Marty O'Toole
From BR Bullpen
Martin James O'Toole
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
- Debut September 21, 1908
- Final Game October 6, 1914
- Born November 27, 1888 in William Penn, PA USA
- Died February 18, 1949 in Aberdeen, WA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Marty O'Toole had his first cup of coffee in the majors with the 1908 Cincinnati Reds. He returned to the minors and went 19-5 with 207 strikeouts for the Sioux City Packers in 1910. The next season, he struck out 199 batters in 204 innings for the St. Paul Apostles before being acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, by the time he reached the majors, he had developed a "lame arm", and his big league career only lasted through 1914.
O'Toole pitched in exactly 100 major league games.
In the minors he won 31 games for Brockton in 1908 and 26 more for the team in 1909.
The SABR biography of O'Toole indicates that his brothers all played baseball, and Marty mostly grew up in Massachusetts. He was so successful in the minors that several major league teams bid up the price for him. By 1912 Sporting Life reported that the whole family had shoulder problems. O'Toole's main pitch was a spitball. When he failed to be a huge success at the major league level, fans took it out on him verbally. Afterwards he played semi-pro ball and worked at a variety of jobs.
