Jim Mahady

The announcement came from the umpire’s megaphone – “McCarthy now replacing Rawlings at second base” – at the start of the bottom half of the eighth inning in the final game of the 1921 season at Ebbets Field. Manager John McGraw of the New York Giants was giving his starters a rest in this regular season finale against the fifth-place Brooklyn Robins before the upcoming World Series against the crosstown New York Yankees started three days later.

It is not known if McGraw deliberately said McCarthy for some reason or if the umpire misheard him, but the player’s name was Jim Mahady. The only issue was that the Giants’ new second baseman was actually a right-handed pitcher! Nonetheless, the 19-year-old rookie ran out to play a position that he had never played before. After fielding a chance successfully, Mahady, much like Moonlight Graham before him, witnessed his aspirations of making a major-league plate appearance die while standing in the on-deck circle.

Mahady never got a chance to bat or pitch in the majors. He pitched in the minors and semipro ball through 1929 – and subsequently for a prison team after being convicted of vehicular manslaughter. Mahady’s tumultuous life ended when he was in his mid-30s.

***

James Bernard Mahady was born on April 22, 1902, in Cortland, New York. He was the only child of Michael and Mary Mahady. His father, Michael, was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and worked as a laborer at Cortland Wallpaper Company. He died in 1934. His mother, Mary (née Keenan), was born in Scotland in 1882 and died in 1932. Both parents were of Irish descent.

After graduating from high school. Jim tried out for the Cortland Moose semipro team. He made the team and in his second game threw an 11-0 no-hitter against the Sayre Colemans. He pitched another 13 games that summer.

In spring 1921, Mahady tried out as a pitcher for the Geneva Stoco-Lens club in the NY State Industrial Semipro League. He was 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. News of his pitching back-to-back shutouts traveled quickly. The Rochester Colts club in the Class AA International League invited him over for a tryout. However, before Jim could even respond, he got an even better offer.

John McGraw of the New York Giants had always wanted to sign a player who was from Cortland County – he himself had grown up in the town of Truxton in said county during the 1880s. McGraw quickly notified Mahady to come to New York City and work out with bench coach Hughie Jennings.

Jennings liked his raw talent but felt Mahady wasn’t quite ready yet. He sent him to the Hartford Senators team in the Class A Eastern League. Mahady made his professional debut on July 26, 1921, and struggled. In six innings he allowed 12 hits and walked four batters; eight of those runners scored. When the Giants left to start a road trip, Jim returned to Geneva, where he pitched in a few semipro games. The Giants notified him to report back for another workout.

On August 20, 1921, Mahady pitched in his second minor-league game. Hurling for the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Virginia League, his very first pitch of the game was smacked over the right-center field fence for a home run by Bill Cunningham.1 He pitched three innings and gave up seven hits and four runs. When the Giants left for another road trip, Mahady returned home to Cortland and pitched in two more games.

When the Giants returned to New York after their road trip, they had clinched the pennant and were preparing for the upcoming World Series against the Yankees. On October 2, the Giants traveled to Ebbets Field to play their Brooklyn rivals. McGraw wanted to give his pitchers some work, so he wouldn’t be using Mahady on the mound. By the eighth inning, 19 players had been used; the teenager Mahady was the only one still left on the bench.

Mahady ran onto the diamond when the name McCarthy was announced. The raw rookie may have been placed at second base in order to hide him. The first Brooklyn batter, switch-hitter Bernie Neis, was in all likelihood batting from the left side against Giants reliever Rosy Ryan. Naturally, Neis hit a ground ball right at Mahady, who fielded it cleanly and then threw him out. Ryan retired the next two men; Mahady was not involved in either play.

The Giants rallied in the ninth inning, sending six men to the plate. Mahady stood in the on-deck area when their last out was made and never got a chance to bat. He would have faced spitballer Burleigh Grimes.

