From a photo of the 1890 Spokane club	Michael Lynch Born: December 20, 1861 Died: November 30, 1929 Goto Baseball Reference for Michael Lynch rf Majors: No
	Minneapolis Position: rf First game: May 13, 1888 Last game: May 13, 1888 # of games: 1	Filled in for one day only; the St. Paul Globe notes on May 14, 1888 that Lynch was put in right field.

Mike Lynch appeared in one game for Minneapolis, on May 13, 1888. The St. Paul Globe noted "Mike Lynch was put into right field, and his work there was the feature of the game. He covered first base like a wall and took in two flies of a most difficult character" (May 14, 1888). He got one hit in three at-bats, caught the two flies, and had one assist. The Minneapolis Star Tribune 'credits' him with one error, while the Globe does not. The game was the first home game of the season for Minneapolis, and about 3000 fans witnessed the 8-3 loss to Milwaukee.

Lynch was well known to fans of baseball in Minneapolis by 1888. In 1885 he was working as a boilermaker in the Milwaukee car shop and playing baseball with the shop club. He joined the Minneapoils club in May, but the club never gained entry into a league. In 1886 he started the season with Eau Claire in the Northwestern League, but by late June he was playing with Minneapolis. He stayed with Minneapolis through the end of the season. He was back with the Minneapolis team again at the end of the 1887 season for a handful of games, and indications were that he would be retained by Minneapolis for the 1888 season as it joined the Western Association. He ended up playing just the one game with the club when they returned from their season-opening road trip. There are indications he played for Fargo in 1887 and out in Colorado in 1888, but that is not clear in the record.

Lynch turned up next in 1890, playing with Spokane in the Pacific Northwest League. John Barnes, the manager of the Spokane club, was the manager of St. Paul club for many years and undoubtedly knew Lynch from there. The Spokane Daily Chronicle wrote "Mike Lynch is a fair sized chunk of humanity. He is 24 years of age and is a hale companion and a good base ballist" (April 12, 1890). He played mostly third base for the Spokane club. He was released prior to the end of the season, but stayed in Spokane working as a boilermaker.

In November 1890, Lynch stabbed and killed William Fitzner outside a bar. The jury determined the death was accidental, as Fitzner staggered into the knife while Lynch was holding it. He was released and vansihed from the record. Or did he?

Baseball-Reference identifies a Mike Lynch who played one game with Minneapolis in 1894. He played with Adrian in the Michigan State League in 1895, and in 1896 he played third base with Fort Wayne in the Interstate League. The Fort Wayne Sentinel reported that "Mike Lynch, infielder, came from Minneapolis, Minnesota," started in Spokane in 1890 and 1891, and then played with Burlington in 1892 and 1893, Minneapolis in 1894, and Adrian in 1895 (April 16, 1896).

The direct connection between the two Mike Lynches is confirmed in an article in the Minneapolis Journal on March 12, 1904.

"Mike Lynch, the veteran ball player, who was a member of the Minneapolis team in '85 and '86, has been in the city this week on business and incidentally has been renewing old acquaintances. Lynch was grounds keeper for the Minneapolis team in 1893 and 1894 under the John S. Barnes-Tom Murphy regime. After leaving here, he played third base for George Tebeau's Fort Wayne team."

It noted he was working for a manufacturing firm in Fort Wayne at the time.

Following the 1896 season, Lynch took a job in South Bend, Indiana, dressing tools for the stone cutters at the new court house. He played for, and then also managed, the South Bend club in 1897. The following season he was the manager and sometimes player for South Bend. He still lived in South Bend in 1900. "Mike Lynch, of this city, was third baseman and manager of the old Adrian team several years ago" (South Bend Tribune, July 27, 1900).

The Fort Wayne newspapers continued to mention Lynch over the years. In April 1901, the Sentinel noted "Michael Lynch, a boilermaker in the employ of the Wabash, has been transferred here from Toledo. He is a ball player and several years ago was a member of the Fort Wayne club" (April 10, 1901). A few weeks later, the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette indicated he had resigned his position as boilermaker to join the St. Paul base ball club (April 23, 1901), although there is no indication of this in the St. Paul newspapers at the time. In 1908, the Journal-Gazette again mentioned Lynch. "Mike Lynch, of the boiler shop team, who used to be one of the crack ball players of the city in the early days..." (August 15, 1908).

Mike Lynch, boiler maker, appeared in the Minneapolis street guide intermittantley in the 1880s and 1890s, starting in 1883. In 1887, he shared an address with John Lynch, a watchman. In 1888, there are separate entires for Mike Lynch, ball player, and Mike Lynch, boiler maker. In 1894, there is again a Mike Lynch, boiler maker, with the same address as John Lynch, blacksmith, and in 1896, teamster William Lynch is also identified at the same address. That is the final entry in the Minneapolis street guides. However, in the 1900 Census, boilermaker Mike Lynch was living in South Bend with wife Marian and a daughter, May. Mike Lynch, of Minnesota, married Marian Sharp on January 12, 1896 at her parent's house in Angola, Indiana (Angola Herald, January 15, 1896).

The 1900 Census gives Mike's date of birth as November, 1862. He wife was born in September, 1869, and daughter May (age 18) was born in May, 1882. The age of May indicates she was a daughter Mike had before he wound up in Minneapolis. By 1910 Mike and Marian were living in Angola with he parents; they had no children, per the entry. The Census indicates Mike was born in 1863 "at sea". Mike is listed in the 1911 Fort Worth street directory as a traveling boiler maker for the Western Gas Company of Fort Wayne (with no address), for whom he supervised the installation of gas tanks at power plants across the country.

Mike Lynch died of pneumoina on November 30, 1929. He is buried in the Circle Hill Cemetery in Angola with his wife (who died in 1941) and in-laws. He was still working for the Western Gas Company at the time of his death. His death certificate places his birth on December 20, 1861 in Russ Point, New York. His parents were John and Ellen (Stack) Lynch, from Ireland. This information hasn't been enough to identify Mike in the Census records before he ended up in Minnesota in the early 1880s. No additional information is available about May Lynch from the 1900 Census.

Date	Pos	AB	R	BH	2B	3B	HR	SB	PO	A	E	BB	HPB	K
5-13-1888	rf	3	0	1				0	2	1	1
1 Games		3	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	0