Hugh Duffy Stats & Facts
Hugh Duffy Essentials
Positions: Centerfield, Manager
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5′-7″ Weight: 168
Born: November 26, 1866 in Cranston, RI USA
Died: October 19, 1954 in Boston, MA USA
Buried: Mount Calvary Cemetery, Roslindale, MA
Debut: June 23, 1888
Last Game: April 13, 1906
Hall of Fame: Inducted as a Player in 1945 by Old Timers
Full Name: Hugh Duffy
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1945. (Voted by Old Timers Committee)
No induction ceremony in Cooperstown held (until 2013).
View Hugh Duffy’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1888
Ed Delahanty
Billy Hamilton
Jake Beckley
Cupid Childs
Hugh Duffy
Kid Gleason
Frank Dwyer
Billy Hoy
Duke Farrell
The Hugh Duffy Teammate Team
C: Charlie Genzil
1B: Cap Anson
2B: Bobby Lowe
3B: Jimmy Collins
SS: Herman Long
LF: Jimmy Ryan
CF: Billy Hamilton
RF: Chick Stahl
SP: Clark Griffith
SP: Kid Nichols
SP: Vic Willis
M: Frank Selee
Notable Events and Chronology for Hugh Duffy Career
Biography
Hugh Duffy
A batting champion and two-time home run and RBI champion, Hugh Duffy earned his place in the Hall of Fame as one of the best players of the 1890s. For that decade he played more games, hit more homers, and drove in more runs than any other player in baseball. From 1892-1895, he and Tommy McCarthy were Boston’s “Heavenly Twins” in the Beaneaters outfield, leading the club to a World Title and a National League crown. Later, with Billy Hamilton and Chick Stahl, Duffy formed an outstanding outfield from 1897-1899, sparking the Beaneaters to two National League titles.
Full Bio
Hugh Duffy is largely remembered for his amazing 1894 season, in which he hit .438, a mark that remains a major league record. But he was also a manager, executive, coach, and team owner, who was under contract in baseball for an incredible 68 years of his life.
Duffy was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, on November 26, 1866. After two seasons in minor leagues, he was scouted by Cap Anson, who signed Duffy to play for his Chicago White Stockings in the National League in 1888. It was the first of four major leagues that Duffy would play in, and he hit .300 in each of them.
At just over five-feet, seven-inches tall, Duffy was a small player who carried a heavy wallop in his bat. He had broad shoulders and powerful arms, and his range in the outfield was extraordinary. He was known as a sharp dresser, and he earned the attention of admiring female fans with his classic good looks.
In 1890, Duffy was one of many stars who jumped to the upstart Players’ League, where he played under Charles Comiskey. After a season with Boston in the American Association in 1891, when he batted .341 with 83 stolen bases, Duffy was lured back to the National League by Frank Selee of the Boston Beaneaters.
With Boston, “Sir Hugh” enjoyed his best seasons, and gained tremendous popularity with fans after he was teamed with fellow outfielder Tommy McCarthy, also a product of the northeast. Duffy in center field and McCarthy in right (and later left) were dubbed “The Heavenly Twins” by adoring Boston bleacherites. The duo played four seasons together, helping the Beaneaters to two pennants.
In 1894, Duffy hit .438 with 236 hits in 124 games, 160 runs scored, 50 doubles, and 18 home runs, many of the inside-the-park variety. Duffy remained in center field for Boston through the 1900 season, before jumping to the upstart American League, where he played a major role in establishing the circuit as a rival to the N.L. As a conduit to players, Duffy helped convince several N.L. stars to bolt for the A.L., and he helped choose the location of Huntington Avenue Grounds, where the Boston Americans played. By 1906, Duffy’s long career as player was over, but he stayed in the game as a minor league team owner, and managing the Phillies, White Sox, and Red Sox in three stints from 1904 to 1922.
Later in the 1920s, Duffy coached the baseball team at Harvard University, while also scouting for the Red Sox, keeping his ties to Boston strong. While under contract with the Red Sox, Duffy tutored a young Ted Williams in the 1930s, saying of Williams, “He’s the greatest hitter it has been my pleasure to look at, and don’t forget, I’ve been looking at Hugh Duffy in the shaving mirror for many a year.”
Duffy was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945, and died on October 19, 1954, in Boston. For his career, Duffy hit .330 in 1,722 games, with 2,307 hits, 1,545 runs scored, and 103 home runs.
@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@
Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
Chicago Cubs (1888-1889)
Boston Reds, American Association (1891)
Boston Braves (1892-1900)
Milwaukee Brewers (1901)
Philadelphia Phillies (1904-1906)
Managed
Milwaukee Brewers (1901)
Philadelphia Phillies (1904-1906)
Chicago White Sox (1910-1911)
Boston Red Sox (1921-1922)
After his successful 1894 season, Boston offered Duffy a meager $12.50 raise per month, but only if he accepted the position of team captain. Duffy relented, but since the team captain was responsible for replacing lost or broken equipment, he actually lost money on the deal.
Similar: None
Linked: Cap Anson was Duffy’s favorite player… Tommy McCarthy joined Duffy as the “Heavenly Twins” for Frank Selee’s 1890s Beaneaters… “Sliding Billy” Hamilton joined Duffy as yet another future Hall of Famer in the Boston outfield in the 1890s.
Best Season, 1894
Duffy led the National League in almost every offensive category, winning the triple crown with his .440 average, 18 homers, and 145 RBI.
Awards and Honors
1894 NL Triple Crown
Where He Played: Center field (676 games), left (574), right (437)
Feats: Hugh Duffy won the Triple Crown in the National League in 1894.
Notes
Depending on your source: Elias, Total Baseball, or the Baseball Encyclopedia, Duffy hit .438 or .440 in 1894. In any case, it is the highest single-season mark in major league baseball history.
Hitting Streaks
26 games (1894)
26 games (1894)
Leaders, 1890s
1890s Leaders, Hits
Ed Delahanty .. 1862
Hugh Duffy… 1860
Jesse Burkett… 1798
George VanHaltren… 1782
Billy Hamilton… 1690
1890s Leaders, Home Runs
Hugh Duffy… 83
Ed Delahanty… 79
Mike Tiernan… 77
Sam Thompson… 75
Roger Connor… 72
1890s Leaders, Batting Average
Willie Keeler… .384
Billy Hamilton… .357
Jesse Burkett… .356
Ed Delahanty… .354
Joe Kelley… .340
Jake Stenzel… .339
Sam Thompson… .338
John McGraw… .336
Fred Clarke… .334
Hugh Duffy… .332
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting for average.
Largest Weakness as a Player
None