Dummy Leitner
Width300px
PositionPitcher
Birth dateJune 19, 1871
Birth placeParkton, Maryland, U.S.
Death dateFebruary 20, 1960 (aged 88)
Death placeBaltimore, Maryland, U.S.
BatsLeft
ThrowsRight
DebutleagueMLB
DebutdateJune 29
Debutyear1901
DebutteamPhiladelphia Athletics
FinalleagueMLB
FinaldateAugust 25
Finalyear1902
FinalteamChicago White Sox
StatleagueMLB
Stat1labelWin–loss record
Stat1value0–2
Stat2labelEarned run average
Stat2value5.34
Stat3labelStrikeouts
Stat3value4
Teams

George Michael "Dummy" Leitner (June 19, 1871 – February 20, 1960) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for two seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1901), New York Giants (1901), Cleveland Bronchos (1902), and Chicago White Sox (1902).[1]

Leitner was deaf, and like other deaf baseball players of his era, was nicknamed "Dummy".[2] Three members of the 1901 Giants pitching staff shared that nickname: Leitner, Deegan, and Taylor.

Leitner had a deaf sister, Lydia (died at 21), and a deaf brother, Frank, who was active in Pittsburgh. He married a deaf woman named Helen (née Wells) and had two children, a deaf daughter named Helen who was later married to deaf August Wriede, and a hearing son named Clarence Wells Leitner who was known for his intelligence in writing and editing for the Evening Sun and North East newspaper for the city of Baltimore. George and Clarence Leitner and August Wriede all worked for The Baltimore Sun. Leitner died in Baltimore at the age of 88.

References

  1. ^ "Dummy Leitner Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  2. ^ Doxsie, Don. Iron Man McGinnity: A Baseball Biography (McFarland, 2009), p. 74.