Hugh Duffy
Hugh Duffy (
November 26,
1866 -
October 19,
1954) was a
19th century Major League Baseball player. He was born in
Cranston, Rhode Island.
Duffy entered the
National League with the
Chicago White Stockings in
1888 and shortly thereafter earned the reputation of an outstanding outfielder and powerful hitter. He switched leagues, joining the
American Association's Boston Reds in
1891; he then returned to the NL with the
Boston Beaneaters in
1892, where he enjoyed his best seasons. Playing in Boston from 1891 until
1900, Duffy knocked in 100 runs or more 8 times. In
1894 Duffy had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, leading the league with 18
home runs, with 145
RBI and a .440
batting average (see
Triple crown). Duffy's .440 average is the Major League single season batting average record. He worked throughout his career with some of the all-time better outfielders including
Tommy McCarthy as half of the "Heavenly Twins",
Chick Stahl as well as hall-of-famer
Billy Hamilton.
Duffy finished his career in
1906 with 106 home runs which was, at the time, one of the highest career totals ever. However, in 1906, Hugh Duffy only got to play once.
Duffy was inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame in
1945.
*
Baseball Hall of Fame
