Dummy Hoy
| William Hoy | |||
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| Center fielder | |||
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Born: May 23, 1862 Houcktown, Ohio, United States |
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Died: December 15, 1961 (aged 99) Cincinnati |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 20, 1888, for the Washington Nationals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| July 17, 1902, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .288 | ||
| Hits | 2,044 | ||
| Runs batted in | 725 | ||
| Stolen bases | 607 | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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William Hoy (May 23, 1862 – December 15, 1961), nicknamed "Dummy", was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from 1888 to 1902, most notably the Cincinnati Reds and two Washington, D.C., franchises.
Hoy is noted for being the most accomplished deaf player in Major League history, and is credited by some sources with causing the establishment of signals for safe and out calls. He held the Major League record for games in center field (1,726) from 1899 to 1920, set records for career putouts (3,958) and total chances (4,625) as an outfielder, and retired among the leaders in outfield games (2nd; 1,795), assists (7th; 273), and double plays (3rd; 72). He was also an excellent baserunner, scoring over 100 runs nine times, and often finishing among the top base stealers. He is one of only 29 players to have played in four different Major Leagues. His 1,004 career walks put him second in Major League history behind Billy Hamilton when he retired, and he also ended his career ranking eighth in career games played (1,796).
Born in the small town of Houcktown, Ohio, Hoy became deaf after suffering from meningitis at age three, and went on to graduate from the Ohio State School for the Deaf in Columbus as class valedictorian. He opened a shoe repair store in his hometown and played baseball on weekends, earning a professional contract in 1886 with an Oshkosh, Wisconsin, team which was managed by Frank Selee in 1887. In 1888, with the Washington Nationals of the National League, Hoy became the third deaf player in the Major Leagues, after pitcher Ed Dundon and pitcher Tom Lynch. In his rookie year he led the league in stolen bases (although the statistic was defined differently prior to 1898), and also finished second with 69 walks while batting .274. At 5'4" and batting left-handed, he was able to gain numerous walks with a small strike zone, leading the league twice and compiling a .386 career on-base percentage.
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