Sweeney was born to Irish immigrants Edward and Mary Sweeney in San Francisco, California. He started his professional career in 1881 with the San Francisco Athletics of the California League. Sweeney is often incorrectly listed as playing one game with the National League\'s Providence Grays in 1882; he did not join the team until 1883. That season, he pitched 146.2 innings for the Grays and had a 7-7 win-loss record and a 3.13 earned run average (ERA).\n', '

By 1884, Sweeney and Charles Radbourn were the Grays\' two main pitchers. The 1884 season had 50 fewer scheduled games than today, and most teams got by with two-man starting rotations. Through much of April and May, Sweeney outshone the veteran and ace of the Grays, Radbourn. This created a lot of tension between the two, as Sweeney was seemingly stealing the limelight from the hobbled but proud "Old Hoss." On June 7, 1884, these tensions reached a zenith, when Sweeney took the box and struck out 19 Boston batters to set a major league record that would be tied a few times but not broken for 102 years, until Roger Clemens struck out 20 in a game in 1986. Sweeney was feted upon his return to Providence for days following his accomplishment, much to the bitter jealousy of Radbourn.\n', '

Not long after that, Sweeney suffered arm problems, not uncommon in the day, which sidelined him. The arm trouble may have been a result of his reliance on the "fadeaway", or screwball, which involves turning the wrist outward as the pitch is delivered. This meant Radbourn would suffer the workload of two men, further driving a wedge between the veteran and the upstart. On July 16, Radbourn had a meltdown and was suspended by the team. Sweeney was forced to return to his regular pitching duties, which he did effectively for a time.\n', '

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