Hugh Casey
Encyclopedia
Hugh Thomas "Fireman" Casey (October 14, 1913 – July 3, 1951) was a Major League Baseball
pitcher
. He played for the Chicago Cubs
(1935), the Brooklyn Dodgers
(1939–42 and 1946–48), the Pittsburgh Pirates
(1949), and the New York Yankees
(1949).
of the Southern Association
, at the age of 18. After going 13-14 for Memphis
in 1938, he was drafted by the Dodgers. He pitched effectively for the next four seasons, but his career is best known for a wild pitch that he threw in the ninth inning of Game 4 in the 1941 World Series
, which precipitated a Yankee rally. Catcher Mickey Owen
thought that the pitch was a spitball; Casey always swore it wasn't. Brooklyn lost the game and, eventually, the series. Casey went 0-2.
In January 1943, Casey entered the Navy. He was discharged in December 1945. Upon his return to Brooklyn, he had two good seasons in 1946 and 1947. In 1947, he led the National League
in saves for the second time. He pitched well in that year's World Series
as well, 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. One story recounts a time that he sparred with writer Ernest Hemingway
in Hemingway's house.
Casey's major league career ended in 1949. He went 10-4 for his old team, the Crackers, in 1950; Atlanta won the pennant.
.
On July 3, 1951, Casey died in Atlanta, Georgia
, by a self-inflicted shotgun
blast to the neck. He was 37 years old.
Casey was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
in 1991.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He played for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1935), the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
(1939–42 and 1946–48), the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1949), and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1949).
Professional career
Casey began his professional baseball career with the Atlanta CrackersAtlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee in 1966....
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
, at the age of 18. After going 13-14 for Memphis
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
in 1938, he was drafted by the Dodgers. He pitched effectively for the next four seasons, but his career is best known for a wild pitch that he threw in the ninth inning of Game 4 in the 1941 World Series
1941 World Series
The 1941 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games to capture their fifth title in six years, and their ninth overall....
, which precipitated a Yankee rally. Catcher Mickey Owen
Mickey Owen
Arnold Malcolm "Mickey" Owen was a catcher for St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball. Between 1937 and 1954, Owen played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox...
thought that the pitch was a spitball; Casey always swore it wasn't. Brooklyn lost the game and, eventually, the series. Casey went 0-2.
In January 1943, Casey entered the Navy. He was discharged in December 1945. Upon his return to Brooklyn, he had two good seasons in 1946 and 1947. In 1947, he led the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
in saves for the second time. He pitched well in that year's World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
as well, 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. One story recounts a time that he sparred with writer Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
in Hemingway's house.
Casey's 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 BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
On July 3, 1951, Casey died in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, by a self-inflicted shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
blast to the neck. He was 37 years old.
Casey was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in America at .-Exhibitions:The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Inductees, High School, collegiate sports, Olympic, Paralympic,...
in 1991.
See also
External links
- Obituary at The Deadball Era