Hugh Carpenter Bedient (October 23, 1889 – July 21, 1965) was a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

who played in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

(1912–1914) and with the Buffalo Blues of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

(1915). Bedient batted and threw right-handed.

Baseball career

Semi-pro

Pitching for a

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...

team based in Falconer, New York, on July 25, 1908, Bedient struck out 42 batters in a 23-inning, 3–1 victory against a team from

Corry, Pennsylvania Corry is a city in northwestern Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 6,217 at the 2020 United States Census, it is the second largest city in Erie County. Corry is a part of the Erie, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city be ...

. Two days later, the ''Jamestown Evening Journal'' ran the headline: "Broke all records. Bedient of Falconer struck out 42 men", and the ''Corry Journal'' stated, "Corry and Falconer make World's record."

Professional

Bedient was selected by Boston Red Sox from Fall River (New England League) in the major league draft on September 1, 1910. He made his major league debut in 1912. He won 20 games as a Red Sox rookie and outdueled legend

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...

, defeating the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, 2–1, in Game Five of the 1912 World Series. He also pitched the first seven innings of the final game, won by the Red Sox in the tenth, 3–2. His hometown honored his return in October 1912 with a parade and celebration. In three seasons with the Red Sox, Bedient had a mark of 44 wins and 35 losses with 314

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s and a 3.05

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 ...

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. He later became a member of the outlaw Federal League. Pitching for the Buffalo Blues, he went 16–18 with 106 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA in innings, leading the league with 10 saves. During the 1915 season, Bedient pitched for the Buffalo Blues of the outlaw major league called the Federal League.

Minor league

Bedient played a significant time in the minor leagues, as follows: * 1910 - Fall River (New England League) * 1911 - Providence (Eastern League) * 1916 - 1917 and 1921 - 1923 - Toledo (American Association) * 1924 - Portland (Pacific Coast League) * 1925 - Atlanta (Southern Association)

Later life

After leaving baseball, Bedient owned a farm in Levant, a hamlet of

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamesto ...

. He was buried at Levant Cemetery in Poland, Chautauqua County, New York.

Memorial

A memorial marker is located a Falconer, New York, in the Falconer Park baseball field on Mosher Street, where Bedient once played.

References

External links

Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedient, Hugh Boston Red Sox players Buffalo Blues players 20th-century American sportsmen Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Chautauqua County, New York 1889 births 1965 deaths Fall River Indians players Providence Grays (minor league) players Toledo Iron Men players Portland Beavers players Atlanta Crackers players