Sim Bullas
Simeon Edward Bullas (January 11, 1863 – January 14, 1908) was an English born professional baseball player who played catcher in the American Association for the 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings.
| Sim Bullas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: January 11, 1863 England | |
| Died: January 14, 1908 (aged 45) Cleveland, Ohio, United States | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 2, 1884, for the Toledo Blue Stockings | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 23, 1884, for the Toledo Blue Stockings | |
| MLB statistics | |
| At bats | 45 |
| RBI | 0 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Batting average | .089 |
| Teams | |
American newspapers state that Bullas was born in Cleveland, Ohio, [1] on January 1, 1863 [2] although Baseball Reference point to evidence that he was in fact born in Dudley, Staffordshire, England and emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio as a young child[3] As a teenager, he won notice playing for the Malleables and the Shamrocks, two Cleveland amateur teams. He signed with a minor league team in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1883, and played for minor league teams in Oil City, Pennsylvania; Hamilton, Ontario; and Newcastle, Delaware. He made his major league debut with the Toledo Blue Stockings, but left after a year to play for the Chattanooga Lookouts.[1]
Bullas left baseball in 1887 and began working in a foundry in Cleveland owned by British industrialist Francis Ley. In 1892, Ley sent Bullas to the United Kingdom to catch for the Derby Baseball Club, a professional baseball team in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain. After a single season there, he returned to Cleveland. In 1893, former professional baseball players in Cleveland organized a one-off team to play against other retired veterans in other cities. Bullas was loaned to the "old leaguers" team from Detroit, Michigan, who lacked a catcher.[1]
From 1890 until his death, Bullas worked as a stagehand and ticket takers at the Euclid Avenue Opera House in Cleveland.[1]
Sim Bullas died of pneumonia[2] at his home in Cleveland on January 14, 1908.[4] He was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland.[2]
External links
- "Star Catches In Old Days". The Plain Dealer. January 19, 1908. p. 13.
- Chambers, Gail (Spring 2016). "Professional Baseball Players Buried in Woodland Cemetery" (PDF). Woodland Guardian. pp. 10–11. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- "Sim Bullas Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More".
- "Sim Bullas Is Dead". The Plain Dealer. January 15, 1908. p. 6.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)