Above Photo of Old Judge N172 Baseball Card John 'Pop' Corkhill covered the outfield ‘with speed and determination’ during the dead ball era. He debuted into the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 1883 and batted .274 in his second season to help the Reds finish in third place in the then 98-game schedule with a 61-37 win-loss record. At a time when most players still fielded barehanded, Pop Corkhill was noted for catching fly balls on the run and in cutting off extra base hits. He led all AA outfielders in fielding average in 1883, 1884, 1887, and 1889 while accumulating an impressive number of putouts and assists. Corkhill had a strong arm and in 1885 he led the league in outfield assists with 35. The muscular 5-ft 10-inches, 180-pound Pop Corkhill hit a career high .311 in 1887. That year, bases on balls were counted as hits. Under those rules, Corkhill, who walked 14 times, was actually credited with a .328 batting average. Late in 1888, the Reds traded him to Brooklyn. Although he batted only .250, he helped his new club win the 1889 AA pennant with a league-leading .949 fielding average. Noted for his strong, accurate throwing arm he even pitched in 17 games during his MLB career. |
