Augustus Joseph Dundon (July 10, 1874 – September 1, 1940) was a
second baseman in
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), ...
. He played for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
.
Biography
Dundon was born in
Columbus, Ohio. He began his professional baseball career at the age of 21, in the Virginia League.
["Gus Dundon Minor League Statistics & History"](_blank)
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-11-06. He played several
infield
Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used.
Baseball
In baseball, the diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-c ...
positions early in his career.
From 1901 to 1903, Dundon was a
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
for the
Western League's Denver Grizzlies. He was considered the best fielding third baseman in the league. In 1902, he hit .303 and also led the league with 44
stolen bases.
Dundon was acquired by the White Sox in 1904. He continued to play well defensively, leading the league's second basemen in
fielding percentage in 1904 and 1905. However, Dundon failed to hit in the majors. In early 1906, he was batting just .135 when he lost his spot in the starting lineup. Chicago won the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
pennant that year, but Dundon did not appear in the
1906 World Series
The 1906 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1906 season. The third edition of the World Series, it featured a crosstown matchup between the American League champion Chicago White Sox and the National Leagu ...
. He played his last major league game on October 7.
["Gus Dundon Statistics and History"](_blank)
''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
The following season, Dundon played for the
Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...
of the
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
. He was the team's manager-captain. He continued his solid defense at second base but hit .191. In 1908, he moved to the
New Orleans Pelicans of the
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...
. That year, he led the league's second basemen in fielding percentage
[''Reach'', p. 221.] but again failed to reach the
Mendoza Line
The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a sub-.200 batting average, the supposed minimum threshold for competence at the Major League level. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine b ...
.
Dundon played in various minor leagues over the next few years. He spent 1912-1914 in the
Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball.
History
The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia.
The second leagu ...
. In 1915 and 1916, he was the manager for the
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952.
Early leagues
Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active:
*1896–1901: an unclassified ...
's
Olean White Sox Olean can refer to:
* Olean, Indiana
* Olean, Missouri
* Olean, New York, the largest city named Olean
**Olean (town), New York, a surrounding municipality
* Olestra
Olestra (also known by its brand name Olean) is a fat substitute that adds no c ...
.
Dundon died in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, at the age of 66.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dundon, Gus
1874 births
1940 deaths
Major League Baseball second basemen
Chicago White Sox players
Petersburg Farmers players
Hampton Clamdiggers players
Richmond Bluebirds players
Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players
Columbus Senators players
Anderson Anders players
Youngstown Little Giants players
Marion Glass Blowers players
Toronto Canucks players
Denver Grizzlies (baseball) players
Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
Wheeling Stogies players
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players
Evansville River Rats players
Galveston Sand Crabs players
Lincoln Railsplitters players
Harrisburg Senators players
Chicago Keeleys players
York White Roses players
Lancaster Red Roses players
Olean White Sox players
Washington Senators (1912) players
Minor league baseball managers
Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio