Hugh Daily

Hugh Daily
A gentleman in a suit facing slightly left of the camera
Hugh Daily in 1882
Pitcher
Born: (1847-07-17)July 17, 1847
Ireland
Died: Unknown; last confirmed alive in 1923
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
1 May, 1882, for the Buffalo Bisons
Last MLB appearance
21 August, 1887, for the Cleveland Blues
MLB statistics
Win–loss record73–87
Earned run average2.92
Strikeouts846
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Pitched a no-hitter on September 13, 1883
  • Led the Union Association in strikeouts in 1884 with 483
  • Struck out 19 batters in one game
  • Tied for most one-hitters in a season (1884)

Hugh Daily (July 17, 1847 – after 1923), nicknamed "One Arm" Daily, was an Irish born professional right-handed pitcher who played six seasons, for seven different teams; the Buffalo Bisons, the Cleveland Blues, and the St. Louis Maroons of the National League, Chicago Browns and Washington Nationals of the Union Association, and the Cleveland Blues of the American Association. He was known for having a surly disposition and was not well liked by baseball executives, which occasioned his frequent change of teams. However, he was a favourite of fans wherever he played.

Daily was successful as a starting pitcher early in his major league career. In 1883 and 1884, he won 20 or more games each season, while finishing in the top ten among league leaders in major pitching categories such as earned run average (as calculated retroactively, since E.R.A. was not an official statistic at the time), innings pitched, complete games, and strikeouts. Daily established the pitching record for strikeouts in a season (later surpassed), tied a record by tossing two consecutive one-hitters, broke the record for one-hitters in a season, and threw a no-hitter. After his initial three years of success, the final three years of his career were marked by quick decline in his seasonal numbers, and he was gone from organised baseball shortly thereafter. Today he remains a mysterious figure, as there is little record of his activities after his career. It is unclear where he lived and where he died.