Frederick Lander "Dupee" Shaw (May 31, 1859 – January 12, 1938), also sometimes known as "Wizard,"
[ was a professional ]baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player from 1883 to 1896. The left-handed pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
played Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for six seasons with the Detroit Wolverines
The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...
(1883–1884), Boston Reds (1884)
The Boston Reds (called the Boston Unions in some sources) of 1884 were a professional baseball team that competed in the short-lived Union Association.
History
One of the last teams to join the Union Association, which operated only for the s ...
, Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Leagu ...
(1885) and Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
(1886–1888). Shaw won 30 games in 1884 and 23 in 1885, but never won more than 13 games in any other season. He lost 33 games in 1884 and 31 in 1886. He had a career mark of 83–121 with a 3.10 earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA).
Shaw claimed to have been the first pitcher to use a wind-up before throwing the ball. Some attributed his ability to strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
batters to his unusual windmill delivery. He once struck out the great slugger, Orator Shafer
George W. Shafer ometimes spelled ''Shaffer'' or ''Schaefer''(October 4, 1851 – January 21, 1922) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Orator", because he was an avid speaker, Shafer played for 10 teams in four different majo ...
, five times in a single game, and in 1884, he struck out 451 batters, a total that remains the fourth highest total in major league history. He held the major league record for the most strikeouts in a game by a losing pitcher (18), until Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelphi ...
struck out 19 New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in a losing effort on September 15, . He also pitched a no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
on October 7, 1885, though the game has not qualified as an official no-hitter since 1991 because it lasted only five innings.
Early years
Shaw was born in 1859 in the Charlestown section of Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. Before playing professional baseball, he played first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
for an amateur baseball team in Charlestown. His teammates on the Charlestown team included Thomas Shea
Thomas William Shea (November 14, 1931 – March 12, 1982) was an American ragtime composer.
Biography
Born in Mattoon, Illinois, United States, Shea studied piano briefly as a child, but later became interested in ragtime after hearing the "M ...
, who later became a famous ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
composer, John Clarkson
John Gibson Clarkson (July 1, 1861 – February 4, 1909) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played from 1882 to 1894. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson played for the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), Chicago White Stocking ...
, who was later inducted into 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-r ...
and catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
Mert Hackett
Mortimer Martin "Mert" Hackett (November 11, 1859 – February 22, 1938), was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1887 for the Boston Beaneaters, Kansas City Cowboys, and Indianapolis Hoos ...
.
Professional career
Wind-up
Shaw claimed to have been "the first pitcher to wind up preparatory to delivering the ball."[ ]Alfred Henry Spink Alfred Henry Spink (August 24, 1854 – May 27, 1928) was a Canadian-born American baseball writer and club organizer based mainly in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1886, he established a weekly newspaper, ''The Sporting News'' (TSN), that emerged from ...
, founder of the ''Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'', described Shaw's wind-up as follows:"After considerable swinging and scratching around with his feet, during which he would deliver a lengthy speech to the batter, to the effect that he was the best pitcher on earth and the batter a dub, he would stretch both arms at full length over his head. Then after gazing fixedly at the first baseman for a moment, he would wheel half around and both arms would fly apart like magic... would wind his left arm around again and let the ball fly, running at the same time all the way from the box to the home plate.
Another account describes Shaw's delivery this way: "Shaw had a very peculiar preliminary motion. He was a regular jumping jack in the box, for then the pitcher had more space in the box than now and were not obliged to face the batter."
After his first game for the Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Leagu ...
