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Jesse Morrill was a sort of early baseball historian. In the collection is this handwritten letter from Morrill to Alexander Cleland, the man who along with Ford Frick, is largely responsible for the origins of the Hall of Fame. In the letter Morrill purports to have proof that Candy Cummings was responsible for the invention of the “curved ball”. An interesting read to be sure.

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Alexander Cleland replied to Morrill’s letter regarding Cummings and agreed on Cummings place in baseball history. In this response, Morrill writes, “I note that you say that both Spink and Spaulding (sic) give credit for being the first to throw a curved ball which confirms all the data I have in regards to Cummings.”

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Candy Cummings gained immortality when he was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. His election was based in large part on the assertion that he invented the curveball. According to many repeated baseball historians, Cummings was not responsible for the pitch’s origination. Some believe that distinction belongs to Fred Goldsmith.

A Cummings autograph is exceedingly rare as evidenced by its absence in the collection. Here though if an interesting piece linked to the curveball — a handwritten letter from Fred Goldsmith detailing Goldsmith’s invention of the curveball. Goldsmith, who died the same year Cummings gained induction writes, “Originator of first curveball. Made a public demonstration at the old Capitoline Grounds, N.Y. on Aug 27, 1870.”

Though the curveball debate continues with many advocating for recognition of Goldsmith, it is Cummings is remembered in Cooperstown.

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Was Hammond Avery the first to actually throw the curveball in a game? Connie Mack asserted this to be true in his book, My 66 Years in the Big Leagues (Philadelphia: Winston, 1950). Mack recalls, “The first man to pitch a curve-ball game was Charles Hammond Avery, Yale 1871-75, popularly called Ham Avery, and the first curve-pitched college game was played between Yale and Harvard at Saratoga, New York, June 14, 1874, the week of the college boat races.  Avery pitched for Yale and won by the score of 4-0, the first shutout ever scored against Harvard.”

In the collection is this exceeding rare handwritten letter from Avery dated March 10, 1910. The letter is on the letterhead of Avery’s law offices.

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Page two of this letter has the signature of Hammond Avery, purportedly the first man to throw a curveball in a game. The signature is exceedingly rare. In fact this is the only one we’ve ever seen. Though the origin of the curveball mainly comes down to Candy Cummings or Fred Goldsmith, people in both camps assert that Avery was the first to actually throw it in a game.

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Candy Cummings was born in 1848 and played form 1872-1877. He played for six teams, four in the National Association and two in the National League. With a death date of 1924 Cummings remains elusive for even the most advanced autograph collectors. His autograph is not in the collection at this time.