EAST SIDE BALL PLAYER
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Eddie Eayrs was born on November 10, 1890, in Blackstone, Massachusetts. He would soon move to the East Side of Providence, RI and call the Ocean State home for the rest of his life. Eayrs was a rugged three-sport athlete (football, ice hockey, baseball) at Hope Street High School in Providence. He first attracted press attention as a 15-year-old freshman playing outfield and occasionally taking the mound as a southpaw forming a battery with older brothers Dick and Fred. The Providence Evening Bulletin declared, little ‘Eddie’ Eayrs of Hope is far and away the best outfielder in the league … the most timely hitter.” He made All-Interscholastic in baseball in 1908 (left field) and 1909 (pitcher). His high school team won back to back titles in baseball (1908-09). He was also a standout in the Providence Amateur League, pitching for a club called the Pikes (1908). On the gridiron he made All-Interscholastic at quarterback in 1908 as Hope Street won the state championship as well as the New England championship over powerhouse Waltham High School 4-0 with his master play calling and key field goals in both games. After the game the local press proclaimed Eayrs “one of the greatest schoolboy generals who ever played the game,” “the best high school quarterback in New England,” and “without doubt the best all-around quarterback who ever represented any local school.”
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He transferred to Morris Heights School, an exclusive Providence prep academy, his senior year where he captained the football team in the fall and starred on the baseball field the following spring. In the summer he pitched the Valley Falls club (including a 17 strikeout game against St. Mary's) to the championship of the semipro Inter-City League. He was also selected to the circuit all-star nine by the Evening Bulletin. Returning to Morris Heights for a postgraduate year as a 20-year-old, Eayrs began to attract Major League attention. He led the team with a .500 average while pitching prep school, amateur, and semipro ball in 1911. In 1912 Eayrs enrolled in Brown University and became the pitching mainstay of a Bears team that posted an outstanding 17-3 record.
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At the conclusion of the Brown season Eayrs signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1913 embarking on 15 seasons of professional baseball. He started with the Columbus Senators (A) in the American Association before making his debut in the big leagues on June 30, 1913. Coming on in relief in Chicago with the Pirates Eayrs surrendered five base hits and five walks over four innings but registered four strikeouts and held the opposition to only two runs. He also singled in his only at-bat. He continued to be both a pitcher and an outfielder in pro ball playing from 1914-19 in the minor leagues with Columbus Senators (AA), Louisville Colonels (AA), and Providence Grays (AA, B, A). On August 12, 1918 Eddie Eayrs Day was celebrated at Rocky Point Park against Buffalo Bisons at Melrose Park.
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He returned to the Majors in 1920 with the Boston Braves. He was handed the ball for the 1920 season opener against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds and was the hero holding the Giants scoreless over the first seven innings. He also singled and scored a run getting credit for the 6-3 win. He hit .328 and had a .410 on-base percentage and was the only player on the Braves who hit over .300 that season. In 1921 he played for the Braves and Brooklyn Robins. He finished his career with seven minor league seasons in New Haven Indians and Profs (A), Toronto Maple Leafs (AA), Worcester Panthers (A) and back to the Providence Rubes and Grays (A) in the Eastern League. He won three Eastern League batting titles in 1918 (.331) and 1919 (.354) with the Providence Grays and 1925 (.357) with the Worcester Panthers. 1926 was highlighted with winning the Eastern League Championship with Providence. He also was player/manager for the Providence Grays (1918-19 & 1927) and the Worcester Panthers (1923 & 1925). He finished with a .306 career in the Big Leagues and in almost 1,200 minor league games Eayrs posted a .312 career batting average and a 43-31 (.581) career pitching mark. At the helm in Providence and Worcester for parts of five seasons, Eayrs compiled a 154-181 (.460) mark. After ending his career in 1927 he played semipro ball on weekends but a professional comeback attempt was ended after the New Haven Profs cut him early in the 1929 season. Eayrs returned to the game serving as head coach of the Brown University team (1942-48) going 22-57-1 (.281) during his tenure.
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