Jimmy Ryan

Who was Jimmy Ryan?

James Edward Ryan, nicknamed ″Pony″, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played eighteen seasons between 1885 and 1903, primarily for the Chicago White Stockings/Colts/Orphans. He held the major league record for career assists by an outfielder from 1900 to 1924.

A native of Clinton, Massachusetts, Ryan enjoyed his best season in 1888, leading the National League in home runs, hits, doubles, total bases and slugging percentage, and also was second in batting average, runs and extra base hits. In that season, he also hit for the cycle on July 28. Ryan also appeared in that game as a pitcher, becoming the only player in major league history to hit for the cycle and pitch in the same game. The White Stockings beat the Detroit Wolverines 21–17.

Ryan switched to the Chicago Pirates in 1890, the only season of the Players League, and ended his career with the Washington Senators in the American League. In 1900, his final season in Chicago, he broke Tom Brown's record of 348 career assists by an outfielder; Tris Speaker broke his record in 1924. Ryan was a .306 career hitter with 118 home runs and 1093 runs batted in in 2012 games. As a pitcher, he compiled a 6–1 record with 43 strikeouts and a 3.62 Earned run average in 117 innings.