, the ''Sporting Life'' wrote: "Shaw made a successful debut and promises to be a valuable man. He has a series of introductory motions in order to get an impulse to the ball, which mystifies the batsman and conceals its pace, and will probably be a terror to left-hand hitters." Alfred Spink wrote that Shaw's swinging delivery caused "a genuine sensation," prompting baseball writers to call him "a monkey, a mountebank and other harsh names," but "Shaw paid no attention to the knocks and went right on fooling the batsmen."[
Shaw replied to criticism, "Yes, I know I am nutty, but I am getting away with my games. I was bitten by a fox once."][ His wind-up was said to confuse batsmen and reportedly aided him in striking out the great slugger ]Orator Shafer
George W. Shafer ometimes spelled ''Shaffer'' or ''Schaefer''(October 4, 1851 – January 21, 1922) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Orator", because he was an avid speaker, Shafer played for 10 teams in four different majo ...
five times in one game.[
In addition to his complex wind-up, Shaw was also known for a further peculiarity in never stepping into the pitcher's box except from the rear. One account suggests that it was the eccentric behavior of Dupee that created the long-running baseball stereotype that left-handed pitchers were "the 'nuts' of the game."][
]
Detroit
Shaw began his professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
career with the Detroit Wolverines, making his major league debut in June 1883. That year, he appeared in 26 games for Detroit, including 23 complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
s, and compiled a 10–15 record with a 2.50 ERA.[ During a game in Boston in September 1883, Shaw's friends from Charlestown presented the rookie twirler with an elegant, inscribed gold watch, chain and charm.
Shaw remained with the Detroit club at the start of the 1884 season. He appeared in 28 games, 25 of them complete games, and compiled a 9–18 record with a 2.30 ERA.][ Midway through the season, Shaw jumped to the Boston Reds of the recently formed ]Union Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season.
Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...
. Shaw had become the Wolverines' number one pitcher and was the first National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
star to jump to the Union Association.[
Shaw was interviewed 40 years later about his decision to jump leagues. Detroit fans, he recalled, held a grudge against him for leaving them mid-season for the lure of more money.][ When Shaw returned to Detroit in later years, he was heckled by fans with comments such as, "Oh, Shaw, how's your liver?", or "What'll you sell for?"
Shaw claimed that his real reason for jumping leagues was the bad treatment he received from Detroit's 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 o ...
Jack Chapman
John Curtis "Jack" Chapman (May 8, 1843 – June 10, 1916) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began playing in the National Association when he played for the Brooklyn Atlantics a ...
. In Shaw's final game for Detroit, the Wolverines led by one run
Run(s) or RUN may refer to:
Places
* Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia
* Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant
People
* Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
in the ninth inning
In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
, but two errors (one by Ned Hanlon in center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...
) allowed two runs to score. In the clubhouse after the loss, Chapman went on at length blaming Shaw without saying a word to the players whose errors contributed to the loss. Shaw recalled: "Finally I said, 'All right. I lost the ball game, but this is the last ball game I'll ever lose for Detroit.' And it was. I packed my belongings and that night I started for Boston. I applied for a job and got it."
Boston
After making the jump to the Union Association, Shaw appeared in an additional 39 games for Boston, including 35 complete games, and compiled a 21–15 record.[ Over the course of the full 1884 season, both with Detroit and Boston, Shaw compiled a 30-33 record and threw 60 complete games.][ He also struck out 451 batters, a total that remains the fourth highest single season strikeout total in major league history.
Shaw also set a major league record for the most strikeouts in a game as a losing pitcher that stood for 85 years. On July 19, 1884, he threw a one-hitter against the St. Louis Maroons and struck out 18 batters, but lost the game, 1–0.] Shaw's 1884 average of 8.81 strikeouts per nine innings also broke the existing major league record.
Providence
In 1885, after the collapse of the Union Association, Shaw paid a $1,000 fine and was allowed to return to the National League as a member of the Providence Grays.[ On October 7, 1885, Shaw pitched a no-hitter against the ]Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...
in a five-inning game. No-hitters pitched under such circumstances were counted before 1991, but no longer count as official no-hitters because nine innings were not completed. In all, Shaw pitched 49 games for Providence, including 47 complete games, and compiled a 23–26 record with a 2.57 ERA. Playing a full season against National League batters, Shaw's strikeout total dropped by more than 50% to 194.[ The 1885 Providence team as a whole finished the season in fourth place with a 53-57 record.
