Samuel Morrison Dungan (July 29, 1866 – March 16, 1939) 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, principally an outfielder, but also a

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 ...

and

first baseman 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 16 years from 1890 to 1905. A California native, he attended

Michigan State Normal School Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

from 1886 to 1888 and began playing professional baseball with the

Oakland Colonels Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

in 1890. After winning the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

batting title in 1890, he played 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), ...

for

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...

Chicago Colts The following is a North American professional sports league organization, franchise history of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, a charter member of the National League who started play in the National Association of Base Ball Players, ...

from 1892 to 1894. He played six seasons from 1894 to 1899 for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

of the Western League, led the team in batting each year, hit .447 in 1894, .424 in 1895, .372 in 1897, and won the Western League batting title in 1899. In 1900, he played for the Kansas City Blues of the newly established

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 ...

, compiling a .350 batting average to become the first American League batting champion. In 1901, the American League became a major league, and Dungan hit .320 (10th best in the league) for the Washington Senators. He concluded his professional baseball career playing for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

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 ...

(1902–1903) and

Memphis Egyptians The Memphis Chicks were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Southern Association from 1901 to 1960. They were located in Memphis, Tennessee, and played their home games at Russwood Park. Known originally as the Memphis Egyptians and M ...

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), Cl ...

(1903–1905). After retiring from baseball, Dungan returned to

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

, where he lived for the rest of his life, having homes in

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

and Santa Ana. He was an orange grower and owned property in Talbert (now known as Fountain Valley) and Lemon Heights (now known as

North Tustin North Tustin is a census-designated place and Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Orange County, California. The population was 24,917 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 Census, up from 24,044 in 2000. It is both the largest CDP an ...

). He died in 1939 at age 72.

Early years

Dungan was born in 1866 in Ferndale in

Humboldt County, California Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...

. He was the son of boat builder Robert M. Dungan and Joanna (Jenkins) Dungan. The family moved to

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

in 1877 and eventually settled in a section of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

(between southern Santa Ana and Fountain Valley) known as "Gospel Swamp". From 1886 to 1888, Dungan attended the Michigan State Normal School (later renamed

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

) in

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

. When he returned from college, he played baseball for a team in

Fairview, California Fairview is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. It borders on the city of Hayward and the census-designated place of Castro Valley. The population was 11,341 at the 2020 census. Geography According to t ...

, starting in July 1888. In 1889, he played for baseball teams in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

, and

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

Professional baseball

San Diego and Oakland

After starting the 1890 season with San Diego, Dungan joined the

in March 1890. Oakland manager T.P. Robinson said at the time, "I believe Dungan is the best hitter we've ever had here." After one of his first games with the club, ''

The San Francisco Call ''The San Francisco Call'' was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called ''The San Francisco Call & Post'', the ''San Francisco Call-Bulletin ...

'' described him as "a great outfielder" and "a vicious hitter". He finished the season with a .332

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 is ...

, 174 hits, 159 runs scored, and 65 stolen bases in 533 at bats. He was the batting champion of the

with an average 17 points higher than any other player.

Milwaukee and Omaha

Dungan began the 1891 season with the

of the Western League. In late July, the Omaha club was reorganized, and each team in the league was required to release a number of players to the Omaha club. Milwaukee released Dungan to Omaha.

Chicago

In 1892, Dungan made it to the major leagues with

of the

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 ...

. He appeared in 113 games as an outfielder for the 1892 Colts and compiled a .284 batting average with 19 doubles, seven triples, and 15 stolen bases. Dungan remained with the Colts in 1893, appearing in 107 games as an outfielder, raising his batting average to .297 with 23 doubles and 7 triples. His 138 hits in 1893 was second to

Bill Dahlen William Frederick Dahlen (January 5, 1870 – December 5, 1950), nicknamed "Bad Bill" for his ferocious temperament, was an American shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for four National League teams from to . After twice ...

on the 1893 Colts. Dungan appeared in only 10 games for the Colts in 1894, as his batting average dropped to .231 in 46 plate appearances. He was farmed out to the Detroit team in the Western League and then traded to the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

for pitcher

Scott Stratton Chilton Scott Stratton (October 2, 1869 – March 8, 1939) was an American pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1895. He played for the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Colts. Biography Stratton was b ...

. He appeared in 10 games for the Colonels in 1894, compiling a .344 batting average in 37 plate appearances.

Detroit

In July 1894, Dungan rejoined the Detroit club of the Western League (known as the Creams in 1894 and the Tigers thereafter) after being released by Louisville. Dungan was popular in Detroit from the start. On July 12, when he made his return to the club following his stint in Louisville, Dungan was greeted warmly by the Detroit fans. The ''Detroit Free Press'' wrote:

The feature of the game was the reappearance of Sam Dungan in a Detroit uniform. On the third base bleacher fence was a banner, "Welcome home. This push is for Dungan." Behind it were a dozen or more men armed with horns, which they used heroically at times. . . . Dungan marched up to the plate. He was cheered to the echo and displayed a small portion of his shiny skull in recognition of the applause. Then a man advanced and handed him a floral bat from some local admirers and the yelling was louder than ever. ungan then hit an inside-the-park home run. Men and women arose and cheered the sturdy fielder, players slapped him on the back, and the horns on the bleachers testified that there wasn't a happier "push" in the whole town.

