Cy Seymour

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Cy Seymour baseball card, circa 1910

James Bentley Seymour

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.

Debut April 22, 1896
Final Game July 17, 1913
Born December 9, 1872 in Albany, NY USA
Died September 20, 1919 in New York, NY USA

BR page

1 Biographical Information
2 Records Held
3 Notable Achievements
4 Related Sites

[edit] Biographical Information

Cy Seymour was a good pitcher for a few years in the 19th Century, and then a good hitter for much longer in the 20th Century. As a pitcher, he led the league in strikeouts in 1898, and then as a hitter, he led the league with a .377 batting average in 1905. The only player in baseball history who has both more wins and also more hits than Seymour is Babe Ruth.

Nowadays, when we use the name "Cy" to talk about a pitcher, we are referring to the pitcher as a new Cy Young. The same was the case with "Cy" Seymour, whose given name was not Cyrus but James. Young had already been a star for several years when Seymour made a name for himself (Of course, Cy Young's own real name was Denton, not Cy).

He played semi-pro ball in Plattsburg and minor league ball in Springfield prior to coming to the majors. Although Cy Seymour the pitcher won games, and had oodles of strikeouts, he also led the league in walks, and was moved to the outfield as his ERA's started to be less impressive. However, there is no question he had some success as a pitcher, with his 3.37 ERA in 1897 good enough for # 8 in the league, and his 25 wins in 1898 good enough for # 6 in the league. He was first or second in the league in strikeouts 1897-99.

As a hitter, he started hitting .300+ in 1899, and did so for much of his career, even in some of the dead ball era years. Although 1905 was his monster year, he was in the top ten in doubles three separate times, the top ten in triples three times, and the top ten in homers five times.

He played for manager John McGraw twice, the first time with the Baltimore Orioles and the second time when he returned to the New York Giants. He was in the minors in 1911 and 1912 with Baltimore and Newark before coming back briefly to the majors in 1913. He also played 13 games for Newark in 1918, the year before he died. He worked in shipyards during World War I, and contracted tuberculosis.