Holliday was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and became the first player in major league history to make his debut in the post-season when he was called up, at the age of 18, by the Chicago White Stockings when they needed another outfielder for Game 4 of the 1885 World Series.

[3] In his first season with the Red Stockings, he led the league in home runs with 19, while finishing in the top ten in many offensive categories.

[2] Holliday picked up where he left off the previous season, with an opening day home run off Bill Hutchison in a 5–4 loss to the Chicago Colts.

[4] But after that, his season's power numbers dropped significantly, as he hit only four home runs, tallied 75 RBIs, and had a .270 batting average.

[2] When Holliday's professional baseball career was over, he played for fellow Cincinnatians Julius and Max Fleischmann on their semi-professional Mountain Athletic Club in 1899.

[3] The New York Times reported his illness on February 3, 1910, and as a result, Reds manager Clark Griffith ordered all of the Cincinnati players to be vaccinated before they left for training camp.