John Reilly (baseball)
American baseball player
John Good Reilly (October 5, 1858 – May 31, 1937), nicknamed "Long John", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Stars (1880) and the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds (1883–1891). In 1888, he hit 13 home runs with 103 RBI and a .321 batting average. During and after his baseball career, Reilly was a commercial artist for the Strobridge Lithographing Company.
Early life
Born in 1858, Reilly was the son of a Civil War gunboat captain for the Union named Frank A. Reilly. When his father was killed at the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862, Reilly was sent by his mother to live with some of her relatives in Illinois, and he spent the next several years there.
When he was about 14 years old, Reilly returned to his native Cincinnati to take a course in lithography at a design school. He apprenticed at the Strobridge Lithographing Company, and he played his first organized baseball for the company team. Reilly showed early ability as a catcher, but by 1877, having become a professional artist with Strobridge, he began playing in the infield to avoid hand injuries that might threaten his lithography career.
Career
Reilly played one season for the Cincinnati Stars in the National League (NL) and was out of the major leagues for the following two seasons, playing for the New York Metropolitans in 1882 when it was an independent team. From 1883 to 1891, he played for the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds of the American Association and the NL.
He hit 69 home runs and batted .289 during his ten-year career.
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