Bob O'Farrell
Robert Arthur O'Farrell

Bats Right
Throws Right
Height 5'9.5
Weight 180

Born October 19, 1896
Waukegan, IL
Died Febraury 20, 1988
Waukegan, IL

Batting  

 Year Ag Tm     G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS    BA  lgBA   SLG lgSLG   TB 
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 1929 32 HAR       111   35   4   1   3   13   12                     4      .315  .265  .450  .391   50 
 1930 33 HAR        98   23   8   0   3   10   23                     2      .235  .280  .408  .430   40 
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
  2 Seasons        209   58  12   1   6   23   35                     6      .278  .272  .431  .410   90
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 Career High       111   35   8   1   3   13   23                     4      .315  ----  .450  ----   50
+-----------+----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+
 Year Ag Tm     G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS    BA  lgBA   SLG lgSLG   TB 

Managerial Record  

 Year Ag Tm     G    W    L   Pct.  FIN    GB                           
+-----------+----+----+----+------+-----+----+
 1936 39 HAR  126   66   60   .524   3      9              
 1937 40 HAR  154  104   50   .669   1    +23  DBS CHAMPION
 1938 41 HAR  154   89   65   .578   1     +4  DBS CHAMPION    
 1939 42 HAR  154  100   54   .649   1    +31  DBS CHAMPION
 1940 43 HAR  154   78   76   .506   2     10 

 1941 44 HAR  154   79   75   .513   1     +2 
 1942 45 HAR  154   76   78   .494   3      6 
 1943 46 HAR  154   86   68   .558   1     +2 
 1944 47 HAR  154  100   54   .649   1    +17 
 1945 48 HAR  154  100   54   .649   1    +31 

 1946 49 HAR  154   72   82   .468   3     22 
 1947 50 HAR  154   58   96   .377   4     34 
 1948 51 HAR  154   67   87   .435   4     35 
 1949 52 HAR  154   80   74   .519   2      8 
 1950 53 HAR  154   83   71   .539   1     +1 

 1951 54 HAR  154   72   82   .468   4      7 
+-----------+----+----+----+------+-----+----+
 14 Seasons  2436 1309 1127   .537            
+-----------+----+----+----+------+-----+----+
 Year Ag Tm     G    W    L   Pct.  FIN    GB                           



Transactions

January 22, 1929: Signed as a Free Agent by Harlem.


Biography
Bob O'Farrell was born just outside Chicago, Illinois, and grew up emulating White Sox catcher Billy Sullivan. His boyhood dream lead him to 21 seasons behind the plate, including a stint as a manager, an MVP award, and a key figure in one of the most memorable World Series moments in history.
Born in 1896, O'Farrell's father was a die-hard White Sox fan. It was at a game that young Bob saw Hitless Wonder backstop Billy Sullivan, and decided that he wanted to be a catcher. As fate would have it, O'Farrell signed to play in Chicago, but it was for the Cubs, not the Sox. At age 18 and fresh out of high school, O'Farrell was the number 4 catcher on the team, behind future Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan, Jimmy Archer and Bubbles Hargraves. Seeing limited action (6 games in his first 3 seasons), O'Farrell finally got some playing time in 1918, including playing in his first World Series, which the Cubs dropped to the Boston Red Sox.
Slowly, O'Farrell came into his own, becoming the starting catcher for the Cubs. He hit .324 in 1922 and .319 in 1923. After being sidelined when a foul tip fractured his skull, he came back and started slowly in 1925. That's when he was dealt to the St Louis Cardinals, and had his best years.
O'Farrell finished strong in '25, batting .278. In 1926, however, his leadership skills, along with a .293 average, aided the St Louis Cardinals to a pennant and World Championship over the New York Yankees. O'Farrell was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player. He batted .304 in the Series, and was behind the plate for one of baseball's most famous strikeouts.
In the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 7, the Cards are leading the Yankees, 3-2. Jesse Haines is pitching, and the Yanks loaded up the bases with two outs and Tony Lazzeri at the plate. Cardinals manager Rogers Hornsby decides to put in Grover Cleveland Alexander. Alexander is near the end of a great career, and had been sleeping off a night of binge drinking in the bullpen.
“Can you do it?” Hornsby asked.
“I can try,” Alexander replied sheepishly.
After O'Farrell told him to pitch low and outside. The first pitch to Lazzeri was high, and Lazzeri hit a line drive into the seats, just barely foul. After that, Alexander fired two past the Yankee hitter to end the inning and the threat. Alex shut New York down in the 8th and 9th innings to seal the championship to the Cardinals.
After Hornsby was traded following the World Series, Bob O'Farrell was handed the Cardinals' managing job. Despite finishing 1.5 games out in 1927, O'Farrell was relieved of his managing duties, and shortly into the 1928 season, he was dealt to the New York Giants for George Harper. He had two seasons over .300 before being sent back to the Cardinals in 1933.
In January of 1934, O'Farrell was sent to the Cincinnati Reds along with Syl Johnson, where O'Farrell was named the Reds manager. He was fired after the Cubs won only 30 of their first 90 games. He went to the Cubs, before finishing up with the Cardinals in 1935.
O'Farrell was a big fan of spitting. He was known to spit tobacco juice on batters' socks as they dug in at the plate. This lead to a fight, as Lefty Tyler took offense to his newly-tainted spikes and hit O'Farrell in the throat. O'Farrell was also known for using the gap in his teeth to spit seeds or BB's at the breasts of woman spectators.
O'Farrell died in 1988 at the age of 91.


I did get a little discouraged at times, but I guess you do in any job. Of course, when you play every day it gets to be sort of like work. But somehow, way down deep, it's still play. Just like the umpire says: "Play Ball!". It is. It's "play".
Bob O'Farrell, Glory of Their Times



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