During the 1894 season, Dungan compiled a .447 batting average for Detroit, 76 points higher than the second best hitter on the club. Dungan remained with the Detroit baseball club for six years from 1894 to 1899 and appeared in every game played by the club from 1895 to 1899. He led Detroit in batting in 1894 (.447), 1895 (.424), 1897 (.372), 1898 (.325), and 1899 (.347). He won the Western League batting championship in 1899, and finished second in 1894, third in 1895, sixth in 1897, and fourth in 1898. Though generally not considered to be a great defensive outfielder, he also led all outfielders in the league with 42 assists in 1896. During the 1897 season, Detroit teammate

Harry Steinfeldt Harry M. Steinfeldt (September 29, 1875 – August 17, 1914) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Steinfeldt played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Rustlers. He batted and threw ...

developed bad shins from being hit by the ball. Dungan gave Steinfeldt football shin guards to wear under his socks, which helped the shins heal. One of Detroit's catchers then began using the shin guards, and Dungan was later credited as the person who introduced the use of shin guards to baseball.

Roger Bresnahan Roger Philip Bresnahan (June 11, 1879 – December 4, 1944), nicknamed "The Duke of Tralee", was an American player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Bresnahan competed in MLB for the Washington Senators (1897), Chicago ...

also claimed credit for the innovation, but Dungan noted that Bresnahan was pitching in the minor leagues when Dungan introduced the device. In July 1897, Dungan was arrested for alienating the affections of the wife of Dr. W. D. MacQuisten. MacQuisten withdrew the criminal charges two days later.

Chicago and Kansas City

Dungan returned to Chicago briefly in 1900, appearing in six games and compiling a .267 batting average. On May 17, 1900, he was traded to Kansas City Blues of the newly established

as part of a trade that sent

John Ganzel John Henry Ganzel (April 7, 1874 – January 14, 1959) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Ganzel batted and threw right-handed. He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1898), Chicago Cubs (1900), New York Giants (19 ...

to Chicago in exchange for Dungan, Bill Phyle, and Bill Everitt. Dungan played first base appeared in 112 games for Kansas City during the 1900 season. He compiled a .350 batting average, reported in some sources as .337, best in the American League among players with at least 50 games played. He is remembered as the first American League batting champion.

Washington

In 1901, as the American League gained designation as a major league, the Kansas City Blues became the Washington Senators. Dungan appeared in 138 games for the 1901 Senators, 104 as an outfielder and 35 as a first baseman. He compiled a .320 batting average, 10th highest in the American League. His tally of 179 hits in 1901 was fifth highest in the league. He appeared in his last major league game on September 27, 1901, at age 35.

Milwaukee and Memphis

Dungan remained active in professional baseball for four more years, playing for the

of the

(1902–1903) and

of the

(1903–1905). He compiled a .342 batting average in his first season with Memphis. He helped Memphis win Southern Association championships in 1903 and 1904, but saw his batting average drop to .288 in 1904 and .286 in 1905. In 1902, Dungan reportedly discovered

Gavvy Cravath Clifford Carlton "Gavvy" Cravath (March 23, 1881 – May 23, 1963), also nicknamed "Cactus", was an American right fielder and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. One of the sport's most ...

while playing a game of Sunday ball in Southern California. Dungan set up a tryout for Cravath with Jim Morley of the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

. Cravath went on to lead the

six times in RBIs. Dungan announced his retirement from baseball in January 1906 at age 39. Dungan later recalled: "I was fed up on baseball although I had one of my best years in 1905. I made up my mind I didn't want to follow the game indefinitely, limping from one place to another as my ability declined. And I had no managerial aspirations. So I just up and quit."

Family and later years

During the 1890 season in Oakland, Dungan became acquainted with Mamie Bodgard, a fan of the Oakland club. The two were married in Los Angeles in March 1891. However, Dungan left her two hours after the ceremony, reportedly after discovering that she had previously been married and widowed. Dungan's flight from his bride became the subject of newspaper stories published across the country. The marriage ended in divorce; sources are in dispute as to whether Bodgard's request for alimony was granted or denied. In 1900, Dungan was married to Laura B. Lippy. They had two children, Dorothy Eleanor and Myron Robert. After retiring from baseball, Dungan returned to his home town of

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

, where he was employed as a rancher and citrus grower. He purchased 20 acres of land in Talbert, California (now known as Fountain Valley), in 1893; he leased the land for farming of potatoes, celery, beets, and beans. In 1907, Dungan built a cottage home in

where he lived for several years. He also bought 12 acres in Lemon Heights (now known as North Tustin) in 1912. In 1917, he built a house at 221 South Broadway in Santa Ana, where he lived for the rest of his life. Dungan's wife, Laura, died in December 1928 at their home in Santa Ana. Dungan remarried in September 1933 to Lula Mary Lewis. In March 1939, Dungan died at his home in Santa Ana. The cause of his death was a heart attack that followed

uremic poisoning Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF), is a sudden decrease in kidney function that develops within 7 days, as shown by an increase in serum creatinine or a decrease in urine output, or both. Causes of AKI are cla ...

. He was buried at Fairhaven Cemetery (now known as Santa Ana Cemetery). He left his estate in equal shares to his widow, Lulu Mary, and two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dungan, Sam 1866 births 1939 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders Baseball players from California 19th-century baseball players Chicago Colts players Chicago Orphans players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Louisville Colonels players Oakland Colonels players Omaha Lambs players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Detroit Creams players Detroit Tigers (Western League) players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Memphis Egyptians players People from Ferndale, California