Danny Lynch (baseball)

Matthew Daniel Lynch Jr. (February 7, 1926 – June 30, 1978) was an American professional baseball player.

The 1947 edition of The Rotunda, SMU's yearbook, includes a baseball team photo with both Lynch and future Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker.

Lynch's father, who shared the same name, had played in the minor leagues for a decade as a middle infielder.

He played briefly in Major League Baseball, for the Chicago Cubs in 1948.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Lynch was a paratrooper in the United States Army during World War II.

After the war, he attended Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he played both baseball and basketball.

The younger Lynch was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in June 1948, and played 91 games for the minor league Waco Pirates.

However, in September 1948, Lynch was declared a free agent after Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler ruled that the Pirates had hired the elder Lynch as a scout as a way to hide a bonus payment.

Lynch was then signed by the Chicago Cubs on September 7, and married on September 8.

A week after being signed, Lynch played in Major League Baseball for the Cubs, appearing in seven games through the end of the 1948 season; one as a second baseman, one as a pinch runner, and five as a pinch hitter.

In seven major league at bats, he had two hits, including a home run off of Johnny Sain, for a .286 batting average and a .714 slugging percentage.

Lynch did not return to the major leagues, but he played in the minor leagues through 1954, including over 300 games at the Triple-A level.

After retiring from baseball, Lynch became a lawyer in Texas.

He died in an automobile accident in June 1978 in Plano, Texas.