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deaf-players-in-professional-baseball

BIO SKETCHES OF DEAF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS

 

Barksdale, Tommy – two seasons, independent minors (2014-15)

 

Barnes – first name (?), was said to play for Wichita in Western League, 1910’s

 

Battiste, Hume – a Gallaudetian; pitched a season in minors (1914 Portland, OR, class B team, 1-3 record

 

Browning, Pete – was said to be deaf but no information

 

Burson, Frank – played for Larned in 1910

 

Cote, Henry – said to play for Erie in the New York-Pennsylvania League in 1891 and

also two seasons in majors (1894-1895 with Louisville)

 

Cranford, Lawrence – played few games for New Orleans in Southern League, 1924

 

Cummings, George – pitched for Waterloo in 1895

 

Curtis, Paul – pitched in the minors, 1901-1907

 

Damilowski, Leonard – many teams in lower minors, 1949-1953

 

Deegan, W. John – pitched one year with NY Giants, 1901

 

Dix, Harry – pitched one season, 1907 in minors

 

Downes, Leonard – pitched one season, 1928 for Frederick Hustlers, Blue Ridge League

 

Dundon, Edward – pitcher, majors 6-20 career record; minors 66-47; career record in

1880’s.

 

Fields, Jocko – played in majors 1887-1892; deafness not verified

 

Flanagan, Skip – played 2015 in the independent North County Baseball League, hitting .263

 

Fuller, Dalton – played in minors one season, 1901

 

Funkhouser, William – infielder, minors, 1890 & 1897

 

Gately, Patrick – Brooklyn Association, 1890’s

 

Gately, Thomas – played for Lowell, 1914

 

Gillies, Tyson – played in minors for 11 season in the 2000’s-10’s but never reached majors

 

Gorgen, Scott – pitched six seasons in minors during 2000-2010’s but never reached majors

 

Hale, Henry – pitcher, minors, pitched briefly for Atlanta in 1907

 

Hamilton, Nick – three seasons in minors, 2010’s

 

Harris, Jalen – three seasons with Brewers’ Rookie League teams

 

Hayes, Todd – pitcher, class A teams, late eighties.

 

Hetzler, Hafford – Keoukuk, 1911-12; may have pulled off 2 triple plays in one game?

 

Hinch, Paul – outfielder, minors, mid-1950’s

 

Hines, Paul – lengthy major league career, 1871-1890 (said to become deaf after a

beaning at the tail end of his career; controversery rages on whether he made an

unassisted triple play in 1878 while he was still hearing)

 

Hoy, Dummy – 1886-1903, majors & minors, .288 career batting average; devised ball

& strike count

 

Grendell, Kevin, pitcher, Los Angeles Angeles minor league system

 

Ingram, Dummy – played in 1897 Kansas State League, not verified (Charlie

Ingraham?)

 

Kautz, Eddie – played for Dayton briefly in 1946

 

Ketchner, Ryan – pitched in minors 12 seasons, never made it to majors; 2000-12

 

Kihm, George – played in minors, 1895-1913

 

Kotula, Louis – played for Tacoma in 1917 (may be confused with John Kotula – played

for several teams in 1955)

 

Kourtis, Dmitri – pitcher, independent minor leagues, mid-2010’s

 

Leitner, George – NY Giants, 1901; 1901-1903 career in majors & minors

 

Lux, Frank – Little Rock, Southern Atlantic League, early 1930’s

 

Lynch, Matt (Dummy) – Chicago Cubs, 1948, 7 games, .286, 1 hr; deafness unverified

 

Lynch, Thomas – pitcher, pitched one game for Chicago (NL), 1884, 7 shutout innings

(hurt arm), never played in majors again. Confusion and disagreement on whether that

Lynch was deaf.

 

McDougald, Gil – infielder, NY Yankees, fifties, gradually lost his hearing after a

beaning.

 

Murphy, Herb; deafness not verified, possibly hearsay; one season with Philadelphia Phillies (1914);

long minor league career

 

Nimmo, Frank – third baseman, Norfolk, Virginia League, 1910’s

 

Payne, Wood – played for Paducah, 1910 and Bristol, 1911

 

Pride, Curtis – played in the majors 11 seasons with a .250 career batting average

 

Rosson, Lester – pitcher, several teams, early 1900’s; pitched against majors in

exhibition games

 

Rosson, Walter – played few summers for Nashville around 1890-1900’s

 

Ryan, John – long career, 1889-1912 in minors & majors (deafness not documented)

 

Ryn, John – 1879-1891, minors

 

 

Sawhill, Isaac – minors, 1879-1882

 

Sawhill, William – minors, 1885-1888

 

Shea, John – Ogden & Erie teams in early 1910’s

 

Sly, Bud – Owensboro, 1938-1940

 

Sickles, Dummy – played in 1897 Kansas State League

 

Sipek, Dick – one season in majors, played from 1943-1951 in minors

 

Solecitto, Austin – 12 games pitched 2016; independent league team Sussex County, NJ

 

Stephenson, Reuben – 1891-1898 minors, cup of coffee with Phillies

 

Sueme, Hal – played in Pacific Coast League, late 30’s & early 40’s as backup catcher.

 

Taylor, Dummy – pitched in the majors & minors, 1895-1915, 115-106 career record in

majors

 

Voiselle, Bill – was hearing impaired during his major league career in forties but post-career operation restored his hearing

 

Weschberg, Von – pitched two seasons in the Cleveland and San Diego farm systems

in the early 90’s

 

Wickline, Dennis – was said to play for Asheville, NC farm team in the Phillies system

 

Woodward, Scott – played a season for Ogden team in the rookie-level Pioneer League, 2011