Richard Benjamin Lundy (July 10, 1898[3] – January 5, 1962) was an American baseball shortstop in the Negro leagues for numerous teams. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1921, his batting average was reportedly .484. Lundy became the player-manager of the Bacharach Giants from 1925 through 1928, leading the team to two Eastern Colored League pennants (1926, 1927). In the 1926 Colored World Series, Lundy had six RBIs, 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, Frank Warfield, and Jud Wilson, playing for the Baltimore Black Sox in 1929. His career was often compared to that of Joe Cronin.
At age 54, Lundy received votes listing him on the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro leagues best players ever.[4]
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 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 and Willie Wells.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Chester Defeats Bacharach Giants" Chester Times, Chester, PA, Friday, June 11, 1926, Page 20, Column 1
- ^ "Hilldale Again" Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, June 30, 1918, Page 20, Column 2
- ^ World War I Selective Service Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). M-1509.
- ^ "1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
- ^ James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. The Free Press. p. 186.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads
- Dick Lundy managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com and Seamheads
- Baseball Hall of Fame candidate biography at the Wayback Machine (archived February 7, 2006)