Jesse Niles Tannehill
Submitted by Jeff Weimer, 30 November
2003
Dayton's own Cincinnati Reds Baseball Player, born and lived in Dayton.
Jesse Niles Tannehill was born July 14, 1874 in Dayton, Ky, the son of William Tannehill and Julia Jones. He was a 5'8" 150 pound left-handed pitcher, who began his major league career in 1894 with the Cincinnati Reds. He appeared in five games that year and ended the season with a 1-0 record and an earned run average of 7.14 runs per nine innings of pitching.
Reds suffered a special beating to their pride in July 1894 when they played against an amateur team in Paris during a lull in their schedule. In a nine inning game, the Reds were thrashed 13 to 2. Jesse was part of the Reds' pitching staff. He did not return to baseball in the majors for three years. In 1897 he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates and on opening day in Cincinnati in April 1899, he defeated the Reds 5-2.
He later played for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. After that, he pitched, managed and umpired in the minor leagues and joined a team of professionals organized by Harry Steinfeldt, which played an exhibition games against the minor league Newport Brewers.
Tannehill was among one of few pitchers to ever to steal home in the National League, among the top 20 pitchers with a lifetime batting average of .264 and led all National League starting pitchers in 1900 with a batting average of .340. His career record included 197 wins and 116 losses.
When his career was over, Tannehill returned to Northern Kentucky to live. He died September 22, 1956 at Speers Hospital in Dayton and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
Jesse Niles Tannehill 1956 Obituary
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 26 January 1903, page 6
Jesse Tannehill is back from the coast and will rest up at his home at Dayton until the playing season opens. He says all the stars who went West cleared about $700 each besides all expenses. He declares that Mercer was not short in his cash.
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Kentucky Post, Thursday, 30 April 1903, page 6
Jess Tannehill has got into something like last year's form. He held the Athletics safe fro eight innings. They scored four when he let up a trifle.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 25 May 1903, page 6
Jesse Tannehill turned out another winner against St Louis Sunday. Tannehill who was coveted by the Reds for this season, but decided to play with Comisky, occupies last place among the shortstops of the American League.
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Kentucky Post, Saturday, 30 May 1903, page 6
Jess Tannehill pitched the New York Highlanders to victory Friday, defeating Connie Mack's champions.
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Kentucky Post, Saturday, 26 March 1904, page 6
Jesse Tannehill himself is puzzled over his transfer from the New York Americans to the Boston Americans.
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Kentucky Post, Thursday, 18 August 1904, page 6
Jesse Tannehill the Cincinnati boy with the Boston Americans duplicated Cy Young's great record of shutting out an American League team without a hit or run at Chicago Wednesday. Tannehill gave one base on balls and hit one baseman.
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Kentucky Post, Thursday, 29 September 1904, page 5
Jesse Tannehill, the well known baseball player and who has been pitching for the Boston American League, is laid up at his home on Fourth av. Dayton, with a bad sprain. The right groin is affected and he will not be able to fill out the season with his club.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 6 February 1905, page 5
While skating on the Ohio River near his home in Dayton Ky. last Saturday, Lee Tannehill, the third baseman of the Chicago Americans, narrowly escaped death in the icy waters. He was out with a number of friends and decided to cross to the Ohio side of the stream on the ice. His friends watched his progress uneasily but he got more than half was across and they thought him safe. But suddenly there was a crackling sound and he disappeared among broken cakes of ice.
At this point the undercurrent is very strong and it seemed impossible he could get out alive. But Tannehill did not intend to give up without a struggle and made brave fight for his life. He finally managed to get one arm on solid ice and held on until he had recovered his strength. Then he pulled himself up and managed to reach the Kentucky side in safety.
He escape was miraculous for had he been carried under the ice by the strong current nothing could have saved him from death.
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Kentucky Post, Thursday, 9 February 1905, page 6
Old Hard Luck himself is trailing Jesse Tannehill, Boston's American southpaw, who was on the hospital list last autumn and unable to help his club in the last days of an exciting campaign, tumbled on the ice Wednesday and struck on his right shoulder, the weakest spot in his physical makeup. Dr. Schofield and Richards think him seriously injured.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 29 May 1905, page 3
Jesse Tannehill, pitcher of the Boston Americans, came in from Chicago this morning to visit his parents. He pitched for his team yesterday, scoring 8 to 5 against the Chicago.
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See more information on Jesse Niles Tannehill at the Baseball Reference Site