Terris McDuffie
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Terris McDuffie | |
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Pitcher | |
Born: Mobile, Alabama | May 22, 1910|
Died: April 29, 1968 New York City | (aged 57)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Teams | |
Negro leagues
Provincial League
Minor leagues
Cuban league
Dominican league
Mexican league
Puerto Rican league
Venezuelan league
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Terris Chester McDuffie (May 22, 1910 – April 29, 1968) was a professional American baseball player. He was listed at 6' 1" (1.85 m), 200 lb. (91 kg).[1]
Born in Mobile, Alabama, McDuffie was a pitcher, best known as a strong-armed hurler who could challenge hitters with his live fastball. His career spanned from 1930 through 1954. He played for several teams in different leagues across the United States, Canada, and Latin America.[2][3]
His repertoire of pitches also included a
McDuffie was a competent hitter, baserunner, and self-promoter. He often got more attention for his handsome looks, flashy dress, gold jewelry, flamboyant behavior, and his personal life rather than for his ball playing. He was known for being a crowd-pleaser for wearing an expressive jacket with the words The Great McDuffie emblazoned on the back in large letters.[5][6]
Professional career
Negro leagues
McDuffie started his baseball career in 1930 as an outfielder for the Birmingham Black Barons, hitting a .297 batting average with a .353 on-base percentage and leading the Negro leagues with 18 stolen bases. He batted .273 for Birmingham in 1931, but soon switched to the mound and began developing his pitching skills.[7]
He frequently changed teams between 1932 and 1933, including stints with the
McDuffie struggled in 1936 while battling stomach ailments that would ail him in later years as well.[5] He rebounded in 1937, going 10–4 with a 3.07 ERA, and hurled two victories over Satchel Paige in three matchups. He quickly became a favorite of Effa Manley,[5] who along with her husband Abe Manley, was co-owner of the Eagles. She took an active role in the team, serving as manager and scheduler. Sometimes she took such an active role as to impact the lives of the players. For instance, she tried to control the antics of McDuffie inside and outside the ballpark.[5]
Terris the Terrible, as he was dubbed, amassed a 13–2 record for Newark in 1938 while completing his 18 starts. But he was also at the center of a controversy when the Eagles players and staff hinted at a possible sentimental relation between Mrs. Manley and McDuffie.[5] While there is no conclusive evidence to support whether or not she and McDuffie had an affair,[10] Abe Manley promptly traded him to the New York Black Yankees.[5]
Overall, his 1938 pitching record of 14–4 was second in the league, one win behind Homestead Grays ace Ray Brown.[11]
After that, McDuffie spent 1939 with the Black Yankees and the
Mexico League
For the next decade, McDuffie split his playing time between the Negro leagues and the
McDuffie remained with the Grays until 1942 and then played in Mexico with the Algodoneros de Torreón in the 1943 season. He rejoined the Eagles in 1944 because of his status draft and started the East-West All-Star Game, but did not have a decision in the game.[9] During the 1945 spring, he auditioned for the Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, who made no offer. McDuffie was 34 years old at the time, and well past his prime.[9]
At one point after World War II, McDuffie was the highest-paid player in the Eastern division of the Negro with a salary of $6,000 a year.
Provincial League
McDuffie later pitched for the
Cuba League
Following his path through the Caribbean, McDuffie played in the
While playing for Marianao in 1952–1953 McDuffie had the misfortune to play for manager Dolf Luque, a former major league pitcher who was notorious for his bad temper and conflicts with other people. During a playoff series, Luque wanted McDuffie to start on two days rest, but McDuffie said his arm was sore. Once the enraged manager returned to the locker room from his adjacent office waving a loaded pistol and pointing it at the pitcher, McDuffie quickly changed his mind, went out and fired a two-hitter game.[18][19]
His most productive season in Cuba came with Cienfuegos in 1944–1945, when he posted a 7–6 record and a league's second-best 2.35 ERA in twenty games while leading in complete games (9), strikeouts (68), walks (43), and innings pitched (138). He compiled a 37–43 record during his Cuban visits.[20]
Puerto Rico League
McDuffie also spent parts of two seasons in the Puerto Rico League. He played for the Senadores de San Juan in the 1941–1942 tournament, joining a team that featured Monte Irvin, Luis Olmo and Bill Wright.[21][22]
Venezuela League
In addition, McDuffie played for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League during the 1949–1950 and 1950–1951 seasons. He reported late for his first stint with Magallanes, but posted a 3–0 record and a solid 1.86 ERA in four pitching appearances, including three starts and two complete games, helping the team win the pennant.[23][24]
Caribbean Series
The Venezuelan club finished with a 1–5 record in the Series, while McDuffie lost his two starts against
He declined in his second season with Magallanes, going 1–3 with a 6.86 ERA in seven games (three starts).[23]
Dominican Republic League
McDuffie pitched in the
Texas League
At age 44, he had the last run in the
After baseball
In 1968, McDuffie died in New York City at the age of 57.[3] In 2007, he received the honor of induction into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame based in Miami, as part of their Phase IV.[28]
References
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3806-8.
- ISBN 978-0-78-670959-5.
- ^ a b New York Amsterdam News, May 11, 1968 – McDuffie Baseball Star Dies.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3900-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues
- ISBN 978-0-31-331175-8.
- ^ 1930 Negro National League batting leaders
- ^ The Negro Leagues in New Jersey: A History.
- ^ a b c d e f Black Barons of Birmingham.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-0831-3.
- ISBN 978-0-80-382007-4.
- ISBN 978-0-80-328000-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3881-5.
- ISBN 978-0-19-533928-4.
- ISBN 978-0-78-641378-2.
- ^ SABR – Braves de St-Jean 1948
- ^ 1951 Sherbrooke Athletics
- ^ a b "Cuba Béisbol – Terris McDuffie article written by Cesar Brioso".
- ^ SABR Biography Project – Dolf Luque article written by Peter C. Bjarkman
- ISBN 978-0-78-646425-8.
- ISBN 078-6438-95-9.
- ISBN 031-3322-68-6.
- ^ a b "Venezuelan Professional Baseball League – Batting and pitching statistics".
- ^ Navegantes del Magallanes (1949–1950)
- ISBN 980-07-2389-7.
- ISBN 978-9-94-585966-9.
- ^ 1954 Dallas Eagles
- ^ "Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame (Phase IV)". Archived from the original on 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball and Minor league stats and Seamheads
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics