Early career Sweeney attended
St. Ignatius College Prep in
Chicago, Illinois, and played for their baseball team as a
catcher. He also played baseball as a
semi-professional. Sweeney made his
professional baseball debut with the
Columbia Gamecocks of the
Class C South Atlantic League in 1905. He also played for Columbia during the 1906 season. The
Atlanta Crackers of the
Class A Southern Association drafted him from Columbia after the 1906 season. Playing for Atlanta in the 1907 season, Sweeney split time at catcher with
Syd Smith. One day in 1907, while warming up
pitcher Russ Ford, a ball hit a concrete pillar, scuffing it. When Ford threw the ball again, it moved wildly. Ford began to experiment with this effect in secret, not telling Sweeney about it.
Major leagues In 1908, Sweeney made his major league debut for the
New York Highlanders of the
American League on May 16. At the age of 19, he was the fourth-youngest player in the American League that season. When
Kid Elberfeld became the Highlander's manager during the season, he increased Sweeney's playing time. Sweeney had a .146
batting average in 32
games played for the Highlanders in the 1908 season. In 1909, Sweeney batted .267 in 67 games. He led all American League catchers with 20
errors committed. , c. 1914–15 Ford joined the Highlanders in 1910, and told Sweeney about how he had learned to throw the
emery ball following the initial discovery in 1907. Ford taught Sweeney how to catch it and requested that the Highlanders have Sweeney serve as his personal
batterymate. Sweeney batted .231 in 83 games during the 1911 season. He missed the beginning of the 1912 season due to a contract dispute with the team. He still caught 110 games that year, and batted .268. Sweeney led all American League catchers with 114
caught stealings (114). He also led American League catchers with 34 errors. After the 1912 season,
Dave Fultz formed a
union for baseball players, called the Players Fraternity, with Sweeney,
Ty Cobb,
Christy Mathewson, and
Red Dooin serving as vice presidents. In 1913, Sweeney batted .265 in 117 games, and also hit his first two major league
home runs. Sweeney again led the league in caught stealings that year, with 133, but also allowed the most
stolen bases (205) and
passed balls (19). Before the 1914 season, Sweeney came to terms with the
Buffalo Buffeds of the outlaw
Federal League.
Ban Johnson, the president of the American League, intervened in the negotiations. Claimed by both leagues, Sweeney signed with the Yankees for $9,000 ($ in current dollar terms), the largest salary for a catcher to date. Ford jumped to the Federal League before the 1914 season, and Sweeney taught the emery ball to
Ray Keating, a
spitball pitcher. On September 12, 1914, Sweeney caught Keating during a game against the
Philadelphia Athletics.
Eddie Collins became suspicious after
striking out, and asked
Tom Connolly, the
home plate umpire, to inspect the ball. Connolly saw that the ball was scuffed, and investigated Keating's glove, finding
emery paper. Following the discovery, the emery ball was outlawed, punishable with a 30-day suspension and a $100 fine ($ in current dollar terms). Sweeney batted .213 with one home run in 87 games played in 1914.
Later career Sweeney's playing time decreased in 1915; The Yankees demoted him to the
Richmond Climbers of the Class AA
International League in August. The Yankees did not bring Sweeney with them to spring training in 1916, and attempted to buy out the remainder of his contract before the 1916 season. They struggled to find a team that would acquire him, as his salary was tied for the 12th-highest in the league. Sweeney eventually signed with the
Toledo Iron Men of the
Class AA American Association. The Yankees sold Sweeney and Keating outright to Toledo before the 1917 season. With Toledo, Sweeney was reunited with Ford. Commissioned as a
sergeant, he managed U.S. Army baseball teams in 1918, before serving on the front lines in France with the 161st Artillery Brigade. Sweeney returned to the United States in January 1919. The Yankees traded Sweeney to the
Pittsburgh Pirates of the
National League for
Gus Getz and
Hooks Warner before the 1919 season. He had four
hits in 42
at bats (.095 batting average) for the Pirates, before he was released in July. Sweeney signed with the
Seattle Rainiers of the Class AA
Pacific Coast League for the remainder of the 1919 season. The
Kansas City Blues of the American Association purchased Sweeney from Seattle before the 1920 season. He was released to the
San Antonio Bears of the
Class A Texas League after the season. Sweeney returned to Chicago and played semi-professional baseball in 1921, and he signed with the
Racine, Wisconsin, franchise of the
Midwest League, an
independent baseball league, in 1923. ==Personal life==