Mahady went home to Cortland and on March 6, 1922, the Binghamton Press and Bulletin wrote, “the New York (National League) sent him back to Cortland for another year of experience.”2 Jim learned that the Giants wouldn’t be inviting him to their spring training camp in San Antonio, Texas. According to local hearsay passed down through generations, manager McGraw didn’t like Mahady’s drinking habits and cut him loose.    

Mahady earned a spot on the 1922 Cortland Lehighs semipro team. On May 7, while batting in a game against the Elmira Arctics, he was beaned. He fell to the ground and had to be removed from the game. He bounced back quickly, striking out 17 batters a week later against the Binghamton Legion team. The Norwich semipro team liked Mahady’s pitching and hired him for its mound staff on June 20. A man named Pop Bell from Unadilla talked to him after that game and offered him a $400 per month salary to pitch for the Unadilla Athletics semipro club.3

Mahady earned his salary, pitching in at least 16 games for Unadilla over the next nine weeks. He returned to Cortland in time to pitch again for the Lehighs. They faced the Groton Coronas in an important five-game series. Almost 2,000 fans watched each of the games played between the Lehighs and the Coronas. Jim pitched a four-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts in the opening game but then lost his next two starts.4

In 1923, Mahady signed a professional contract with the Greeneville (Mississippi) Swamp Angels of the Class D Cotton States League. Mahady impressed his manager, Hal Irelan, who named him as his Opening Day starter. On April 25, he finally got his first minor-league win by throwing a two-hit shutout. Jim’s record was 8-8 with Greeneville. When the Cotton States League disbanded in late July, he became a free agent.5

The Williamsport Billies team of the Class B New York-Penn League signed Mahady. He lost his first start but then won both games of a doubleheader on August 11. He retired the first 12 men in a row in game one and pitched a total of 16 innings that day.

Mahady finished the season with an 8-5 record in 106 innings pitched. He was still not done pitching. On October 31, the Babe Ruth All Stars were coming to Williamsport to face whomever the Billies club could gather together in an exhibition game. Babe Ruth had been the Most Valuable Player in the American League and was only 28 years old. He did have two hits that day, including a home run. But when he faced Jim Mahady in the sixth inning, the Babe struck out!6

In the spring of 1924 Mahady returned to Williamsport to pitch for the club now known as the Grays. He once again was the Opening Day pitcher but despite giving up just five hits lost the game 3-0. On May 18, he hit a home run in the 12th inning to earn his second victory, giving Williamsport a six-game winning streak. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader on June 12 noted, “Mahady is the star pitcher of the Williamsport club, and one of the best in the league.”7

Mahady’s fortunes quickly turned bad. His manager, Harry Hinchman, released him in order to get down to the team player limit. Hinchman’s reasons: his other pitchers had better records, Mahady was out of stride, and he was not in good working shape.

The Harrisburg Senators of the NY-Penn League agreed to give Mahady a trial and purchased his contract. He rebounded and impressed his new team by hurling a two-hit shutout and then giving up only one run in another victory. He finished the season with a 12-7 record for Harrisburg, giving him a 19-11 total record for the season according to the 1925 Spalding Guide.

St. Louis Cardinals scout Pop Kelchner recommended Mahady in his report to Branch Rickey. On September 22, a golden opportunity to further impress Rickey presented itself. The Cardinals were scheduled to play Harrisburg in an exhibition game, with Mahady listed as the starting pitcher. Unfortunately, the game was rained out and his chance fell by the wayside.

Mahady worked out in the offseason using gymnastics training to get into shape for 1925. In the first exhibition game for Harrisburg, he hurled five innings of no-hit ball. He was the Opening Day pitcher for his team and faced the York White Roses. Despite another recommendation from Kelchner that St. Louis sign Mahady, Harrisburg manager Rankin Johnson traded him to York for a pitcher named Jack Schueler. The reason given by Johnson was Jim’s “idiosyncrasies,” a possible code word for a growing drinking problem.

