Terris McDuffie

Terris Chester McDuffie (May 22, 1910 – April 29, 1968) was a professional American baseball player.

He was listed at 6' 1" (1.85 m), 200 lb. (91 kg).

Born in Mobile, Alabama, McDuffie was a pitcher, best known as a strong-armed hurler who could challenge hitters with his live fastball.

His long career spanned from 1930 through 1954.

He played for several teams in different leagues across the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

His pitches also included a sinker, slider, curveball, and a deceptive changeup.

Total records are lost, but McDuffie probably amassed nearly 200 wins along the way in the many baseball circuits in which he played.

McDuffie was a good hitter, fast baserunner, and unrivaled self-promoter.

He often got more attention for his handsome looks, flashy dress, gold jewelry, flamboyant behavior, and his personal life rather than for his ball playing.

He was known for being a crowd-pleaser for wearing an expressive jacket with the words The Great McDuffie emblazoned on the back in large letters.

McDuffie started his baseball career in 1930 as an outfielder for the Birmingham Black Barons, hitting a .297 batting average with a .353 on-base percentage and leading the Negro leagues with 18 stolen bases.

He batted .273 for Birmingham in 1931, but soon switched to the mound and began developing his pitching skills.

He bounced around between 1932 and 1933, having stints with the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Pollock's Cuban Stars, Hilldale Daisies, and Baltimore Black Sox before joining the Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York in 1934.

In that season, he pitched an 18-inning, 3–1 victory over the Jacksonville Red Caps, and hurled a no-hitter for the Brooklyn Eagles against the House of David club the next year.

He moved to the consolidated Brooklyn-Newark Eagles late in 1936, playing for them through the 1937 midseason.

McDuffie struggled in 1936 while battling stomach ailments that would haunt him in later years as well.

He rebounded in 1937, going 10–4 with a 3.07 ERA, and hurled two victories over Satchel Paige in three matchups.

He quickly became a favorite of Effa Manley, who along with her husband Abe Manley, was co-owner of the Eagles.

She took an active role in the team, serving as manager and scheduler.

Sometimes she took too active a role, for instance, when she tried to control the antics of McDuffie inside and outside the ballpark.

Terris the Terrible, as he was dubbed, amassed a 13–2 record for Newark in 1938 while completing his 18 starts.

But he was also at the center of a controversy when the Eagles players and staff hinted at a possible sentimental relation between Mrs. Manley and McDuffie.

While there is no conclusive evidence to support whether or not she and McDuffie had an affair, Abe Manley promptly traded him to the New York Black Yankees.

Overall, his 1938 pitching record of 14–4 was second in the league, one win behind Homestead Grays ace Ray Brown.

After that, McDuffie spent 1939 with the Black Yankees and the Baltimore Elite Giants and made his first appearance in the East-West All-Star Game in a relief role.

He ended the year in the California Winter League, the first integrated baseball circuit in the 20th century as players from Major League Baseball and the Negro leagues played each other in training games.

McDuffie led the league's pitchers with a 5–3 record, surpassing Johnny Lindell, Bob Feller, Lee Stine, George Darrow, Tom Glover, and Pat Tobin, among others.

For the next decade, McDuffie split his playing time between the Negro leagues and the Mexican League.

He opened 1940 with the Philadelphia Stars but jumped to the Gallos de Santa Rosa Mexican team early in the year.

Then, the Homestead Grays signed him in 1941.

He posted a 27–5 record for the Grays, helping the team win the 1941 Negro National League Pennant, and also was the starter and winning pitcher in the East-West All-Star Game.

McDuffie remained with the Grays until 1942 and then played in Mexico with the Algodoneros de Torreón in the 1943 season.

He rejoined the Eagles in 1944 because of his status draft and started the East-West All-Star Game, but did not have a decision in the game.

During the 1945 spring, he auditioned for the Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, who made no offer.

McDuffie was 34 years old at the time, and well past his prime.

At one point after World War II, McDuffie was the highest-paid player in the Eastern division of the Negro with a salary of $6,000 a year.

He spent part of 1945 with the Eagles before joining the Mexican Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo late in the season.

In 1945 he missed time due to an appendix operation, while the following year he had a stomach operation to remove an internal growth.

He later returned to Torreón in 1946 and played for the Aguilas de Veracruz in 1947, during what would be his last season in the Mexican League.

McDuffie suffered serious and debilitating illnesses that affected his performance in the league.