Harry O'Neill (catcher)
| Harry O'Neill | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 18, 1917 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 6, 1945 (aged 27) Iwo Jima, Marianas Islands |
| Place of burial | Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Unit | 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Purple Heart |
| Harry O'Neill | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catcher | |||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| July 23, 1939, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| July 23, 1939, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Games played | 1 | ||
| Plate appearances | 0 | ||
| Teams | |||
Harry Mink O'Neill (May 8, 1917 – March 6, 1945) was a professional baseball player who appeared in one game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939, as a catcher. O'Neill and Elmer Gedeon were the only two Major League Baseball players killed during World War II.
O'Neill distinguished himself as a very gifted college athlete. At Gettysburg College, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder sometimes called "Porkie," led the school's baseball, football and basketball teams to league championships. After graduation, he was the subject of a bidding war between two American League teams, eventually signing with his hometown Athletics.
As the third-string catcher for the Athletics, O'Neill appeared in just one game, as a late-inning defensive replacement. In a lopsided road loss to the Detroit Tigers on July 23, 1939, O'Neill caught the bottom of the 8th inning, and did not have a plate appearance.
Following his time with the Athletics, O'Neill played in 16 games with the minor league Harrisburg Senators and also played semi-pro basketball and football. After the outbreak of World War II, O'Neill enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942, and rose to the rank of first lieutenant with the Weapons Company, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. In January 1944, he took part in the amphibious assault on Kwajalein. On June 16, 1944, the second day of the Battle of Saipan, he was wounded in the shoulder by shrapnel, then treated for weeks back in the US. He returned to active duty in July, in time to participate in the Battle of Tinian. He was killed by a sniper at Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945. Among his surviving family was his young wife, Ethel McKay O'Neill.
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