Johnny O'Brien

John Thomas O'Brien (born December 11, 1930 in South Amboy, New Jersey) is a former backup second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953, 1955-58), St. Louis Cardinals (1958) and Milwaukee Braves (1959). O'Brien batted and threw right-handed. His twin brother, Eddie, is a former major league shortstop.

O'Brien attended Saint Mary's High School in South Amboy, now Cardinal McCarrick High School, where he has been inducted into the school's sports hall of fame. [ [http://www.cardinalmccarrick.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118&Itemid=116 Cardinal McCarrick High School: Hall of Fame] , accessed April 5, 2007]

He attended Seattle University, where he played on the basketball team for the Chieftains (along with his brother Eddie) and scored 43 points in a stunning 84-81 upset over the Harlem Globetrotters on January 21, 1952. [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/55228_globe21.shtml Fifty years ago tonight, Seattle U. upset the mighty Globetrotters] , accessed January 24, 2008] In a six-season career, O'Brien was a .250 hitter (204-for-815) with four home runs and 59 RBI in 339 games played.

While in Pittsburgh, Johnny and Eddie O'Brien became the first twins in major league history to play for the same team in the same game. They are also one of only four brother combinations to play second base/shortstop on the same major league club. The others are Garvin and Granny Hamner, for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945; Frank and Milt Bolling, with the Detroit Tigers in 1958, and Billy and Cal Ripken, for the Baltimore Orioles during the 1980s.

References

External links

* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/O/OBrien_Johnny.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/o'brijo03.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pobrij101.htm Retrosheet]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/submit/Sargent_Jim7.stm 2B/SS combinations]