William Hoy was not Major League Baseball鈥檚 first deaf player, but he was the game's most successful. He finished his career, which spanned from 1888-1902, with 2,048 hits, 596 stolen bases and 725 runs batted in. In the 21st century, Hoy received consideration by the Veterans Committee for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

鈥淗e faced prejudice, especially in the beginning of his career,鈥 says Nancy Churnin, who wrote , a children鈥檚 book meant to inform and inspire. 鈥淏ut he also made great friends. He taught his teammates sign language, and they loved it."

Early in his baseball career, Hoy received the nickname 鈥淒ummy鈥濃攁 common (albeit offensive) nickname at the time for those who could not speak. Hoy became better known by that nickname than by William or Billy.

William Hoy Defies Expectations

1900 Chicago White SoxCHICAGO - 1900. The Chicago White Sox in their first year of existence, included owner Charles Comiskey, seated in street clothes, and Dummy Hoy, seated front row, second from right. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images
William Hoy (second from right in front row) with the Chicago White Sox.

Born May 23, 1862, in Houcktown, Ohio, a hamlet about 55 miles south of Toledo, Hoy was unassuming, quiet, detailed and polite. His parents were farmers. When Hoy was three, he contracted meningitis, leaving him unable to speak or hear. He was sent to the Ohio School for the Deaf, graduating as valedictorian in 1879.

鈥淓xpectations for the deaf then were so low,鈥 Churnin says. 鈥淗is parents figured he鈥檇 learn how to cobble shoes and live at home his entire life. He had bigger ideas.鈥

In the summer as a youth, Hoy played baseball in his neighborhood. A passerby at a game asked Hoy to play for the Kenton (Ohio) team against a local squad. He did, faring well against pitcher Billy Hart, who played a season with the St. Louis Browns in a professional league.

In 1886, Hoy signed with a professional team in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The umpire's balls and strikes calls in the league confused Hoy鈥攈e could not hear them, and the stadium had no scoreboard for him to follow the count. So, the third-base coach signaled him by raising his left index finger for a ball, the right for a strike. 

The more the system worked, the better Hoy played鈥攊t was even used when he played in the big leagues.

Hoy hit .367 for Oshkosh in 1887, the same year his 鈥渉orse catch鈥 became part of baseball lore. In the season finale against Dubuque for the league title, Hoy played center field. Fans, some with their horses and buggies nearby, ringed the field. In the ninth inning, Hoy miraculously caught a deep fly ball in the area where the horses stood. 

鈥淥ne old-timer insists that Hoy hopped up on a horse鈥檚 back, stuck up his glove and鈥攌erplunk! He caught the ball to retire the side," according to a mid-20th-century account. "Another old-time twist to the Hoy catch was that he circled between some horses, put his arms around the horse鈥檚 neck and presto鈥攈e made the catch!鈥

Hoy Becomes Second Deaf Player in Professional Baseball

**ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND, DEC. 31 - JAN. 2** Steve Sandy shows off the cards of deaf baseball players, William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy, left, and Luther "Dummy" Taylor at home Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 in Columbus, Ohio. Taylor played from 1900-08 and Hoy played from 1888-1902. The image of William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy dons a quilt and a clock, left, stiched in by Sandy's mother. There also are numerous boxes of books, black-and-white photographs and old baseball cards Sandy has obtained with one goal in mind, Hoy's enshrinement in Cooperstown. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato
Steve Sandy, a baseball card collector, shows off the cards of deaf MLB players William Hoy (left) and Luther Taylor.

In 1888, the Washington Nationals of the National League signed Hoy, making him professional baseball鈥檚 second deaf player after Ed Dundon, who played one season in the big leagues. In his rookie season, Hoy led the league with 82 stolen bases.

Hoy, who stood 5-foot-6 and weighed between 145 and 160 pounds during his playing days, was known for his speed and excellent throwing arm that allowed him to play shallow in center field. He was a left-handed hitter but a righty thrower.

Players and fans adapted to Hoy's deafness. Fans stood and waved at Hoy so he knew they were cheering. When Hoy joined a new team, he posted a note in every clubhouse so teammates would know how he handled fly balls.

鈥淲henever I take a fly ball,鈥 he wrote, 鈥淚 always yell, 鈥業鈥檒l take it鈥欌攖he same as I have been doing for many seasons, and of course the other fielders let me take it. Whenever you don鈥檛 hear me yell, it is understood I am not after the ball, and they govern themselves accordingly.鈥

In addition to the Nationals, Hoy played for the Buffalo Bisons, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Cincinnati Reds, Louisville Colonels and Chicago White Sox. He was one of 29 players to play in four of the five acknowledged major leagues鈥攖he National and American Leagues, the Player鈥檚 League and the American Association.

In a 14-year big-league career, Hoy earned the respect of players and management alike. "There is no more earnest player in the country today,鈥 Reds manager Tom Loftus told reporters in 1890.

鈥淗oy knows nothing but baseball from the time the season commences until it closes,鈥 the manager continued. 鈥淗e watches every point, and while we were in New York he kept me busy answering questions on what I would do in case of such and such a suppositious play. He is a good, earnest player, the best on the Buffalo team.鈥

On May 26, 1902, in his final big-league season, Hoy batted against Luther Taylor, another deaf player. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad to see you,鈥 he signed to him before singling to center field.

In his final professional game, with Los Angeles in the Pacific Coast League in 1903, Hoy concluded his career in style. As fog hovered over the field in the ninth inning, a hitter launched a fly ball into the outfield. Hoy made a terrific catch to end the game.

Is William Hoy in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

In 1898, Hoy married Anna Lowry, with whom he had three children. Anna, also deaf, taught deaf children for much of her life. After his playing career, Hoy bought land in Ohio and became a successful dairy farmer. At age 80, he walked 72 blocks to see his son, Judge Carson Hoy, preside in court.

Hoy died on December 15, 1961, having lived from presidents Abraham Lincoln to John F. Kennedy

鈥淗e was very famous in his time," Churnin says. "But he lived in a time when there was antagonism against the deaf community. He was mocked, laughed at, people telling him he didn鈥檛 belong."

Although Hoy was enshrined in the Reds' Hall of Fame, he has not made the cut for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Hall of Famer Sam Crawford鈥攚ho played with Hoy on the Reds in 1902鈥攅xtolled his former teammate's defensive skills, baserunning and worthiness for Hall enshrinement. 

"There is not a single player in the Hall of Fame who faced physical challenges, not even an exhibit." Churnin says. "I cannot tell you what [Hoy's] selection would mean to his family, and to the deaf community.鈥