Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame

Class of 2009

Steve Garvey

  • Played in NL record 1,207 consecutive games as part of baseball’s most enduring infield with fellow Dodgers Davey Lopes (2B), Bill Russell (SS), and Ron Cey (3B)

  • 1974 NL MVP, 1981 World Series Champion, 3x NLCS MVP, 4x Gold Glove Award winner, six 200-hit seasons

  • One of the most popular players of his era; 10x All Star, twice was the game’s MVP

  • Involved in numerous civic and charitable boards and foundations; Recipient of the Bill Shea Award (Little League's Highest Honor), Lou Gehrig Award (ALS Spirit Award) MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award for charitable service, and M.S. (Hope Chest) Meritorious Award

  • Family roots in Co. Cork, has visited Ireland many times

Walter O'Malley

  • Longtime owner of the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers; winner of four World Series and 11 NL pennants

  • Tried for more than ten years to build a new stadium in Brooklyn and when unsuccessful, pioneered baseball’s western migration

  • Dodger Co-Owner, VP and Legal Counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947

  • 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee

  • Bronx native with family roots in County Mayo       

Paul O'Neill

  • Passionate player called “The Warrior” by George Steinbrenner

  • Five-time World Series Champion with Reds (1990) and Yankees (1996, 1998-2000)

  • Won AL batting title in 1994; compiled a lifetime BA of .288 with 281 HR and 1,269 RBI

  • Color commentator for the Yankees on YES Network

Jim Joyce

  • MLB umpire for more than two decades; known for distinctive “Strike!” call

  • Has umpired in 1999 and 2001 World Series, five LCS, and two All-Star Games

  • Supports UMPS CARE, which provides financial and in-kind support for America’s youth and families in need

  • Relative of the great Irish writer James Joyce

  • Family roots in Connemara and Tipperary

Connie Mack

  • Born Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy to Famine Irish immigrants
  • Owned Philadelphia A's for 50 years, honored with ticker tape parade in NYC
  • Winningest manager in baseball history (3,731 wins); led five World Series champions
  • Known as “The Grand Old Man of Baseball," he managed AL in the first All-Star Game
  • Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937

Kevin Costner

  • Star of several baseball-themed films, including the oft-quoted Bull Durham (1988), the beloved Field of Dreams (1989), and For The Love of the Game (1999)

  • Has participated in MLB All-Star Celebrity Hitting Challenge and other pro-am charity baseball  events

  • Loves to play baseball even more than he loves watching it

  • Claims Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry