Frank Duncan (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Frank Duncan was a baseball
player in the Negro Leagues
from 1920 to 1948. He was primarily a catcher
for the Kansas City Monarchs
, handling their pitching staff from 1921 through 1934 as the team won five pennants between 1923 and 1931. While playing part-time, he managed the Monarchs to two pennants in 1942 and 1946. He caught two no-hitters
with the Monarchs, in 1923 and 1929.
Duncan broke in with the 1920 Chicago American Giants
. forcing John Beckwith
to move from catcher to shortstop. He hit just .123. In 1921, Duncan moved to the Monarchs and batted .253/.293/.281 (BA/OBP/SLG).
In 1922, Duncan improved to .237/.329/.320 at the plate and was credited with 19 sacrifice hits to lead the Negro National League in that category. He led the NNL's catchers in fielding percentage (.984) and assists (91).
In 1923, he batted .257/.332/.332 and fielded .960 while batting second for the pennant-winning Monarchs. That winter, he played for one of the most famous Cuban Winter League
teams ever, the 1923-1924 Santa Clara Leopardos. He batted .336 and slugged .401 for the club, which won the pennant with a 36-11 record.
Duncan batted .267/~.358/.332 in 1924, helping the Monarchs to the second of their three consecutive pennants. He was batted only .139 (5 for 36) in the 1924 Colored World Series
, won by the Monarchs in 10 games. Despite the low bating average, one of his most memorable moments as a player came in Game Eight when he singled the tying and winning runs home in a dramatic ninth-inning comeback victory by his team. The play was notable because veteran catcher Louis Santop
had dropped Duncan's foul pop-up one pitch before, and his key hit went through shortstop Biz Mackey
's legs. Both Mackey and Santop were considered great defensive players, though Santop's best defensive days were behind him.
Duncan hit only .200 for Santa Clara in the winter of 1924. In 1925, the catcher slipped to .222 for the Monarchs. He went 3 for 21 in the playoffs and 4 for 21 in the 1925 Negro World Series. He again had a huge moment in the series, with a great tag on Otto Briggs at home in the 11th inning of game one. Duncan batted .247 in 1926. In June, he was in the middle of a fight when he collided with John Hines. During the melee, he was struck on the back of the head by the butt of a policeman's pistol. While Duncan was down, Jelly Gardner
kicked him in the mouth with his spikes.
In the winter of 1926-1927, Duncan batted .276 and slugged .328 in the California Winter League
. In 1927, the Kansas City native hit .395 while splitting time with T.J. Young. Had he qualified, he would have ranked 4th in the NNL in batting average. Duncan took part in a memorable tour of Japan by Negro League players that year; the blackball stars won 23 games, tied once and lost none. The fall trip included stops in Hawaii, China, Russia and the Philippines.
In the winter of 1927-1928, Duncan was 8 for 21 with two doubles in the California Winter League.
In 1928, Duncan batted just .182. With Cienfuegos that winter, he hit .265 and slugged .434. His 8 stolen bases were second on the team behind Cool Papa Bell. Duncan hit .346 in 1929. That winter, he hit .250 for Cienfuegos and slugged .369.
Duncan hit .370 in 1930, tying for third in the NNL behind only Mule Suttles
and Willie Wells
. He was 5 for 13 with a triple for Cienfuegos in the 1930 CWL before the season was cut short. In the Campeonato Unico that replaced the CWL that year, he hit .276 with no extra-base hits in 29 AB for the Cienfuegos club.
Duncan hit .297 in 1931 in the Negro leagues. He moved to the Pittsburgh Crawfords
in 1932 but only managed a .211 mark.
In 1935, Duncan had a .102 batting average for the New York Cubans
. He followed with a .239 average in 1936 and was 0 for 3 in an exhibition against the Cincinnati Reds. In 1937, Duncan returned to Kansas City and hit .173. In the final postseason series, he was 3 for 17. He went 2 for 12 in exhibitions against white major leaguers that fall.
Duncan came back in 1938. He hit .247 for Kansas City and .378 for Chicago. His 4 triples led the Negro American League. In the 1938 East-West Game, he was 0 for 1 with a walk as the West's starting catcher and #7 hitter in a 5-4 win. He started a double play with a pick-off of Sammy T. Hughes during the game. Larry Brown took over behind the plate for Duncan. In 1939, Duncan played for a semipro team.
Duncan played alongside his son, pitcher Frank Duncan III, in 1941, and they are thought to have been the first father-son battery in professional baseball history. Duncan went 0 for 4 against Bob Feller and Ken Heintzelman in exhibitions in 1941.
He became Kansas City's playing manager in 1942, leading them to a league title, and then won the 1942 Colored World Series
, sweeping the Homestead Grays
four games to none.
Duncan was drafted into the US Army for World War II after the 1942 season. He became sergeant in the 371st Infantry Regiment of the 92nd Division. He showed off his precision by hitting 31 bull's eyes in 32 shots in rapid firing from 200 yards, a marksmanship record. He was honorably discharged early in 1943 and returned to manage the Monachs in 1943 before the season began.
In 1944, at 43 years old, he hit .144, and the Monarchs finished last for the first time in their history, having lost much of their best players to the war.
He was Jackie Robinson
's first professional manager in 1945. He led Kansas City to the 1946 Negro World Series, which they lost in seven games to the Newark Eagles
. He retired from managing after the 1947 season, turning over managerial responsibilities to Buck O'Neil
.
He umpired in the NAL for awhile after that. He also ran a tavern in retirement.
Duncan was married to noted blues singer Julia Lee
. She frequently performed in all-white nightclubs, and Duncan had to sit with the orchestra, pretending to be a musician, in order to see her perform.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in the Negro Leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
from 1920 to 1948. He was primarily a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...
, handling their pitching staff from 1921 through 1934 as the team won five pennants between 1923 and 1931. While playing part-time, he managed the Monarchs to two pennants in 1942 and 1946. He caught two no-hitters
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
with the Monarchs, in 1923 and 1929.
Duncan broke in with the 1920 Chicago American Giants
Chicago American Giants
Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball...
. forcing John Beckwith
John Beckwith
John Beckwith may refer to:*John Christmas Beckwith English organist and composer.*John Charles Beckwith , English organist*John Charles Beckwith...
to move from catcher to shortstop. He hit just .123. In 1921, Duncan moved to the Monarchs and batted .253/.293/.281 (BA/OBP/SLG).
In 1922, Duncan improved to .237/.329/.320 at the plate and was credited with 19 sacrifice hits to lead the Negro National League in that category. He led the NNL's catchers in fielding percentage (.984) and assists (91).
In 1923, he batted .257/.332/.332 and fielded .960 while batting second for the pennant-winning Monarchs. That winter, he played for one of the most famous Cuban Winter League
Cuban League
The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside of the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961...
teams ever, the 1923-1924 Santa Clara Leopardos. He batted .336 and slugged .401 for the club, which won the pennant with a 36-11 record.
Duncan batted .267/~.358/.332 in 1924, helping the Monarchs to the second of their three consecutive pennants. He was batted only .139 (5 for 36) in the 1924 Colored World Series
1924 Colored World Series
The 1924 Colored World Series was a best-of-nine match-up between the Negro National League champion Kansas City Monarchs and the Eastern Colored League champion Hilldale. In a ten-game series, the Monarchs narrowly defeated Hilldale 5 games to 4, with one tie game. It was the first World Series...
, won by the Monarchs in 10 games. Despite the low bating average, one of his most memorable moments as a player came in Game Eight when he singled the tying and winning runs home in a dramatic ninth-inning comeback victory by his team. The play was notable because veteran catcher Louis Santop
Louis Santop
* , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley -External links:* – unknown content, URL confirmed 2010-04-16*...
had dropped Duncan's foul pop-up one pitch before, and his key hit went through shortstop Biz Mackey
Biz Mackey
James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He came to be regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the late 1920s and early 1930s...
's legs. Both Mackey and Santop were considered great defensive players, though Santop's best defensive days were behind him.
Duncan hit only .200 for Santa Clara in the winter of 1924. In 1925, the catcher slipped to .222 for the Monarchs. He went 3 for 21 in the playoffs and 4 for 21 in the 1925 Negro World Series. He again had a huge moment in the series, with a great tag on Otto Briggs at home in the 11th inning of game one. Duncan batted .247 in 1926. In June, he was in the middle of a fight when he collided with John Hines. During the melee, he was struck on the back of the head by the butt of a policeman's pistol. While Duncan was down, Jelly Gardner
Jelly Gardner
Floyd "Jelly" Gardner was a baseball player in the Negro Leagues. He would play infielder and outfielder and played from 1919 to 1933.-References:*...
kicked him in the mouth with his spikes.
In the winter of 1926-1927, Duncan batted .276 and slugged .328 in the California Winter League
California Winter League
California Winter League is a former baseball Winter League. It is the first integrated league in the 20th century as players from Major League Baseball and Negro League Baseball played each other in training games. The league existed for almost 50 years during the first half of the 20th century...
. In 1927, the Kansas City native hit .395 while splitting time with T.J. Young. Had he qualified, he would have ranked 4th in the NNL in batting average. Duncan took part in a memorable tour of Japan by Negro League players that year; the blackball stars won 23 games, tied once and lost none. The fall trip included stops in Hawaii, China, Russia and the Philippines.
In the winter of 1927-1928, Duncan was 8 for 21 with two doubles in the California Winter League.
In 1928, Duncan batted just .182. With Cienfuegos that winter, he hit .265 and slugged .434. His 8 stolen bases were second on the team behind Cool Papa Bell. Duncan hit .346 in 1929. That winter, he hit .250 for Cienfuegos and slugged .369.
Duncan hit .370 in 1930, tying for third in the NNL behind only Mule Suttles
Mule Suttles
George "Mule" Suttles was an American first baseman and outfielder in Negro league baseball, most prominently with the Birmingham Black Barons, St. Louis Stars and Newark Eagles...
and Willie Wells
Willie Wells
Willie James Wells was an American shortstop who played from -48 for various teams in the Negro Leagues.Wells was born in Austin, Texas...
. He was 5 for 13 with a triple for Cienfuegos in the 1930 CWL before the season was cut short. In the Campeonato Unico that replaced the CWL that year, he hit .276 with no extra-base hits in 29 AB for the Cienfuegos club.
Duncan hit .297 in 1931 in the Negro leagues. He moved to the Pittsburgh Crawfords
Pittsburgh Crawfords
The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Named after the Crawford Grill, a club in the Hill District of Pittsburgh owned by Gus Greenlee, the Crawfords were originally a youth semipro team sponsored by...
in 1932 but only managed a .211 mark.
In 1935, Duncan had a .102 batting average for the New York Cubans
New York Cubans
The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in general were largely ignored by the major league...
. He followed with a .239 average in 1936 and was 0 for 3 in an exhibition against the Cincinnati Reds. In 1937, Duncan returned to Kansas City and hit .173. In the final postseason series, he was 3 for 17. He went 2 for 12 in exhibitions against white major leaguers that fall.
Duncan came back in 1938. He hit .247 for Kansas City and .378 for Chicago. His 4 triples led the Negro American League. In the 1938 East-West Game, he was 0 for 1 with a walk as the West's starting catcher and #7 hitter in a 5-4 win. He started a double play with a pick-off of Sammy T. Hughes during the game. Larry Brown took over behind the plate for Duncan. In 1939, Duncan played for a semipro team.
Duncan played alongside his son, pitcher Frank Duncan III, in 1941, and they are thought to have been the first father-son battery in professional baseball history. Duncan went 0 for 4 against Bob Feller and Ken Heintzelman in exhibitions in 1941.
He became Kansas City's playing manager in 1942, leading them to a league title, and then won the 1942 Colored World Series
1942 Colored World Series
The Colored World Series was a best-of-seven match-up between the Negro American League champion Kansas City Monarchs and the Negro National League champion Washington-Homestead Grays. In a six-game series, the Monarchs swept the Grays four games to none, with two additional games not counted in...
, sweeping the Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays
The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
four games to none.
Duncan was drafted into the US Army for World War II after the 1942 season. He became sergeant in the 371st Infantry Regiment of the 92nd Division. He showed off his precision by hitting 31 bull's eyes in 32 shots in rapid firing from 200 yards, a marksmanship record. He was honorably discharged early in 1943 and returned to manage the Monachs in 1943 before the season began.
In 1944, at 43 years old, he hit .144, and the Monarchs finished last for the first time in their history, having lost much of their best players to the war.
He was Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
's first professional manager in 1945. He led Kansas City to the 1946 Negro World Series, which they lost in seven games to the Newark Eagles
Newark Eagles
The Newark Eagles was a professional Negro league baseball team that played in the second Negro National League from 1936 to 1948.- Formation :...
. He retired from managing after the 1947 season, turning over managerial responsibilities to Buck O'Neil
Buck O'Neil
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout, and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball...
.
He umpired in the NAL for awhile after that. He also ran a tavern in retirement.
Duncan was married to noted blues singer Julia Lee
Julia Lee (musician)
Julia Lee was an American blues and dirty blues musician.-Biography:Born in Boonville, Missouri, United States, Lee was raised in Kansas City, and began her musical career around 1920, singing and playing piano in her brother George Lee's band, which for a time also included Charlie Parker...
. She frequently performed in all-white nightclubs, and Duncan had to sit with the orchestra, pretending to be a musician, in order to see her perform.