{{Short description|Canadian baseball player (1907–1997)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Gus Dugas |image=Augustin_Joseph_Dugas.jpg |position=Outfielder |bats=Left |throws=Left |birth_date={{birth date|1907|3|24}} |birth_place=Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec |death_date={{death date and age|1997|4|14|1907|3|24}} |death_place=Colchester, Connecticut, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 17 |debutyear=1930 |debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=June 28 |finalyear=1934 |finalteam=Washington Senators |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.206 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=3 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=23 |teams= *Pittsburgh Pirates ({{baseball year|1930}}, {{baseball year|1932}}) *Philadelphia Phillies ({{baseball year|1933}}) *Washington Senators ({{baseball year|1934}}) }} '''Augustin Joseph''' "'''Gus'''" '''Dugas''' (March 24, 1907 – April 14, 1997) was a Canadian-born professional baseball outfielder. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1930 and 1934, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Senators. Listed at {{convert|5|ft|9|in|m}} and {{convert|165|lb|kg}}, he batted and threw left-handed.
==Biography== Dugas first played professionally in 1930, with the minor league Wichita Aviators, a Class A team in the Western League, batting .349 with 203 hits (including 23 home runs) in 143 games.<ref name=brm>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=dugas-001aug |title=Gus Dugas Minor Leagues Statistics & History |website=Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref> In September, he made his major league debut, appearing in nine games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .290 (9-for-31) with one run batted in (RBI).<ref name=br/> In April 1931, before appearing in any games with the Pirates, Dugas collided with shortstop Ben Sankey during a practice, suffering a broken jaw.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74583437/dugas-breaks-jaw |title=Dugas Breaks Jaw |newspaper=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis |page=19 |date=April 22, 1931 |accessdate=March 28, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> After recuperating, Dugas spent the season with the Kansas City Blues, a Double-A team in the American Association, batting .419 with 137 hits in 93 games.<ref name=br>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dugasgu01.shtml |title=Gus Dugas Stats |website=Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref>
Dugas returned to MLB in 1932, playing in 55 games with the Pirates, batting .237 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.<ref name=br/> In December, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, as part of a four-player deal involving the Pirates, Phillies, and New York Giants.<ref name=br/> During 1933, Dugas saw limited action with the Phillies, appeared in 37 games between mid-April and early August;<ref name=brm/> he batted .169 with no home runs and nine RBIs.<ref name=br/> Defensively, he made the only non-outfield appearances of his major league career, playing 11 games as a first baseman.<ref name=br/> In August, Dugas was sent to the minor league Albany Senators of the American Association as the player to be named later from an earlier transaction for third baseman Jim McLeod.<ref name=br/> With Albany, Dugas batted .379 in 38 games through the end of the season.<ref name=brm/>
In 1934, Dugas played for the Washington Senators from mid-April to late June;<ref name=brm/> he appeared in 24 games,<ref name=br/> almost exclusively as a pinch hitter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1934/Idugag1010041934.htm |title=The 1934 WAS A Regular Season Batting Log for Gus Dugas |website=Retrosheet |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref> He collected one hit in 19 at bats, for an .053 average.<ref name=br/> He spent the balance of the season with Albany, batting .371 in 57 games.<ref name=brm/> In parts of four major league seasons with three teams, Dugas appeared in 125 games, batting .206 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.<ref name=retro/> Defensively, he accrued a .926 fielding percentage in the outfield, and .984 at first base.<ref name=retro>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/D/Pdugag101.htm |title=Gus Dugas |website=Retrosheet |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref>
After 1934, Dugas appeared exclusively in the minor leagues, spending time with the Montreal Royals (1935–1938), Baltimore Orioles (1938–1939), Nashville Vols (1939–1942), Toronto Maple Leafs (1943), and one post-war season with the Providence Chiefs (1946).<ref name=brm/> He appeared in over 1200 minor league games, during which he hit at least 175 home runs (records for the 1938 season are incomplete).<ref name=brm/>
==Personal life== Dugas married Doris Buteau in October 1934; the couple settled in Norwich, Connecticut, and had four children.<ref name=sabr/> His draft registration card of October 1940 indicated that Dugas became a naturalized American citizen.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/606345104 |title=Draft Registration Card |publisher=Selective Service System |date=October 1940 |accessdate=March 28, 2021 |via=fold3.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Dugas was an inaugural member of the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 1968,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://norwichsportshalloffame.org/index.php/recipients/ |title=Norwich Sports Hall of Fame Inductees |website=norwichsportshalloffame.org |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref> and there is a "Lefty Dugas Drive" around Dodd Stadium in Norwich.<ref name=sabr>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/gus-dugas/ |title=Gus Dugas |first=Robert |last=Duval |website=SABR |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref> in April 1977, Dugas was one of seven Quebec-born former MLB players who threw out ceremonial first pitches before the first Montreal Expos home game at Olympic Stadium.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74599547/photo |title=(photo) |newspaper=The Gazette |location=Montreal |page=14 |date=April 16, 1977 |accessdate=March 28, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> A great-grandchild, Andrew Carignan, played in MLB in 2011 and 2012.<ref name=sabr/>
Dugas died in April 1997, two weeks after suffering a stroke.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74594895/augustine-dugas-major-leaguer-from-cana |title=Augustine Dugas; major leaguer from Canada |newspaper=Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |page=8 |date=April 16, 1997 |accessdate=March 28, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In reporting his death, some reports referred to Dugas as "the first Canadian-born baseball player in the major leagues";<ref name=obit/> however, that distinction lies with Bob Addy, who played in the National Association in 1871.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/bio/Canada_born.shtml |title=Players by birthplace: Canada Baseball Stats and Info |website=Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 28, 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats |mlb=113603 |br=d/dugasgu01 |brm=dugas-001aug |retro=D/Pdugag101}} *{{findagrave|6627770}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dugas, Gus}} Category:1907 births Category:1997 deaths Category:Baseball people from Quebec Category:Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Major League Baseball players from Canada Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Category:Wichita Aviators players Category:Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Category:Albany Senators players Category:Montreal Royals players Category:Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Category:Nashville Vols players Category:Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players