Mahady immediately impressed his new team by pitching a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings in a 21-1 pasting of Shamokin. However, the Harrisburg Telegraph reported on June 23 that Jim had contracted the flu and was not in good shape to pitch.8 His contract was sold to the Wilkes-Barre Barons; his new club owed York $400 if they decided to keep Mahady after a 30-day trial.

Wilkes-Barre put the new acquisition to work. He pitched seven games in only 18 days and compiled a 3-4 record. He had not impressed his new team, though, and he was released.

Mahady ended up joining the Salisbury Indians of the Class D Eastern Shore League. He posted a 6-5 record and gave up only 79 hits in 102 innings. Mahady also made a favorable impression on the family of Fred Grier Sr., who took him into their household for five weeks and provided room and board for a small sum. Fred Grier Sr. was a wealthy foundry owner with a daughter named Marguerite. Romantic sparks flew between Jim and her, and he remained in Salisbury after the season was over.

November turned out to be memorable for Jim Mahady. On November 12, The Sporting News reported that the Houston Buffaloes of the Class A Texas League had drafted him.9 Two weeks later, he and Marguerite Grier were married in Princess Anne, Maryland, in a quiet ceremony.

In March 1926, Mahady finally got a chance to face a major-league team. In an exhibition game against St. Louis on March 14, he pitched two innings and gave up four hits, three walks, and five runs. His record with Houston was 2-2; he gave up 25 runs in 32 innings.

Mahady’s next stop was to be Syracuse of the AA International League – but, before he played a game, Syracuse traded him to the Fort Smith Twins, a Class C team in Arkansas that played in the Western Association. On August 5, the Cortland Standard reported that he had a 5-1 record with a .556 batting average.10

Both the New York Yankees and the New York Giants sent scouts to watch Mahady. He finished his season with Fort Smith with a 9-5 record. When the season ended, Jim and Marguerite returned home to Salisbury, where their daughter, also named Marguerite, was born on October 13. The new parents had to decide what to do about Jim’s baseball career now that they had an infant.

The decision was made for them in an unusual way. The Cortland Standard of May 17, 1927 reported, “Baseball fans of Salisbury, MD raised a fund of $300 by popular subscription to buy the release of a prodigal son, pitcher Jimmy Mahady, formerly of Cortland from the Fort Smith club of the Western Association so he could return to the local team.”11

Mahady sank his roots into Salisbury by volunteering to coach the high school baseball team. His final won-lost record for the season was 15-9 in 199 innings pitched.

Mahady opened a new Texaco gas station on Main Street in Salisbury in 1928. He didn’t play in the Indians’ first six games but then hurled a 2-0 shutout in his first appearance. The Eastern Shore League folded in July, making Mahady a free agent.

Mahady was signed by first-place Harrisburg of the NY-Penn League but pitched in only two games. He was released by Harrisburg and signed by the last-place Elmira Colonels of the same league. He performed well for the team and finished with a 4-4 record in eight games.

Mahady began the 1929 season with the Jeannette Jays of the Class C Mid-Atlantic League after being released by Elmira. He was released within a month, having pitched in only three games. He returned to Cortland and pitched in three games for the Cortland Eagles semipro team. His career looked to be over, and he took a position as the doorman with the Cortland Eagles Club.

The month of November 1929 was catastrophic for Mahady. The stock market had crashed in late October. On November 17, he and a friend began the day with a drink before leaving for the Eagles Club.

After they had another drink, they left and ran into two women they knew. The four of them decided to take Mahady’s 1923 Cadillac up to Lafayette, making a few stops at speakeasys in Homer first. On their way back through Cortland, they reached a four-way intersection known as the “Hospital Corner.” This busy spot outside the hospital was difficult because of heavy traffic coming from four directions with neither traffic lights nor stop signs.

It was a dark and rainy night, making visibility difficult. Mahady’s Cadillac had just one wiper, meaning he couldn’t see well to his left or to his right. At the intersection, he failed to slow down. Two pedestrians, Mary and Paul Kiely, were in the crosswalk. Jim never saw them, never braked, and never swerved to avoid hitting them.

