Excuse me while I take a moment to pay homage to my namesake, James “Steamer” Flanagan, whose 28 at bats represents but a cup of coffee in the bigs, but nonetheless a spot in the Baseball Almanac. (and a long career compared to Moonlight Graham) Today, April 20 is Steamer’s birthday. Born in 1881, he would be 125 if still alive today. After the Irishman attended the University of Notre Dame, he worked his way up to the bigs in 1905, as a teammate of the legendary Flying Dutchman, Honus Wagner. Shown below is Steamer’s tobacco-baseball card. Oh, and in case you were wondering, 7 hits in those 28 at bats, including a double and a triple, for a respectable lifetime average of .280. He scored 7 runs for the 8 times he reached base, stealing 3 bases in as many attempts. Tomorrow will be the 59th year since his passing in 1947.
James “Steamer” Flanagan Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac
Steamer Flanagan was born on Wednesday, April 20, 1881, in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Flanagan was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 25, 1905, with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Steamer Flanagan
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James Paul “Steamer” Flanagan (April 20, 1881 – April 21, 1947) was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates just at the end of the 1905 season (September 25-October 7). The 24-year-old rookie, who stood 6’1″ and weighed 185 lbs., was a native of Kingston, Pennsylvania.
Flanagan played well during his time with the Pirates. In seven games he hit .280 (7-for-25) with one double, one triple, three runs batted in, and seven runs scored. He also had three stolen bases. In the field he handled 19 chances flawlessly for a fielding percentage of 1.000.
Two of his famous teammates on the Pirates were future Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke.
Flanagan passed away at the age of 66 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.