. Less well known is the fact that Mack also had an 11-year career as a major league baseball player in the late 19th century. Generally regarded as a “good-field/no-hit” player, Mack spent the first four years of his major league career (1886-89) with the Washington Nationals of the National League. This article describes Mack’s experience with the Nationals and the circumstances that surrounded his arrival to and departure from that team.

Minor League Experience

Connie Mack started his career in organized baseball in 1883 by playing for his hometown of East Brookfield in the Central Massachusetts Amateur League. He joined the Meriden club in the Connecticut State League the next year for the then-handsome sum of $90 a month. Mack’s tenure with the Meriden team was also brief, and he accepted a job with the Hartford club in the South New England League in 1885 with an increase in salary to $125 a month.

While playing for Hartford, Mack quickly gained a reputation for his acumen as a catcher. While only a modest hitter at the plate, he displayed considerable skill in handling pitchers and an ability to understand the strategy of the game. Mack was also the first catcher in the league to wear a rubber catching glove invented by fellow Hartford teammate Bill Gray.

Up to the Majors

Mack played in Hartford during the 1885-86 seasons and saw his salary increase to $200 a month in the second year. He became known as part of the “Bones Battery,” because he always caught for the team’s fine right-handed pitcher Frank Gilmore. Both men had gaunt, lanky frames.

Late in the 1886 season, the owner of the Washington National League Club visited Hartford on a scouting trip Desperate for pitching for his last-place team, Walter F. Hewitt offered a contract to the highly regarded Gilmore. True to his friend, Gilmore refused to sign unless Mack was also offered a contract to join the club. Hewitt protested that “Mack don’t hit enough,” but Gilmore insisted and got the Washington owner to agree.

Mack made his major league debut on September 11, 1886 at Capitol Park, Washington in a game that pitted the National against, ironically enough, the Philadelphia Phillies. In the eighth inning, Mack hit a single and started a 3-run rally that lifted Washington over the Phillies by a 4-3 score.

Only ten games remained in the 1886 season when Mack joined Washington, but he hit for an average of .361 and received $800 as his salary for that season. The club was sufficiently impressed that it signed him to a $2,750 contract for the 1887 campaign.

Playing with Washington

Given his stoic reputation in later years, it might surprise some readers to learn that Mack was regarded as a colorful character during his stint in Washington. He earned this reputation for his active banter with batters at the plate and teammates in the field while he was catching. His keen wit and continuous chatter was intended, in part, to distract opponents. Indeed, Mack was not above being somewhat devious in his efforts to try to beat other teams.

For example, under the rules of the 1880s, a caught foul tip was an out regardless of the number of strikes. As a batsman swung, Mack would slap his buckskin glove with his bare hand so that it sounded just like a foul tip. Frequently, the umpire called the batter out when Mack caught the ball.

Although Washington again found itself in the National League cellar, Mack proved himself popular with local fans, and they presented him with a sterling silver tea set late in the season. League President Nick Young, who lived in the city, made the presentation.

The 1888-89 seasons continued to be dismal for Washington, and the team occupied the bottom rung of the league in both years. Mack hit an anemic .186 in 1888, but he continued to prove himself to be a shrewd and crafty catcher behind the plate. Mack’s batting average increased to .292 in 1889, and he played in 98 games with Washington—mostly as a catcher, but occasionally, occupying other infield positions.

Washington’s baseball futility during this period led comedians in vaudeville and burlesques to first offer the famous drinking toast, “To Washington! First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League.” On the other hand, Mack’s 1888 Washington team was the first major league club to go deep into the south for preseason conditioning. The team worked out in Jacksonville, Florida, but the only hotel that would rent rooms to the players was a shabby place located on the city’s edge that had a none-too-saintly reputation.

On a sad note, Frank Gilmore, who insisted that Mack accompany him to Washington, experienced a lame arm during the 1888 season and was released. Mack continued to catch for the team, but the “Bones Battery” ceased to exist.

Mack & Washington Part Company

Mack was expected to play again for the Nationals in 1890. However, 1889 had proven to be one of dissatisfaction and agitation among the players who were looking for better treatment from the National League owners, especially in terms of salaries. The Baseball Brotherhood—a union of players—was formed and Mack became a member. In a radical move, many players decided to form their own league—the Players League—that would provide for a more equitable distribution of profits. The Washington team, almost to a man, went to Buffalo to form the Players League club in that city.

In addition to signing with the Buffalo club, Mack also invested his savings in the franchise hoping that he could profit both as a player and a stockholder. However, fans did not rally to the new league and Buffalo proved unable to support the new venture. Players were not paid during the final month of the season and, instead of drawing a fat dividend, Mack saw his savings go up in smoke.

The Players League collapsed after the 1890 season, and those who had fled the National League were forced to return. Players were directed to return to their original teams unless otherwise assigned. Mack was designated to go to the Pittsburgh Stogies, as they were then called, who had been hit hard by the baseball war and finished last in the league in 1890. Although his days as a player with Washington were over, Mack would be a frequent visitor to the city between 1901-50 when his Athletics came to town to play the Senators.

Introduction

Part I of this story traced Connie Mack’s playing days from 1883-89. Part II picks up the story in 1890 and describes the rest of Mack’s on-field baseball career and his transition from player to manager.

