Wesley Curry (April 1, 1860 – May 19, 1933) was an American
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
and
umpire
An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection.
The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...
in who played one season in the
major leagues for the
Richmond Virginians of the
American Association before officiating for six seasons in the majors between and .
Playing career
Born in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
, Curry joined the Virginians during the season, and pitched in just two games, both of which were
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
losses.
The first game was a 4–5 loss to the
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...
on August 6, and the other game was a 2–9 loss to the
Brooklyn Grays
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
on August 8.
He never pitched in the major leagues again, and his spot in the pitching rotation was occupied by
Pete Meegan for the remainder of the season.
[
]
Umpire career
Curry began his major league umpiring career in , a year after his playing career had ended, when he signed with the National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
. He umpired 39 games that first season, and 51 games the following season, also with the National League. For the season, he umpired in the American Association, also a major league at the time, and umpired 61 games, all of which, as were his first two seasons, were as the sole umpire on the field, as was the practice.[
That season in the Association saw Curry make a controversial call, yet it led to the institution of an official rule which still lasts to this day. The play in question happened in a game that pitted the ]Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that 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 th ...
against the Brooklyn Grays
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
, when during the game, Louisville's Reddy Mack
Joseph McNamara (May 2, 1866 – December 30, 1916), known professionally as Reddy Mack, was an Irish-born professional baseball player. He played professional baseball from 1885 to 1890, mainly as a second baseman. Mack played the first four ye ...
crossed home plate
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
after a teammate had hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...
safely. After Mack had crossed the plate, he deliberately interfered with Brooklyn's catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
long enough so that two other Colonels had also crossed the plate. Since Mack had prevented the catcher from making any further plays, Curry ruled that the first baserunner
In baseball, base running is the act of running from base to base, performed by members of the team at bat.
Base running is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home base ( home plate) to score a run. Batters strive ...
after Mack to score was out
Out or OUT may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
*Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
*Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander
*O ...
, and then disallowed the other run that followed. The rules stated, at the time, that a baserunner could not interfere with a fielder, but Mack argued that since he had scored, he was no longer a baserunner, therefore he was not in violation of any rules. Curry's decision, although not in the rules, demonstrated that the evolution of the game's rules sometimes has to be made at the moment to protect the game's integrity. The rule that came from this decision became Rule 7.09(e), later changed to Rule 6.01(a)5.[ and he was behind the plate for a ]no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
on August 29, 1885, when Charlie Ferguson of the Philadelphia Quakers threw his gem against the Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National ...
.
Post-career
Wes died at the age of 73 in Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and is interred at Arlington Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia.
...
in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Drexel Hill is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,181 at the 2020 census, an increase over 28,043 in 2010, and accounting for over one-third of Up ...
.[
]
References
External links
Retrosheet
– career umpiring record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, Wes
1860 births
1933 deaths
Burials at Arlington Cemetery (Pennsylvania)
Major League Baseball pitchers
19th-century baseball players
19th-century American sportsmen
Richmond Virginians players
Baseball players from Wilmington, Delaware
Major League Baseball umpires
19th-century baseball umpires