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Home › Hall of Famers ›
Cummings, Candy
William Arthur Cummings
Born:
October 18, 1848, Ware, Massachusetts
Died:
May 16, 1924, Toledo, Ohio
Bats:
Right
Throws:
Right
Played For:
New York Mutuals (1872), Baltimore Lord Baltimores (1873), Philadelphia Whites (1874), Hartford Dark Blues (1875-1876), Cincinnati Reds (1877)
Elected to the Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee:
1939
Biography:
Often cited as the inventor of the curveball, Candy Cummings' stellar pitching career bridged the eras of amateur and professional baseball. Following standout seasons with the amateur Star Club of Brooklyn, the slightly built Cummings pitched four seasons in the National Association and won 124 games, twice leading the league in shutouts, and once leading in innings pitched. He was the first major leaguer to start, complete and win both games of a doubleheader when he turned the trick on September 9, 1876.
Click here to see additional information provided by Baseball-Reference
Did You Know:
that Candy Cummings was the first president of the first minor league, the International League, in 1877?
A surge of joy flooded over me that I shall never forget. I felt like shouting out that I had made a ball curve. I wanted to tell everybody ¿ it was too good to keep to myself.
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This Day in Baseball History
On May 22, 1975, Hall of Fame pitcher Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove dies at the age of 75. Grove won 300 games over a 17-year career with the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox. Grove was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947.


