Diamond State BBC to Honor 19th Century Player Fergy Malone at Home Opener

Delaware City, Delaware, May 1, 2014 – A tribute has been planned by a local vintage base ball club to recognize an obscure 19^th century player, who proved to be a transformative figure in early development and popularity of baseball in the state of Delaware and elsewhere.  The Diamond State Base Ball Club (DSBBC) will honor Fergus George “Fergy” Malone prior to their Saturday, May 17^th home opening match at Fort DuPont State Park in Delaware City with the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia. 

Well-known during his time, Malone’s accomplishments to baseball, like many 19th century players, have been forgotten over time.  Malone, one of the first Irish born players to play baseball, starred as a pitcher for the original Diamond State Club of Wilmington in 1866, the first complete season of organized baseball in Delaware’s history.  He went on to have a successful amateur and professional career as a player in the 1860’s and 1870’s, including with the original world champion Athletic Club of Philadelphia. 

Festivities honoring Malone and featuring his descendants, who will be in attendance, begin at 12:45 p.m.  The first pitch for the Diamond State-Athletic double-header is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  The clubs will play a pair of 1860’s baseball games according to the rules and customs of the era in which Malone originally played.

Both Diamond State and the Athletic, members of the Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League, use period-correct, reproduction equipment and uniforms and the old time rules to demonstrate how the game was played during the 1860’s.  The post-Civil War era was the nascent period during which time baseball was developing into America’s National Pastime.  While the play on the field will be immediately recognizable, those in attendance will notice many differences between the old and modern games, including a lack of gloves and protective equipment and pitchers that deliver the ball in an underhand fashion.

Fort DuPont State Park admission for the event is $3 for adults (ages 12 and over) and $2 for children (ages 3-11).  Children ages 2 and under are admitted free of charge.  Parking is included in the cost of admission.  Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, as the park provides no seating.

ABOUT FERGY MALONE:  Born in County Tyrone, Ireland in August 1842, Malone was a fine cricket player in his native land of Ireland.  When he arrived in Philadelphia as a young man, he discovered that those skills translated well to base ball.

Throughout the 1860’s, Malone developed into one of the finest hitters of his day and his superior athleticism was demonstrated by his ability to play any position on the field.  His first foray onto the baseball diamond occurred in 1864, when he began playing infield positions with the amateur Athletic BBC of Philadelphia.  After returning from volunteer military service in the Union Army, Malone enlisted to play with the Keystone BBC of Philadelphia. 

In 1866, Fergy was persuaded to relocate to Wilmington to play for the Diamond State BBC, a club that had formed the previous September.  In his one and only season with Diamond State, Malone’s performance as pitcher was nothing short of brilliant.  He won every game he pitched, was the club’s most consistent hitter and led Diamond State to the Delaware state championship.

Malone went on to have a long amateur and professional career with the Quaker City of Philadelphia (1867), Olympic of Washington, DC (1868-69), Athletic of Philadelphia (1870-72 and 1875-76), White Stocking of Philadelphia (1873 and 1875), White Stocking of Chicago (1874), Quickstep of Wilmington (1883) and Keystone of Philadelphia (1884).  A catcher for much of his career, Malone is recognized by baseball historians as having revolutionized the position.  Without protective equipment, catching was a physically demanding position during the 1860’s and 1870’s.  Malone was one of the first catchers to play the position close to batters to gain an advantage over stealing base runners, despite the obvious physical risks.  He is also believed to be one of the very first players to wear protective equipment, when he sported thin gloves on his hands behind the plate.

Malone managed numerous amateur and professional teams through the 1870’s and 1880’s, usually as a player-manager, and even served a short stint as a National League umpire in 1884, before retiring from baseball in 1887.  He died in Seattle, Washington on January 18, 1905 and is buried at New Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia.