Richard Benjamin Lundy (July 10, 1898 – January 5, 1962) was an American baseball

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

for numerous teams. He was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. In 1921, his

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

was reportedly .484. Lundy became the player-

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of the Bacharach Giants from 1925 through 1928, leading the team to two

Eastern Colored League The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL), was one of the several Negro leagues, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated. League history Founding The ECL ...

pennants (1926, 1927). In the

1926 Colored World Series The 1926 Colored World Series was the championship tournament for the 1926 season of Negro league baseball. It was the third overall Series played. It matched the Chicago American Giants, champions of the Negro National League (1920–1931), and t ...

, Lundy had six

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the batt ...

, four runs scored, and six stolen bases. The Giants, however, lost the series. Lundy made one appearance in the East-West All-Star Game, playing shortstop for the East. By this point, he had become part of what was called the "million dollar infield", along with

Oliver Marcell Oliver Marcell (June 21, 1895 – June 12, 1949), nicknamed "Ghost", was an American third baseman in the Negro leagues for a number of teams around the league from 1918-1931. He also played shortstop. A Creole born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, h ...

, Frank Warfield, and

Jud Wilson Ernest Judson Wilson (February 28, 1894 – June 24, 1963), nicknamed "Boojum", was an American third baseman, first baseman, and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Baltimore Black Sox, the Homestead Grays, and the Philadelph ...

, playing for the

Baltimore Black Sox The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team active between 1913 and 1936, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Founding The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1913 by Howard Young. They were one of the original six ...

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

. His career was often compared to that of Joe Cronin. At age 54, Lundy received votes listing him on the 1952 ''

Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the mo ...

'' player-voted poll of the Negro leagues best players ever."1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
/ref> Lundy remained in baseball around 33 years, finishing out his baseball career as a manager. He died at age 63 in Jacksonville after a lingering illness. He was among 39 Negro leagues players, managers, and executives who were considered for the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

in 2006, but fell short of the necessary 75% vote. Writer Bill James ranked Lundy as the third-greatest shortstop in Negro league history, behind

John Henry Lloyd John Henry Lloyd (April 25, 1884 – March 19, 1964), nicknamed "Pop" and "El Cuchara", was an American baseball shortstop and manager in the Negro leagues. During his 27-year career, he played for many teams and had a .343 batting average. Lloy ...

and Willie Wells.James, Bill (2001). ''The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract''. The Free Press. p. 186.

References

External links

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Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lundy, Dick 1898 births 1962 deaths African-American baseball players Bacharach Giants players Baltimore Black Sox players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Brooklyn Royal Giants players Hilldale Club players Negro league baseball managers New York Cubans players Newark Dodgers players Newark Eagles players Philadelphia Stars players