Hugh "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy (cont.) by Rev. Connell A. McHugh continued from page 65
pitching notebook on every batter in the National League. Among those who admired Mulcahy was Danny Litwhiler of Ringtown, who was at one time a teammate about whom I wrote in a previous Panorama article. A close friend of Mulcahy who played with him at Hazleton in 1936, and later was a roommate when both were on the Phillies, was spunky
Morrie Arnovich. Arnovich played for Hazleton in both 1935 and 1936 and hit over .300 both seasons. He would go on to play six full seasons in the majors, mainly with the Phils and compile a good .287 lifetime average. After retiring from pitching, Hugh Mulcahy spent many years in the White Sox organization as a pitching coach and worked with the main club in 1970. Mulcahy appears on the cover of
David Finoli’s wartime baseball book, For the Good of the Country. He is shown in an Army uniform hurling a baseball with a large leg kick. Whether Mulcahy would have become a star pitcher, had World War II not interrupted his baseball career, is debatable. What is not debatable is that Hugh Mulcahy is a man to be admired. He did not regret losing the prime years of his baseball career to the Army. Mulcahy spoke of many who went to war and did not come back and how fortunate he himself was. He was grateful for his long career as a pitching coach and as a minor league administrator. Mulcahy did not feel cheated by life. Hugh Mulcahy had a sense of humor. Regarding his nickname of “Losing Pitcher,” he remarked, “You know in sports, somebody’s got to win and somebody’s got to lose. Well I was the guy who always lost.” After his retirement from pitching coach and minor league administrator, Mulcahy lived in Beaver, Pennsylvania. For many years he delivered Meals on Wheels, often to people younger than himself. Interviewed at 87 and suffering from cancer, Hugh Mulcahy still viewed himself as a fortunate person. He died of cancer on October 19, 2001 at Aliquippa Community Hospital, and is buried in Beaver Cemetery in Beaver, Pennsylvania. Hugh Mulcahy appears on cards in three standard sets. He is high numbered card 145 in the 1939 Playball set, card number 95 in the 1940 Playball set and card number 1 in the 1941 Goudey set. The least expensive card of Mulcahy is number 95 in the Playball set which runs around $20 in excellent to mint condition. The 1939 card number 145, since it is a high number, costs about $65 in excellent to mint condition. The 1941 Goudey card is difficult to find and refers to Mulcahy as the first soldier on the front of the card which has different color backgrounds. It is extremely hard to find this card in excellent to mint condition since it is the number 1 card in the set. One could expect to pay several hundred dollars for this card in top condition. The 1940 Playball Mulcahy is very affordable and can be purchased in decent condition from $10 up. I think a Hugh Mulcahy baseball card is a great one for Hazletonians, especially Veterans, to own. Rev. McHugh can be reached at Good Shepherd Church at 570-788-3141 or by email at revmchugh@verizon.net. P Footnote: I used articles from Paul Rogers of SABR, Johnny Goodtimes, Ervin Dryer, John Perrotto, Steve Wulf, and Gary Bidingfeld in composing this article. All references to baseball cards are from my own knowledge.
66 • Panorama Community Magazine