Red Lucas
A control specialist, righthander Red Lucas led the National League in complete games twice and won as many as 14 games five times for the Reds and Pirates. He earned 157 victories in a 15-year career, but was most well-known for being a durable starter (he once completed 27 straight starts) and a good-hitting pitcher (he batted .281 in his career). When he wasn't in the starting lineup on the mound, Lucas set major league records for pinch-hits and pinch appearances. After he retired from the big leagues, he spent nearly a decade as a coach/pinch-hitter for Nashville in the Southern Association.
Quotes From Lucas
"Seldom do I hit the first ball. My real reason for that is that I like to look one over just to see what kind of stuff the pitcher has... To me, there's no difference in pinch-hitting and just taking my regular turn hitting. Of course, in pinch-hitting you are up there lots of times in awful tough spots. But it's just as tough on the pitcher as it is on me." — Red Lucas on his approach to pinch-hitting.
Played For
New York Giants (1923)
Boston Braves (1924-1925)
Cincinnati Reds (1926-1933)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1934-1938)
Minor League Experience
With Nashville in 1945, Lucas hit .444 as a pinch-hitter and he posted a .565 on-base percentage as a pinch-hitter. When he wasn't pinch-hitting he was the team's pitching coach.
Factoids
In 1945, as a coach and part-time player for the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association, 43-year old Red Lucas batted .444 as a pinch-hitter.
Born
Charles Fred Lucas was born on April 28, 1902, in Columbia, TN.
Died
July 9, 1986, Nashville, TN
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: CIN
Major League Debut
April 19, 1923
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1923
Lou Gehrig
Heinie Manush
Bill Terry
Hack Wilson
Willie Kamm
Ted Lyons
Moe Berg
Charley Root
Earl Whitehill
Nicknames
The Nashville Narcissus
Related Players
Tom "Shotgun" Rogers was Red's neighbor in Nashville... Larry Doyle, the old Giants' second baseman, recommended Lucas to the Giants, who signed him to his first major league contract.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1949 |
BBWAA |
2 |
1.3% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.6% |
|
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting and his pinpoint control.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Lucas never struck out more than 72 batters (which he did in more than 270 innings) in any one season. His mediocre fastball meant he was often tossing very hittable pitches over the plate. But this tactic - "here it is, hit it" - worked pretty well for him.
Learn More about Red Lucas
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