He isn’t nearly as famous as his big brother Ed—nor did he have the demons that led to Big Ed’s early death—but Jim Delahanty was a big leaguer too. And a pretty good one. Good enough to pay a visit to Carl Horner’s studio—the same place where the photograph of Honus Wagner was taken.
An original copy of that photo, dating back 112 years, is the RMY Auctions’ Photo of the Day. The sepia image measures 4” x 5 ½” and features Delahanty wearing his Boston Beaneaters uniform during his first full season in the big leagues. It’s one of more than 1,500 images being sold this Friday.
Jim Delahanty performed well that year, hitting .285 at age 24. His baseball travels would take him to eight different teams in 13 years, not counting a run through the minor leagues. In all, he compiled 1,159 hits and stole 151 bases. He also had a knack for reaching base as a hit batsman, doing it 92 times.
In 1909, he was traded from Washington to Detroit where he helped Ty Cobb’s Tigers on their stretch run that secured a World Series berth. In seven post-season games, Del hit .346 with five doubles.
His career was essentially over by 1915 when he played in the Federal League.
Jim Delahanty became a truck driver in Cleveland and died in 1953.
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