]
Washington
In 1886, and for the second straight year, Shaw was faced with the dilemma of having played for a team, this time Providence, that folded after the season had ended. The National League assumed control of the Providence players and assigned most of them, including Shaw, to the newly formed team in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Shaw was unhappy with his assignment to Washington and insisted on being paid more than the league's maximum salary if he was to play there.[ A contract was eventually worked out, and Shaw appeared in 45 games for Washington during the 1886 season, going 13-31 with 43 complete games, a 3.34 ERA and 177 strikeouts.][ The Washington team as a whole finished in last place with a 28-92 record.][
In 1887, Shaw lost his role as the Nationals' number one starter but still appeared in 21 games with 20 complete games. He compiled a 7–13 record and saw his ERA soar to 6.45.][ In June 1887, ''The Evening Star'' of Washington, D.C., suggested a new nickname for Shaw: "It is now 'Looney' instead of 'Dupee' Shaw. Perhaps there's method in his madness." In September 1887, the '']Boston Courier
The ''Boston Courier'' was an American newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded on March 2, 1824, by Joseph T. Buckingham as a daily newspaper which supported protectionism. Buckingham served as editor until he sold out completely ...
'' concluded that Shaw's career was at end, writing:Dupee Shaw has been the enigma of the Washington team. They have laid him off, suspended and fined him. They said he was indifferent and crooked. He is a queer fellow. His day is gone by, and that is about all there is to it.
In 1888, Shaw appeared in only three games for Washington, all complete games, and compiled an 0–3 record with a 6.48 ERA. His final major league appearance was against the Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league baseball clubs based in Indianapolis.
* Indianapolis Hoosiers (American Association), which played in 1884
* Indianapolis Hoosiers (National League), which pla ...
on July 17, 1888.[
]
Comeback attempts
Shaw was 29 when he pitched his final major league game. He made several attempts at a comeback, but arm problems appear to have prevented his return to the major leagues. In 1889, he signed with, and played for, the Newark Little Giants
The Newark Little Giants were a professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey in the late 1880s. They played in the Eastern League for one year until moving to the International League in 1887.
Newark featured the first all African-Americ ...
of the Atlantic Association.[ In May 1890, he received an offer to play for ]Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders were a baseball team who played in the Players' League in 1890. The team's nickname derived from its superstar shortstop, hall of famer John Montgomery Ward. The team finished with a 76–56 record, finishing in second ...
in the Players' League
The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Prof ...
, but said he could not accept an offer until he was satisfied that his arm was "strong enough to stand the strain through the season." Finally, in March 1892, Shaw, at age 32, announced that he had "most of the 'crystal' out of his arm and will be in condition soon to accept advance money."
There is no indication that any major league responded to Shaw's 1892 claim of readiness. However, Shaw did return briefly to the minor leagues in 1894 with a team from Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...
, in the New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...
, and then in 1896 with the Lancaster Maroons of the Class A Atlantic League. Shaw appeared in two games for Lancaster, compiling an 0-2 record with a 4.50 ERA and nine runs (only five earned) in ten innings pitched.
Later years
After retiring from baseball, Dupee settled in the Boston area and was a successful businessman.[ At the time of the 1900 United States Census, he worked as a ]bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...
in Boston, and in 1910, he was a grocer there. He also continued to follow baseball and to participate in "old timers" games in Boston. He died at age 78 in Wakefield, Massachusetts
Wakefield is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, incorporated in 1812 and located about north-northwest of Downtown Boston. Wakefield's population was 27,090 at the 2020 census. Wakefield offers ...
, and was interred at Glenwood Cemetery in Everett, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, directly north of Boston, bordering the neighborhood of Charlestown. The population was 49,075 at the time of the 2020 United States Census.
Everett was the last city in the Un ...
.[
]
See also
*
*List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
Below is a list of Major League Baseball no-hitters, enumerating every no-hitter pitched in Major League Baseball history. In addition, all no-hitters that were broken up in extra innings or were in shortened games are listed, although they are no ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Dupee
1859 births
1938 deaths
Major League Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from Massachusetts
19th-century baseball players
Detroit Wolverines players
Providence Grays players
Washington Nationals (1886–1889) players
Boston Reds (UA) players
Portland (minor league baseball) players
Houston Babies players
Newark Little Giants players
Haverhill (minor league baseball) players
Lancaster Maroons players