Jerry Denny, Third Baseman

Denny was born in New York City as Jeremiah Dennis Eldredge to a poor Irish immigrant family in 1859.  His parents moved to California when he was young, and died soon after, so young Jerry was raised in west coast orphanages.  He began playing minor league ball in San Francisco in his teens under the name Jerry Denny, and came to the Grays as their third baseman in 1881.

Going into the 1884 season, Denny was a three-year veteran and already established as one of the best third basemen in the league.  He held the major league record for home runs by a third baseman in a season with eight, and was tenth all-time on the National League lifetime list for all positions with eleven.  More importantly, he was regarded as the best fielding third baseman in the league, and had led the league in several fielding categories.  He was ambidextrous, and thus able to throw to first with either hand as the situation demanded.  He was a large man for his day, and was the largest on the Grays at 5'11" and 180 pounds.

Denny's 1884 batting statistics for the Grays (.248, 6 homers, 57 runs) are unimpressive by today's standards, and don't indicate his role as one of the best hitters on the team.  He led the World Champions in home runs (and strikeouts), was second in slugging average, second in walks and second in triples.  While most of the home runs in the National League that year were cheap shots over a very short fence at Chicago's Lakefront Stadium, Denny hit five mammoth shots over normal fences, a remarkable feat for the time.  On June 19 at Messer Park in Providence, he hit a two-run shot to "the driveway in right-centre field."  He hit another in Detroit on June 21, and a cheap shot in Chicago on June 28.  Returning to Providence, he hit a "magnificent drive over the left field fence" on August 21, and a two-run "powerful drive over the entrance gate in left field" to beat Cleveland on September 5.  He hit his sixth in Cleveland on October 7.  He also hit a two-run homer off New York's Hall-of-Fame pitcher Tim Keefe for the margin of victory in the 3-1 championship game, the first World Series homer ever.

He also had some adventures in the field; his powerful but erratic throwing arm seems to have been well-known.  On June 19, he made "one of his remarkable throws over Start's head", and on August 27, he "made one of his great and only throws over Start's head and into the seats."  On the positive side, he was lauded for a one-handed catch of a line drive that he converted into a double play on July 19.  He also got to fill in at catcher for the last batter on September 3.  With two men out in the ninth, "Gilligan injured his finger slightly, and Denny donned the stomach pad and gloves, while Bernard [Gilligan] covered the third bag.  Jerry had a passed ball on the first ball delivered, but was spared any further injury to his record."  He missed four games with a case of malaria in early September, and finished the last two weeks of the regular season at first base to give creaky old Joe Start a vacation.

After the Grays folded in 1885, Denny put in several more good years with a variety of National League teams, especially Indianapolis.  Bill James called him the "Last of the Real Men", as he was the last player in the majors to play the field barehanded.  Wearing a glove would have eliminated his major defensive weapon, the ambidextrous throws.  His major league career ended in 1894, but he hung on in the minor leagues in Connecticut until the age of 43, finally retiring from baseball in 1902.  He remained in Connecticut and operated hotels in Bridgeport and Derby for several years before his death in Texas in 1927.

Jerry Denny still holds several fielding records for third basemen, including 16 chances in an extra-inning game; 13 chances in a nine-inning game; 11 assists in a nine inning game; all-time leader in putouts per game; all-time leader in chances per game; and (on the negative side) in total lifetime errors.  However, despite his "remarkable throws" over first basemen's heads, he did also lead the league in fielding percentage at least once.  In 1938, the Spalding Guide named him as one of the best five third basemen ever.

copyright Rick Stattler 2002

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