Duke Farrell

Charles Andrew "Duke" Farrell (August 31, 1866 – February 15, 1925) was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Oakdale, Massachusetts, he played for eight teams during his 18-year career. He made his major-league debut in 1888 and retired as a player after the 1905 season. He then entered coaching, ran a hotel, and became a deputy U.S. marshal.

Duke Farrell
Catcher
Born: (1866-08-31)August 31, 1866
Oakdale, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: February 15, 1925(1925-02-15) (aged 58)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 21, 1888, for the Chicago White Stockings
Last MLB appearance
June 15, 1905, for the Boston Americans
MLB statistics
Batting average.277
Home runs52
Runs batted in916
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Career

Farrell had a career year in 1891 with the Boston Reds of the American Association, batting .302 and recording league-leading home run (12) and RBI (110) totals. Farrell's 12 home runs that season were nearly a quarter of his career total.[1]

In a 1900 game for Brooklyn, Farrell was an unwitting party to an argument between a player and umpire that resulted in a forfeit being awarded to Brooklyn. On a close play at home plate, umpire John Gaffney called Farrell safe. St. Louis catcher Wilbert Robinson reacted angrily to Gaffney's call, throwing the ball at the umpire and punching him in the chest. Gaffney ejected Robinson and then awarded a forfeit to Brooklyn when Robinson would not leave the playing field.[2]

A 1913 newspaper article said that Farrell was widely recognized among old-time baseball men as the best-dressed man in the game.[3]

Over an 18-season career, Farrell hit .277 in 1,565 games, with 1,572 hits in 5,682 at bats with 52 homers and 916 RBI.

A false record

For over a century, it was incorrectly believed that Farrell held the single-game major league record for most baserunners thrown out attempting to steal by a catcher, at eight; this record supposedly was set during a game on May 11, 1897. However, in 2016, research done by Society for American Baseball Research writer Brian Marshall revealed that while Farrell did have eight assists in that game, he actually threw out "only" five would-be basestealers.[4]

Later life

Farrell served as a deputy U.S. marshal after his playing career.[5] He also managed a hotel in Marlboro, Massachusetts.[3]

In 1910 and 1911, Farrell was a coach for the New York Yankees. He coached for the Boston Red Sox in 1912 and then became a scout for a couple of years before rejoining the Yankees as a pitching coach in 1915.[6] In the early 1920s, he became a coach and scout for the Boston Braves.[7]

He died in Boston in 1925, ten days after undergoing abdominal surgery.[5] He was buried at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Marlborough, Massachusetts, aged 58.

See also

References
  1. "Duke Farrell Stats | Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  2. Nemec, David; Miklich, Eric (2014). Forfeits and Successfully Protested Games in Major League Baseball: A Complete Record, 1871–2013. McFarland. p. 99. ISBN 9781476616292.
  3. ""Duke" Farrell, famous old time catcher, is now boniface and leader in men's fashions for giddy puritan youth". The Times (Shreveport). February 25, 1913. p. 9.
  4. "Catcher Duke Farrell's Record Performance: Game Notes from May 11, 1897 – Society for American Baseball Research".
  5. Koszarek, Ed (2006). The Players League: History, Clubs, Ballplayers and Statistics. McFarland. p. 126. ISBN 9781476609188.
  6. "Duke Farrell to coach pitchers of Yankee team". Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer. February 6, 1915. p. 8.
  7. ""Duke" Farrell, veteran ball player, dies in Boston hospital". Hartford Courant. February 16, 1925. p. 8.
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