The 100th Anniversary of ‘Dummy vs. Dummy’

On May 16, 1902, an unprecedented and unparalleled event occurred in baseball history. It was the first and only time two deaf professional athletes—Luther Haden “Dummy” Taylor and William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy—competed against each other in an epic encounter at the Palace of the Fans, home of the Cincinnati Reds.

A diverse crowd of 5,000 deaf and hearing people witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime event. The Reds were celebrating the opening of their new concrete stadium. Weber’s Band provided the music for the occasion. Mayor Julius Fleischmann and Judge Ferris gave short speeches complimenting the club and the public for the opening of the grandstand and expressing the hope that the season would be very successful.

Luther Haden “Dummy” Taylor took the mound for the visiting New York Giants. William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy played center field and was the leadoff hitter for the Cincinnati Reds. At the age of 40, Hoy was in his last season with the Reds.

In those days, being called “Dummy” was not intended to reflect low intelligence or poor ball playing skills. Rather, the nickname “Dummy” was referring to being deaf and unable to speak. It should be noted that neither man was insulted by the nickname; they were both proud and inspired by their team-given names.

Horace Fogel, the Giants manager at the time, named Taylor to start the game. There was only one umpire, Joe “Pongo Joe” Cantillon, who would make all the calls on the field and at home plate. Before the game started, Dummy Taylor threw warm-up pitches from the mound. Meanwhile, Dummy Hoy did his preparation activities in the batter’s circle. He then strode up to the plate, looked at Dummy Taylor on the pitcher’s mound, and said in sign language, “I’m glad to see you” before stepping up to bat. Hoy led off with a hit to center field.

Hoy played a great game, as he was the only Red to collect two hits. Luther Taylor performed well, pitching eight innings and allowing no earned runs. However, a shortstop error allowed three Reds, including Hoy, to cross home plate in the eighth to give Cincinnati a 3-0 lead.

Dummy Taylor settled down and made sure that Hoy did not steal any bases during the game. It looked like Taylor’s performance might be sacrificed, as he was pulled and replaced by a pinch-hitter for the Giants’ last at-bat in the ninth inning. New York rallied to score five runs and took a 5-3 lead. Hoy was able to get one run, one walk, and two hits off Taylor and did not strike out. Ultimately the Reds failed to score in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Giants won the game 5-3. Taylor was credited for the victory as he struck out four and walked only two.

This game was the only time in major league history when two deaf players faced each other. It also ended up being the only time that Hoy and Taylor would face off against each other in their major league careers. While New York and Cincinnati met several times that season, Hoy and Taylor’s playing time did not coincide. Taylor pitched in relief against the Reds twice, but Hoy was replaced in the center field by a young player named Cy Seymour.

Dummy Hoy started his professional career late at the age of 26. Despite the late start, Hoy managed to finish his career with 2,042 hits, 594 stolen bases (reaching the 500 mark at age 40), 1,424 runs, and a career batting average of .288. Dummy Taylor went on to pitch with the Giants for eight more years, compiling a 116-106 record, a respectable 2. 75 ERA, and 21 shutouts. Taylor spent eight more years in the minor leagues before retiring.

Interestingly, later in the season, Taylor helped to initiate John McGraw’s reputation as an accomplished manager during the July 23, 1902 game between the Brooklyn Superbas (Dodgers) and the New York Giants. Taylor beat the Superbas 4-1, handing John McGraw the first of his 2,763 regular-season managerial wins.

On September 6, 1942, Dummy Hoy and Dummy Taylor returned to the baseball diamond in Toledo, Ohio, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their Palace of the Fans encounter. They performed as battery mates to open the Ohio. State Deaf Softball Tournament, where Toledo played the Akron “Rubber City Silents” at Willys Park Field.

Luther Hayden Taylor passed away on August 22, 1958, at the age of 82, eleven days after suffering a heart attack. William Ellsworth Hoy threw the first ball of the 1961 World Series, played by the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. Hoy passed away six weeks later on December 15, 1961, at 99 years of age. 

JAMES GOODWIN and RANDY FISHER are members of the “Dummy” Hoy Committee, which is attempting to put Hoy into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.