Baltimore Orioles Legends: Remembering Hughie Jennings

Hughie Jennings was not only one of the best players in the game, but he later became a top manager as well. A legend with the old NL Baltimore Orioles, Jennings was born on this day in 1869.

A quick look at Hughie Jennings overall statistics would not lead one to imagine he would be in the Hall of Fame. The legendary Baltimore Orioles shortstop only had seven seasons with over 100 games played in an 18 year career, although part of that came from sporadic appearances as the Tigers manager. However, Honus Wagner, often considered to be the greatest shortstop in MLB history, considered Jennings to be the gold standard.

His career was abbreviated by several injuries. On three separate occasions, Jennings had his skull fractured three times due to being hit by a pitch. In 1897, an Amos Rusie fastball knocked Jennings unconscious for four days, even though he finished the game, collapsing afterwards. Then, in 1904, Jennings dove into an empty pool, thinking it was full as he wanted to go for a late night swim. He suffered yet another fractured skull for his efforts.

Overall, Jennings produced a .312/.391/.406 batting line, hitting 232 doubles and stealing 359 bases. Despite appearing in just 1284 games, Jennings had 1526 hits. He also holds the all time record for being hit by a pitch, getting drilled 287 times, including an MLB record 51 times in 1896. Those injuries to his skull did not affect his bravery at the plate.

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After his playing career, Jennings became one of the all time great managers. Brought on to lead the Detroit Tigers, Jennings was tasked with handling Ty Cobb. He essentially stayed out of Cobb’s way, telling the hot tempered outfielder to use his best judgment and to know his skipper had his back. As Cobb blossomed into a star, the strategy certainly worked.

Jennings was not done with his horrific accidents once his playing career ended. In 1911, the car he was driving overturned on a bridge, putting his life in danger. He fractured his skull yet again, had a severe concussion, and broke both legs and his left arm. Although doctors were unsure of whether or not he would survive, Jennings pulled through.

His place in Tigers history was set. He was the all time winningest manager in team history with 1131 wins, a mark that was surpassed only by Sparky Anderson. Due to his playing career, and stature as a manager, Jennings was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945, 17 years after he passed away from meningitis at 58 years old.

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Hughie Jennings may not have had a long career as a player, but his greatness with the Baltimore Orioles, and later as a manager with the Detroit Tigers, cannot be disputed.