Originally a barehanded fielder, Corcoran successfully made the transition to gloves
and the 20th century. In Cincinnati he played shortstop alongside Bid McPhee, whose
career was coming to an end, and Miller Huggins, who was just beginning. In his final
season, with the Giants, the 18-year veteran spelled rookie Larry Doyle at second.
Corcoran
survived two collapsed leagues (the Players' League and the American Association)
in his first two seasons, caught on with Brooklyn, and was traded to Cincinnati in
1897. There he excelled for a decade as shortstop and team captain. In 1903, he set
a still-standing ML record for SS with 14 assists in a nine-inning game. Corcoran
ranks high on the lifetime lists for putouts, assists, and total chances. A skillful
sign stealer, he once uprooted an electric signaling device the Phillies had buried
in their third base coaching box (a binocular-equipped observer in the scoreboard
passed along catcher's signs to aid Phillie batters). Corcoran later umpired in several
leagues, including the Federal League.
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»September 17, 1900: Reds SS Tommy Corcoran, coaching at 3B in a game at Philadelphia, uncovers a wire in the coaching box that leads across the OF to the Phils’ locker room There reserve C Morgan Murphy reads the opposing catcher’s signs and relays them to the Phils’ 3B coach by a buzzer hidden in the dirt.
»August 7, 1903:
Reds SS Tommy Corcoran sets a ML mark when he records 14 assists in Cincinnati's 4-2 regulation win over the Cardinals. Lave Cross, in 1897, racked up 15 assists in a 12 inning game.
»July 17, 1907: Battling for 2nd place, the Pirates defeat the Giants, 2-0, pinning the loss on Christy Mathewson. The Giants announce that Tommy Corcoran, the 38-year-old vet whom the Giants picked up before the season started, has been handed his release.
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