[RUKen]

Harry O'Hagan 1892
The rookie date for O'Hagan is a bit misleading--he played one game for Washington as a replacement catcher on September 24, 1892, and then did not reappear in the major leagues until 1902, when he played a total of 62 games for Chicago (NL), New York, and Cleveland, primarily as a first baseman. (The photo is from a Chicago newspaper in April 1902.) His last major league game was on July 17th of that year, after which he returned to the minor leagues, and made what was then described as the greatest defensive play in baseball. From his SABR biography: (On August 18th), when O’Hagan took the field (as a first baseman for Rochester) in the bottom of the second inning at Jersey City, the sparse Monday afternoon crowd in West Side Park could have had no inkling they were about to see something that had never happened before on an Organized Baseball diamond. With none out, Jersey City right fielder George Shoch was on second base while second baseman Mickey Doolan occupied first. O’Hagan charged the plate, anticipating catcher John Butler would sacrifice. When Butler popped up his bunt attempt between the mound and the first-base line, O’Hagan snatched it off his shoe tops and then raced to first base, beating Doolan to the bag. He then turned and upon seeing Shoch on third base in the belief that O’Hagan had dashed to first to retire Butler, he sprinted toward second since no one was covering it and reached the base a few steps ahead of Shoch. It is the first known unassisted triple play in professional baseball history.