Jerry Denny

Jerry Denny
Third baseman
Born: March 16, 1859(1859-03-16) New York, New York
Died: August 16, 1927(1927-08-16) (aged 68) Houston, Texas
Batted: Right	Threw: Both
MLB debut
May 2, 1881 for the Providence Grays
Last MLB appearance
July 10, 1894 for the Louisville Colonels
Career statistics
Batting average	.260
Hits	1,286
Runs	714
Teams
Providence Grays (1881-1885) St. Louis Maroons (1886) Indianapolis Hoosiers (1887-1889) New York Giants (1890-1891) Cleveland Spiders (1891) Philadelphia Phillies (1891) Louisville Colonels (1893-1894)
Career highlights and awards
National League pennant: 1884

Jeremiah Dennis Denny (born Jeremiah Dennis Eldridge, March 16, 1859, New York, New York; died August 16, 1927, Houston, Texas) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball. Denny was a rarity: a left-handed thrower who played a position traditionally reserved for right-handers.

Over 13 professional seasons he played for the Providence Grays (1881–1885), St. Louis Maroons (1886), Indianapolis Hoosiers (1888–1889), New York Giants (1890–1891), Cleveland Spiders (1891), Philadelphia Phillies (1891), and Louisville Colonels (1893–1894). After leaving the Major Leagues, Denny continued playing Minor League baseball until 1902.

Denny was the last Major League position player (non-pitcher) to play his entire career on the diamond without a fielding glove. (Fielding gloves gradually gained acceptance between 1885 and the mid-1890s, although padded mitts for catchers and first basemen were introduced earlier.) Denny was also one of the few ambidextrous major league players; although he threw primarily with his right arm, he could also toss with his left. This gave him a defensive advantage at his customary field position—in ranging to his left on a ground ball, if he saw a play at second base, instead of having to transfer the ball to his right hand while pivoting and repositioning his body (as third basemen would customarily do), Denny could dispatch the ball to second with his left hand. This skill contributed to his refusal to wear a glove in the field, long after most players considered gloves an essential piece of equipment.

In 1884, Denny helped the National League champion Grays defeat the New York Metropolitans of the American Association in the major leagues' first post-season championship match-up. That season, he was the Grays' leader in home runs (six, and one in the championship series) and runs batted in (59), and second in extra base hits (37).

Professional statistics

His career totals are 1,237 Games and 4,946 At Bats, 714 Runs, 1,286 Hits, 238 Doubles, 76 Triples, 74 Home Runs, 667 RBI, 130 Stolen Bases, 173 Walks, a Batting Average of.260, an On-base percentage of.287, a Slugging Percentage of.384, and 1,898 Total bases.

Notable achievements

Denny holds the Major League record for most chances by a third baseman in a single game, handling 16 chances during an 18-inning match on August 17, 1882.

He led the National League in Games (85) in 1881 and Strikeouts (79) in 1888.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• BaseballLibrary.com
• Bio at ProvidenceGrays.org
• Player bio at Baseball Historian
• Obituary, New York Times, August 17, 1927
• The 1884 Providence Grays' season and championship were chronicled in Edward Achorn's Fifty-Nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had (HarperCollins, 2010), in which Denny makes cameo appearances.

Persondata
Name	Denny, Jerry
Alternative names	Denny, Jeremiah Dennis; Eldridge, Jeremiah Dennis
Short description	Major League Baseball player
Date of birth	March 16, 1859
Place of birth	New York, New York
Date of death	August 16, 1927
Place of death	Houston, Texas