Hugh Casey Essentials
Positions: Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6′-1″ Weight: 207
Born: Tuesday, October 14, 1913 in Atlanta, GA USA
Died: July 3, 1951 in Atlanta, GA USA
Debut: April 29, 1935
Last Game: September 23, 1949
Full Name: Hugh Thomas Casey
Players who debuted in 1935
Claude Passeau
Wally Moses
Buddy Lewis
Buck Leonard
Ival Goodman
Terry Moore
Harry Gumbert
Billy Myers
Ray Mueller
All-Time Teammate Team
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Notable Events and Chronology
Biography
Hugh Casey was on the mound in the ninth inning of Game Four of the 1941 Yankee-Dodger World Series. Brooklyn led, 4-3, with two out, nobody on, and Tommy Henrich at bat. Henrich swung and missed Casey’s 3-2 pitch, but the third strike eluded catcher Mickey Owen, and Henrich reached base, beginning a game-winning rally. Owen became a famous goat, and baseball historians since have differed as to whether the elusive pitch was a spitball.
Casey, who relieved in 287 of his 343 games, led the NL in saves twice and relief wins three times. A loner, a tough competitor, and a heavy drinker, Casey became friends with Ernest Hemingway. At Hemingway’s house during spring training in Cuba, the drunken pair once put on boxing gloves. Teammate Kirby Higbe later recalled, “Ernest would belt Case one, and down he would go. Case would belt old Ernest, and down he would go…The furniture [really took] a beating.” At age 37, allegedly despondent over the breakup of his marriage, Casey committed suicide.@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@
Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Factoid 1
Hugh Casey owned a popular steak house in Brooklyn during his days with the Dodgers.
Swish, Swish, Swish
One story goes that Casey was facing Hank Greenberg of the Pirates and ran out of patience with the slugger. “He took a drink and combed his hair,” Casey said of Greenberg, “and fussed with half a dozen bats, and all the time I’m standing out there in the hot sun. The bum did everything but take a bath.” When Greenberg finally dug in at the plate, Casey fired two pitches at his collar, sending the right-handed slugger to the dirt. Then Casey walked over to his bench, took a drink, re-tied his shoelaces and generally took his sweet time while Greenberg fidgeted near the plate. When Casey returned to the hill, he tossed three straight benders, swish, swish, swish, and Greenberg missed each of them.
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