When it comes to judging fielders in Major League Baseball, excellence is often measured by how many Gold Glove Awards a player wins in their career. But what about those that are sorely lacking with the mitt? Should they be given the Iron Glove Award?
An error can deflate a team, and a bad throw can cost you a base. Numerous games – both legendary and forgotten – have been won and lost based on a fielder’s folly. Of course, one of the most notable is the infamous groundball between the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. It opened up the floodgates for a New York Mets victory and extended the Curse of the Bambino for another 18 years. (The BoSox finally got their World Series title in 2004).
But one player in baseball history was infamously – and almost comically – lacking with the leather. A man who proved more than anyone else that to err is human. In fact? He was so bad that he was given the nickname, ‘Dr. Strangeglove’… The one and only Dick Stuart.
A Great Hitter, but a Terrible Fielder
Dick Stuart played in MLB from 1958 to 1966, and Stuart was a member of the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates team that upset the New York Yankees to win the 1960 World Series. He led the American League in RBI in 1963 and was known for having better-than-average power at the plate. Stuart accomplished the (then) rare feat of hitting over 30 HR in a season in both leagues.
The first baseman hit .264 with 228 home runs and drove in 743 runs in stints with the Pirates, Mets, Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and California Angels. He also played two seasons in Japan.
While he was more than proficient with the bat, Stuart was an absolute horror show with a glove. In fact? His work as a fielder became a running joke amongst those around the game.
On more than one occasion, when Stuart would be going through a long stretch of bad fielding, fans would give him a standing ovation for making a routine play. He was known for missing ground balls, dropping fly balls, and muffing catches at first.
In the book The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book, writers Brendan C. Boyd and Fred C. Harris note Stuart’s play as a fielder: “Every play hit his way was an adventure, the most routine play a challenge to his artlessness… Stu once picked up a hot dog wrapper that was blowing toward his first base position. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was the first thing he had managed to pick up all day, and the fans realized it could very well be the last.”
Leaving a Lasting Legacy
The stories about Dick Stuart became legendary, to the point that they will live on forever. And he always seemed very good-natured about the fact that the only thing he could seemingly catch was a cold.
Stuart would go on to lead the league in errors a record seven times in a row at the first base position. One time, the PA announcer told the crowd that anyone who interfered with a ball in play would be ejected from the ballpark. At that point, his manager replied, “I hope Stuart doesn’t think they mean him.”
Once, Red Sox reliever (and his teammate at the time) Dick Radatz suggested that Stuart’s fielding was so bad, that he should get ‘E3’ put on his license plates. