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The Double Life and Strange Death of Phils Manager Arthur Irwin

This Phillies history post is sponsored by Shibe Vintage Sports. Check them out for the latest throwback sports apparel!

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Here’s the unbelievable story of Arthur Irwin, manager of the Phillies from 1894-1895. He was quite a character. He is credited with adding fingers to the baseball glove when he was a player (he did so to protect two broken fingers), he was UPenn’s head baseball coach for many years, he was an innovator of the electric scoreboard, and as a pro manager he led one of the best squads in Phillies history, the mid-1890s squad led by Big Ed Delahanty and lefty catcher Jack Clements.