Mack the Radical

Revolt was afoot among major league baseball players by the end of the 1889 season. Most players, including Connie Mack, believed they were underpaid for their toils while club owners were getting rich. In a radical move, many players decided to bolt from the National League (NL) and form their own league that would provide for a more equitable distribution of profits. Financial backers were found for the new league, and the promoters agreed to divide their profits evenly with the players. In 1890, the Players League (PL) was established with teams in eight cities. Club owners in the NL decried it as “communistic” and vowed to fight the new league.

Most of the leading players threw in their lot with the PL. The Washington team, almost to a man, went to Buffalo to form the club in that city. Mack was among them and signed for the same sum he had received from Washington the preceding year. Indeed, he also invested his savings in the new franchise. Mack hoped that he could profit from the Buffalo club both as a player and investor.

Collapse and a New Team

The “Brotherhood War” of 1890 proved financially ruinous for both the NL and PL (as well as the American Association, which also claimed major league status at that time). The NL’s greater financial strength, however, enabled it to outlast the PL, which soon ran out of money. Fans did not rally to the new league and Buffalo proved unable to support the new venture. Players were not paid during their final month of the season. Instead of drawing a fat dividend on his cash investment, Mack saw his savings go up in smoke.

The new league collapsed after the 1890 season, and those who had fled the NL were forced to return. Players were directed to return to their original NL team unless otherwise assigned. Mack was designated to go to the Pittsburgh Stogies, as they were then called, which had been hit hard by the baseball war and finished last in the league in 1890.

Playing with Pittsburgh

Much like Washington, Pittsburgh was long an underdog in the NL. The Stogies continued to perform poorly in Mack’s first two years (1891-92) with the team. Off the field, club owners retaliated against the players’ recent “revolt” and established a $2400 salary limit for any one player. Believing he deserved more, but mindful of the quick collapse of the PL, Mack grudgingly signed his contract.

It was about this time that the catcher moved in close behind the batter in baseball. Mack, who had won a reputation for simulating foul tips, now won a new one for tipping bats. Clearly, he was not above using any tricks to gain an advantage over an opponent.

During the 1893 season, Pittsburgh—now with a new nickname because the club had “pirated” a player away from the American Association—showed improvement and became a contender for the league title. However, an on-field injury Mack sustained shortened his season to 37 games and helped doom Pittsburgh to a second-place finish.

In a game against Boston, Mack suffered a serious injury in a play at the plate. A collision occurred when he attempted to tag out base runner Herman Long, and it left Mack with a fractured ankle and a left leg that was “ripped open between the knee and the ankle.” (Shin guards for catchers hadn’t been invented at this time.) Mack later recalled, “I never was the same player after that. I was slower on the bases and couldn’t stoop as well behind the plate.” Mack believed that the injury shortened his player career by five years.

Mack Becomes a Player-Manager

Following its strong 1893 showing, much was expected of the Pirates in 1894. However, the team got off to a poor start, and club president, Colonel W.W. Kerr, approached Mack to take over the reins. In making his offer, Kerr explained that he had been impressed with Mack’s ability to direct the team from behind the plate and thought he would do a good job in managing the Pirates.

At first, Mack declined and asked that the current manager be given more time to turn things around for the team. Kerr reluctantly agreed but came back six weeks later when the Pirates hadn’t improved and insisted that Mack take the job. Realizing that his days as a player were coming to an end, and mindful of his future in baseball and his obligation to support his family, Mack agreed.

Connie Mack managed his first game in the major leagues on September 3, 1894, and the Pirates celebrated the event by besting Mack’s old team, the Washington Nationals, by a 22-1 score. The Pirates played better baseball under Mack during the last month of the 1894 season but still finished in seventh place.

Mack’s first full year at the helm proved to be exciting. The 1895 Pirates were in contention for the pennant until early August when, through injury and weariness, the pitching staff faded and the team again found itself in seventh place at season’s end. Mack’s playing career wound down during these years, and in 1894-96, he appeared as a catcher in 69, 14, and 33 games, respectively.

As a manager, Mack still strove to gain advantages over opposing teams. One story had him freezing baseballs in his office icebox. Freezing the balls, Mack discovered, deadened them. He connived to get those balls into a game when the visiting team was at bat, and then Mack had the game ball switched to the unfrozen variety when Pittsburgh came up to hit.

After the promise of the 1895 season, the club made little headway in 1896 as pitching again proved to be the Achilles heel of the Pirates. Some trades panned out poorly, and the rowdy lifestyle of some of his players had Mack frustrated.

An End and A Beginning

Club president Kerr, anxious to see more improvement, informed Mack near the end of the 1896 season that a new manager would be selected for next season. So, for the first time since he joined the East Brookfield team in 1883, Connie Mack faced the prospect of being out of organized baseball.

Filled with dejection, Mack received a letter from Ban Johnson, president of baseball’s Western League. Johnson had heard that Mack’s contract with Pittsburgh would not be renewed and offered to meet to discuss something that might interest the unemployed manager. Mack agreed to the meeting and, by doing so, took the first step toward his next and greatest career in major league baseball. But, that’s another story.