Alphonse Case "Phonney" Martin (August 4, 1845 – May 24, 1933) was an American professional baseball right fielder and pitcher who played two seasons in the National Association from 1872 to 1873.
[1] Martin, born in New York City, was an American Civil War veteran[2] who played in organized baseball as far back as 1869, when he pitched for the Brooklyn Eckfords.
That year, a reporter for the New York Clipper described him as an "extremely hard pitcher to hit for the ball never comes in a straight line‚ but in a tantalizing curve."
If the observation is true, this would pre-date Candy Cummings, the pitcher given credit as the inventor of the curveball.
[1] That year, he is given credit for managing the Eckfords for nine games, with a record of 1 win and 8 losses.