Stuffy McInnis

John Phalen McInnis
(Jack)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9½", Weight 162 lb.
• High School Gloucester (MA) High School
• Debut April 12, 1909
• Final Game August 1, 1927
• Born September 19, 1890 in Gloucester, MA USA
• Died February 16, 1960 in Ipswich, MA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"A stone wall in defense, an irresistible force in offensive play, it is a matchless machine, in all human probability the finest that has ever been gathered together." - from an article in Sporting Life, July 1913, called The Greatest Infield in the History of Baseball, about the '$100,000 infield' of which McInnis was a part

Stuffy McInnis was a major star during the time of Ty Cobb. Stuffy's career ran from 1909 to 1927, and he also managed in 1927. After his career, he coached at Harvard University.

Supposedly, he got his nickname because his play as a youth yielded spectator comments of "that's the stuff".

McInnis, who broke in as a shortstop, was soon moved to first base, an important defensive position in the era. He showed good range and made few errors. In 1921, he made only 1 error all season, for a .999 fielding percentage. He set a record for most total chances without an error (over 1,300).

His hitting was good in the first few years, but it gradually fell off as he aged. His best year was 1912, when he hit .327 with 13 triples and 101 RBI.

McInnis appeared in five World Series, with his teams winning 4 of the 5. In 1911, 1913, and 1914, he was part of the famous "$100,000 infield" with Home Run Baker, Eddie Collins, and Jack Barry. In 1918, he was part of the Boston Red Sox World Series team, with Babe Ruth and Carl Mays pitching so effectively to win the Series. In 1925, he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates who beat Walter Johnson's Washington Senators.

His .368 batting average was the best on the 1925 Pirates.

Lifetime, his 2405 hits put him # 98 on the all-time list, and his 383 sacrifice hits put him at # 3 on the all-time list.

Based on the similarity scores method, the most similar players to McInnis are Charlie Grimm and Hal Chase. Hall of Famer Lloyd Waner is also on the list, although Waner played in a lively ball era while McInnis spent most of his career in the run-scarce dead-ball era.

Notable Achievements

• AL Singles Leader (1914)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1912)
• Won five World Series with the Philadelphia Athletics (1910, 1911 & 1913) (he did not play in the 1910 World Series), the Boston Red Sox (1918) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1925)

Preceded by Art Fletcher

Philadelphia Phillies Manager 1927

Succeeded by Burt Shotton

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1927	Philadelphia Phillies	National League	51-103	8th	Philadelphia Phillies
1928	Salem Witches	New England League	51-50	5th	none

Related Sites

• Stuffy McInnis at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Stuffy McInnis