James Bentley “Cy” Seymour (1878-1919) [Section 14 Lot 46]
Major League Center Fielder and Pitcher; New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves
James Bentley Seymour was born December 9, 1878, in Albany to Theodore L. Seymour and Augusta McClelland. Not much is known about his youth, though U.S. Census records show his father was a carpenter and the family resided on 14 Wilbur Street in Albany. He started to play semi-professional baseball in Plattsburgh and later played in the minor leagues for the Springfield Ponies in Massachusetts. While playing for the Ponies he gained the nickname “The Cyclone” or “Cy” for his blinding left-handed fastball and his name would follow him throughout his 22 year baseball career, playing in the major and minor league.
From 1896 – 1900 Cy played for the New York Giants. His debut on the team the New York Times referred to this wild pitcher as having a “$10,000 arm and a $00,000 head.” In 1898, he led the National League with 25 winning games and had a 3.18 earned run average. Cy suffered from a “dead arm” injury from throwing a screwball, in 1900 and was moved to outfielder permanently for the rest of his time on the team.
With the creation of the American League, Cy joined the Baltimore Orioles and played for two seasons where he reinvented himself as a centerfielder. In 1902 he joined the Cincinnati Reds where he set the record for a .377 batting average, and a .333 batting average during his years on the team, which remains a franchise record. While on the team he most likely met his future wife Agne Sacks, a native of Cincinnati. Cy played for the team until 1906.
In 1906 Cy returned to the New York Giants, being purchased for $10,000, the largest monetary transaction in baseball at the time. He finished the 1906 season batting .286. The following year he suffered from an ankle injury which ended the season early for him. Cy got into altercations with Arlie Latham, the team’s first coach in 1909 resulting in an eight-week suspension. Following his suspension, he injured his right leg, which limited his ability to play for the rest of his career.
Cy played for the Baltimore Orioles in 1910 for a season, before being sold to the Newark Indians. He later became the property of the Los Angeles Angeles but was able to get out of his contract without playing a game for them. In 1913 he played for the Boston Braves, but was released due to too many players on their rosters; later that year he played for the Buffalo Bisons.
During World War I, he was declared unfit for duty and lived in New York City where he worked at the Speedway Shipyards and Bush Terminal. Cy returned to baseball briefly in 1918, playing 13 games for the Newark Bears. However, his time working in the shipyards made him susceptible to pulmonary tuberculosis. He died on September 20, 1919, at age 41. His funeral was attended by many, though no one in organized baseball came. He is buried in the Seymour family plot in an unmarked grave next to his wife, Agnes.
Cy Seymour is the only player apart from Babe Ruth to finish his career with at least 50 home runs, and 50 pitching wins. Sporting Life stated: “that he was one of the most brilliant though erratic pitchers the game ever produced." The Society for American Baseball Research mentions that Cy is "perhaps the greatest forgotten name of baseball," which may be the case as the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY has yet to induct him.