Billy O'Brien

For other people named William O'Brien, see William O'Brien (disambiguation).

Billy O'Brien
Third Baseman
Born: (1860-03-14)March 14, 1860 Albany, New York
Died: May 26, 1911(1911-05-26) (aged 51) Kansas City, Missouri
Batted: Right	Threw: ??
MLB debut
September 27, 1884 for the St. Paul Saints
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1890 for the Brooklyn Gladiators
Career statistics
Batting average	.256
Home runs	32
Runs batted in	206
Teams
As Player St. Paul Saints (1884) Kansas City Cowboys (1884) Washington Nationals (1887–1889) Brooklyn Gladiators (1890)
Career highlights and awards
National League home run champion: 1887

William Smith O'Brien (March 14, 1860 – May 26, 1911) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He was a native of Albany, New York.

O'Brien played for the St. Paul Saints and Kansas City Cowboys, both of the Union Association, in 1884. He also played for the National League Washington Senators (1887–1889) and the Brooklyn Gladiators (American Association) (1890). His best season was 1887 when he led the National League in home runs with 19. (Hall of Fame first baseman Roger Connor finished second with 17.) He also led his own team that year in runs batted in with 73.

O'Brien's career totals include 356 games played, 364 hits, 32 home runs, 206 RBI, and a lifetime batting average of .256. He even had a 1–0 record as a pitcher, appearing twice in relief for the Saints during his rookie season.

He died in 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball home run champions

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Retrosheet

Preceded by Dan Brouthers & Hardy Richardson

National League Home Run Champion 1887

Succeeded by Jimmy Ryan