Mary Kiely was hit and then dragged by his car. Mahady and a passerby helped carry her into the hospital. Four-year-old Paul Kiely was also injured and carried inside. Mary passed away; early reports erroneously had Paul not surviving as well. Mahady and his three passengers were questioned by the police. The Binghamton Press referred to Jim as the “Death Car Driver.”12

Following the return of an indictment charging Mahady with first-degree manslaughter, his criminal trial began on January 27, 1930. During those proceedings, the passengers in the Cadillac recanted an earlier statement about how much they had to drink. One of them estimated that Jim had at least nine drinks in him when they had the accident. After four hours of deliberation, the jury convicted him of second-degree manslaughter. Thereafter, he was sentenced to a custodial term of six to 12 years in Auburn State Prison.

On April 11, 1930, Mahady arrived at Great Meadows State Prison after being exchanged from Auburn. Warden Hunt had arranged for the “trade” because he needed a pitcher for his Hunt’s All Stars prison baseball team.

The All Stars played in the Twin State League with seven nearby towns consenting to play inside the prison gates. The visitors’ supporters passed through an inspection at the rear gate and sat in the stands on one side of the field. Prisoners marched in and sat in stands on the other side of the field. Hunt’s team destroyed the competition with six wins in a row and withdrew from the league. Mahady’s pitching record was 8-3.

In 1931 the team had become known as Wilson’s Giants, named for Warden Wilson, who replaced Hunt. The New York Giants donated used uniforms, gloves, bats, and balls to the team, perhaps with John McGraw’s approval. Mahady finally got to wear a Giants uniform again.

Mahady became the manager of the team and stepped back from his pitching duties. In December 1933, Prohibition was repealed and Mahady, along with a few other prisoners, had his sentence commuted by Governor Lehman.

He pitched occasionally for teams near Salisbury and even became a beer distributor. Within a year he left his wife and daughter and returned to Cortland. He lived alone in a boarding house in Cortland. After visiting a doctor about chest pain, Jim Mahady passed away from heart disease a day later in Cortland, on Sunday, August 9, 1936. He was just 34. His remains were interred in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Cortland.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Darren Gibson and Rory Costello and checked for accuracy by members of SABR’s fact-checking team.

Sources

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author used Baseball-Reference.com and Findagrave,com, as well as:

New York State Supreme Court – Appellate Division – Third Dept. – People of the State of New York v. James Mahady. (The Reporter Co., Walton, NY, 1930)

Worden, H. J. “Baseball as an Incentive to Reform,” Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, Vol. 115, August 22, 1912: 182.

Personal Correspondence: Brian Kiely, letter dated March 11, 2021.

Notes   

This was the Bill Cunningham who played in the majors from 1910-12, not the Bill Cunningham who was Mahady’s teammate with the Giants.

2 Binghamton (New York) Press and Bulletin, March 6, 1922: 15.

3 “Mahady Signs With Unadilla,” Oneonta (New York) Star, June 30, 1922: 2.

4 “Groton Wins Fifth Game,” Cortland (New York) Standard, October 2, 1922: 4.

5 Birmingham (Alabama) News, July 29, 1923: 37.

6 “Babe Still Collecting and Hitting Them,” The Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Inquirer, November 1, 1923: 22.

7 “Barons Defeat Williamsport in Slugfest Contest,” Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) Times Leader, June 12, 1924: 22.

8 “NY-P Rambles,” Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Telegraph, June 23, 1925: 14.

9 “Gainer Steers Clear of Managerial Cares,” The Sporting News, November 12, 1925: 1.

10 “Cortland Pitcher Doing Well in Western Association,” Cortland Standard, August 5, 1926: 9.

11 “Real Sport Fans,” Cortland Standard,  May 17, 1927: 7.

12 “Cortland Death Car Driver Gets 6 to 12 Years,” Binghamton Press, January 30, 1930: 5.