Seamheads: Lynch: The Promising Life and Tragic Death of Austin McHenry

Austin McHenry jumped out of my ‘69 Big Mac so fiercely even the Mohs scale tilting cover couldn’t contain him!

McHenry was finally admitted to a hospital in Cincinnati where doctors discovered that the fallen player had a brain tumor.  He went under the knife on October 19, but the surgeon, Dr. George Heuer, couldn’t remove the whole tumor due to its location.  Regardless, the surgeon hoped McHenry would make a full recovery.  Less than a month after the operation, however, The Sporting News questioned whether McHenry would ever be well enough to play ball again.  The paper soon got its answer when McHenry was sent home from the hospital on November 22 with no hope of recovery.

Less than a week later, McHenry died at his home in Mount Oreb on November 27 with his wife and two kids at his side.  Upon hearing the news of McHenry’s death, Rickey issued a statement to the press: “We do not look upon the death of Austin as that of a ballplayer, but as a dear friend.  He was one of our most popular players, and was a particular favorite of the younger fans, especially the young boys.”

The Sporting News was equally eloquent.  “No ball club ever had a more loyal player and there are few outfielders in the game today who are as good as McHenry was at his best.  His death is a distinct loss to baseball.”

McHenry was only 27 years old.