Hugh Casey (baseball)
American baseball player (1913–1951)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hugh Thomas Casey (October 14, 1913 – July 3, 1951) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1935), Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–42 and 1946–48), Pittsburgh Pirates (1949), and New York Yankees (1949).
| Hugh Casey | |
|---|---|
Casey in 1948 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: October 14, 1913 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
| Died: July 3, 1951 (aged 37) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 29, 1935, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 23, 1949, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 75–42 |
| Earned run average | 3.45 |
| Strikeouts | 349 |
| Saves | 54 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Baseball career
Casey was born in Atlanta in 1913. He started his professional baseball career with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association at the age of 18. Except for a brief stint with the Chicago Cubs in 1935, he pitched mostly in the minor leagues from 1932 to 1938.[1]
After going 13–14 for Memphis in 1938, Casey was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers.[1][2] He was a starter and reliever for the Dodgers from 1939 to 1941, winning over 10 games each season.[2] In 1941, Casey helped the Dodgers win the National League championship. He is perhaps best known for an alleged wild pitch that he threw in the ninth inning of Game 4 in the 1941 World Series which precipitated a New York Yankees rally. Catcher Mickey Owen thought that the pitch was a spitball, but Casey always swore it was not. Officially, the play was recorded as a passed ball.[3] Brooklyn lost the game and, eventually, the series. Casey went 0–2.
Casey was used mostly as a reliever in 1942 and led the league in saves.[2] In January 1943, during World War II, Casey entered the United States Navy.[4] He was discharged in December 1945.[4] Upon his return to the Dodgers, he had two good seasons in 1946 and 1947. In 1947, Casey led the National League in saves for the second time.[5] He pitched well in the 1947 World Series, going 2–0 with a save, but the Dodgers lost in seven games.
Like many of the colorful Dodger players during that era, Casey had his share of adventure. His teammates later recalled a time in which he sparred with writer Ernest Hemingway in Hemingway's house.[6]
After 1947, Casey lost his effectiveness, and his major league career ended in 1949. He went 10–4 for his old team, the Crackers, in 1950; Atlanta won the pennant.
Later life
Towards the end of his life, Casey ran a restaurant in Brooklyn.[7]
On July 3, 1951, Casey died in Atlanta from a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the neck while his estranged wife was pleading with him on the phone.[7] Casey was upset that he had recently been named as the father of a child by another woman in a paternity suit. He was 37 years old.[8]
Casey was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[4]