Hugh Daily

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Hugh Daily
Pitcher
Born: July 17, 1847
Baltimore, Maryland
Died: Unknown
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 1, 1882
for the Buffalo Bisons
Final game
August 21, 1887
for the Cleveland Blues
Career statistics
Win-Loss     73-87
ERA     2.92
Strikeouts     846
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Led the Union Association in strikeouts in 1884 with 483
  • Threw a no-hitter on September 13, 1883
  • Struck out 19 batters in one game
  • Tied for most one-hitters in a season (1884)

Hugh Ignatius Daily, born Harry Criss[1] (July 17, 1847 – ?[2]), was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played a total of six seasons, for seven different teams while playing in three different leagues (the National League, Union Association and American Association).[3] He was nicknamed "One Arm" Daily[2] because he lost his left hand to a gun accident. To compensate for this injury, he fixed a special pad over the affected area and caught the baseball by trapping it between the pad and his right hand.[4][5] Sometimes, after long games of having to catch baseballs this way, his stump would become sensitive – so sensitive in fact, that he once punched his catcher for not heeding his warning to throw the balls back to him softer.[6] Known for having a bad disposition, he has been described as surly,[4] and having a volatile temper.[7] Other sources add to that: mean, contemptuous, and uncommunicative. While this behavior was not well-liked by the baseball establishment, he was popular with the home crowds because of his verbal tirades against umpires and opposing players alike.[6]

Contents

[edit] Early career

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Daily first played professionally around the Baltimore area, often receiving more lucrative offers to play in more prominent leagues, all of which he declined, to stay in the local area instead.[7] His reputation, along with actions such as verbally assaulting umpires and fans alike, forced him to move on, which landed him in New York City playing for the Metropolitans, which was an all-professional club but hadn't joined a major league at this point. They finally joined the National League in 1883.[7] He became the team's ace pitcher, winning 38 games, including notable victories against Cap Anson's Chicago White Stockings, and most of the other top teams in the country at the time.[7]

[edit] Major league career

Daily's performance that season caught the eye of major league teams, and he signed with the Buffalo Bisons for the 1882 season. Although he had to pitch alongside future Hall of Famer Pud Galvin, he was able to pitch in 29 games, winning 15 of them.[7]

He was playing for the Cleveland Blues of the National League when he pitched a no-hitter on September 13, 1883 against the Philadelphia Quakers, a 1-0 victory.[7][8] He finished the season with a respectable 23-19 win/loss record and a 2.42 earned run average, although he did lead the league with 99 walks[2] – a remarkable total, given that in 1882 and 1883 walks were issued after seven balls rather than four.

For the 1884 season, he feasted on the upstart Union Association's lack of talent, pitching for the Chicago Browns (which became the Pittsburgh Stogies), and for the Washington Nationals later on. He finished with a 28-28 win/loss record, but did have a low 2.43 ERA,[3] and set a few records in that lone season for the Association. Daily struck out a total of 483 batters that season, a record that was surpassed only in 1886 by both Matt Kilroy (513), and Toad Ramsey (499).[9] Among the season total, he struck out 19 batters in a game,[10] on July 7, tying Charlie Sweeney.[11] Recently his reported 19-strikeout game was upgraded to 20[12] when it was discovered that a batter had struck out but reached first base when the pitch got away from the catcher. This meant that Daily did not just tie the record, but broke it instead (Roger Clemens unofficially tied the mark in 1986, though 19th-century pitching performances are not officially compared to modern ones due to the great differences in the rules and field layout of the period).[6] Daily added one more record that season; he set the record for most one-hitters in one season, with four,[13] two of them back to back, which was also itself a record at the time. The record has since been matched by Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1915.[13]

When the Union Association dissolved, Daily had to pay a $500 fine, as did all other players who were blacklisted when they jumped to the new league, to regain their major league eligibility for the 1885 season,[14] and joined the St. Louis Maroons of the National League.[3] He had a short and disappointing season for St. Louis, and also for the rest of his career, which included short stints with the 1886 Washington Nationals, and the 1887 Cleveland Blues of the American Association.[3][14] He played his final major league game on August 21, 1887.[2]

[edit] Later life

Some theories attempt to explain Daily's tempestuous behavior, one of which was put forth by Frank Vaccaro in his 1999 edition of The National Pastime. His theory explains that, in Daily's day, a pitcher could not be relieved from his position unless he was injured, or else he would have to be relieved by a player that was already in the line-up.[15] His physical condition did not allow him much of an opportunity to play any other positions, so this compelled his managers to leave him in the game longer, even when his performance was declining.[15] He was allowed to play in the field on several occasions, when the situation warranted it, as he is credited as playing three games in the outfield, two at second base, and one at shortstop.[3]

Some census records and other official records indicate that his birth was in Ireland,[3] and that his family immigrated to Baltimore by 1848. Very few facts are known about his personal life; his last known location was in 1923 in Baltimore. To this date, his exact date and place of death remain unknown.[16]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official Encyclopedia of Baseball, Hy Turkin and S. C. Thompson; A. S. Barnes; 1951.
  2. ^ a b c d Hugh Daily's Stats. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Hugh Daily's Stats. retrosheet.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  4. ^ a b The Ballplayers: Hugh Daily. baseballlibrary.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  5. ^ Swain (2004). Beating The Breaks: Major League Ballplayers Who Overcame Disabilities, p.19. 
  6. ^ a b c Swain (2004). Beating The Breaks: Major League Ballplayers Who Overcame Disabilities, p.22. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f Swain (2004). Beating The Breaks: Major League Ballplayers Who Overcame Disabilities, p.20. 
  8. ^ Chronological List of No-Hitters. retrosheet.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  9. ^ Strikeout Records. nocryinginbaseball.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  10. ^ The Complete Armchair Book of Baseball: An All-Star Lineup Celebrates America's National Pastime pg. 737. Multiple Authors. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  11. ^ Baseball Historian: Koufax Strikes Out 18, Dodgers Win 10-2... April 24, 1962. April 24, 1962 - Newspaper Clipping (AP). Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  12. ^ Orator O'Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical, pg. 273. by Mike Roer. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  13. ^ a b 1-Hit Games Records. baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  14. ^ a b Swain (2004). Beating The Breaks: Major League Ballplayers Who Overcame Disabilities, p.21. 
  15. ^ a b Swain (2004). Beating The Breaks: Major League Ballplayers Who Overcame Disabilities, p.23. 
  16. ^ Roots Web Inquiry. by Richard Malatzky, May 3, 1999. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.

[edit] External links