Jimmy Austin

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Jimmy Austin
Third Baseman
Born: December 8, 1879
Died: March 6, 1965 (aged 85)
Batted: Switch	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 19, 1909 for the New York Highlanders
Final game
October 6, 1929 for the St. Louis Browns
Career statistics
AVG	.246
Hits	1328
RBI	390
Teams
As Player New York Highlanders (1909-1910) St. Louis Browns (1911-1926, 1929) As Manager St. Louis Browns (1913, 1918, 1923)
Career highlights and awards
Led AL in sacrifice hits in 1911 with 34

James Phillip "Jimmy" Austin (December 8, 1879 - March 6, 1965) was a professional baseball player and coach.

Austin was born in Swansea, Wales, the son of a shipbuilder. He was one of only two Major League baseball players to be born in Wales (the other being pitcher Ted Lewis). His father moved to the USA in 1885 to find work, and Austin followed in 1887.

After leaving school in 1889, Austin became an apprentice machinist with Westinghouse. After finishing his four-year apprenticeship, Westinghouse went on strike. Austin took up an offer of $40 a month, plus a job, to play independent ball in Warren, Ohio. He returned to Westinghouse that fall, but in the spring of 1904, he signed with the Central League's Dayton, Ohio club.

Austin remained in Dayton until 1907, when he was sold to Omaha in the Western League. He stole 97 bases for Omaha in 1908, and at the end of the season was sold to the New York Highlanders of the American League.

He made his major League debut in 1909 at the relatively advanced age (for baseball) of 28. He played two seasons in New York, but was traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1911 by new Highlanders manager Hal Chase, thus beginning a thirty-year career with the Browns as player and coach.

In 1913, when the Browns' player-manager George Stovall was suspended by the American League for spitting at an umpire, Austin was made manager on a temporary basis, until he was replaced by the legendary Branch Rickey. It was Rickey's first managerial job. Austin continued as Rickey's "Sunday Manager" - Rickey had promised his mother that he would not enter a ballpark on the Christian Sabbath, and therefore Austin managed the Browns on those days.

In this famous photograph, Austin attempts to avoid Ty Cobb's spikes on a stolen base attempt.

Austin played regularly for the Browns until 1921, and served as a coach for another 20 years. In 1929, at the age of 49, Austin became one of the oldest major leaguers in history when he was inserted into a blowout. He cleanly handled two chances at third base, and struck out in his only at bat.

Austin was one of the ballplayers who told his story in Lawrence Ritter's classic book, The Glory of Their Times, from which much of the information in this article came. Austin is also immortalized in the Charles M. Conlon photo as the third baseman trying to avoid Ty Cobb's spikes on a stolen base. Of the play, Austin said, "That's Cobb sliding into third and the other guy is me."

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Jimmy Austin profile provided by sports-wired.com