Johnny O'Brien

Pitcher, Baseball Player

1930 –

12

Who is Johnny O'Brien?

John Thomas O'Brien is a former backup second baseman and pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Braves. O'Brien batted and threw right-handed. His twin brother, Eddie, is a former major league shortstop.

O'Brien attended Saint Mary's High School in South Amboy, now Cardinal McCarrick High School, where he has been inducted into the school's sports hall of fame.

He attended Seattle University, where he played on the basketball team for the Chieftains and scored 43 points in a stunning 84-81 upset over the Harlem Globetrotters on January 21, 1952.

In a six-season career, O'Brien was a .250 hitter with four home runs and 59 RBI in 339 games played. From 1956–1958, O'Brien also doubled as a pitcher, appearing in 25 games and 61 innings, surrendering 61 hits, walking 30 and striking out 35. O'Brien lost three of four decisions with an earned run average of 5.61.

While in Pittsburgh, Johnny and Eddie O'Brien became the first twins in major league history to play for the same team in the same game. They are also one of only four brother combinations to play second base/shortstop on the same major league club. The others are Garvin and Granny Hamner, for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945; Frank and Milt Bolling, with the Detroit Tigers in 1958, and Billy and Cal Ripken, for the Baltimore Orioles during the 1980s.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
Dec 11, 1930
South Amboy
Siblings
Profession
Education
  • Seattle University
Lived in
  • South Amboy

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Johnny O'Brien." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/johnny_obrien>.

Discuss this Johnny O'Brien biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net