McCarthy's statistics are unimpressive for a Hall of Famer, but his creative innovations
left an indelible mark on the game. He hit .300 only four times in 13 seasons and
had a lifetime fielding percentage of .897, and was at his best from 1892 to 1895
when he and
Hugh Duffy were "the Heavenly Twins" in the Boston outfield. McCarthy
had played for manager
Frank Selee's Oshkosh champions in the North Western League
in 1887, and after four years in the American
Association was reunited with Selee
in Boston. Selee encouraged innovative baseball, and McCarthy is credited with perfecting,
if not inventing, the hit-and-run; runner-to-batter signals; and an outfield trap,
designed to freeze forced baserunners, where if the runner stayed on base McCarthy
would trap the ball and get at least a forceout and possibly a double play. After
retiring as a player, McCarthy scouted, coached several colleges, and ran a bowling
alley and saloon with Duffy. The Veterans Committee elected him to the Hall of Fame
in 1946.
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