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A cursory glance at the lifetime statistics of one William Arthur "Candy" Cummings would leave one to wonder how in the world this man made the Hall of Fame.
He lost more games than he won in the big leagues. He pitched in only 43 games, fewer than some pitchers appear in during one SEASON. But it isn't Cummings' record that earned him a coveted spot in Cooperstown. Cummings' contribution to the game was invention. In the 19th century, Cummings is credited with creating the curveball.
Most pitchers in the early days of baseball threw as hard as they could without realizing the way they gripped the ball or turned their wrist could alter it's flight toward home plate. Cummings was a semipro pitcher who came up with the idea (or so it's believed) while throwing clamshells in his native Massachusetts. He took the concept to baseball where he was often scorned for attempting such "folly". But when he proved it could be done, he was known as the Boy Wonder.
Diminuitive in size at 5'9, 120 pounds, the Toledo native egan to work his way up from semipro teams to the National Association and National League in the 1870s. He enjoyed tremendous success in 1873 and 1875, winning 35 games one season. From there, he became an owner, moving to the International Association and running both the league and his team, the Lynn Live Oaks. Cummings continued to play, but struggled on the field with losing records. His team was forced to drop out of the league and Cummings returned to the NL in 1877.
Cummings was durable, completing 194 of 199 career starts in nthe National Association, then considered one of the country's top leagues. He finished 124-72 with an ERA of 2.31. But NA statistics arent' typically counted as "major league" totals and Cummings' 21-22 NL record stands as that total.
He retired following the '77 season, going into business in Athol, Massachusetts. Candy Cummings died on May 16, 1924 at the age of 75.
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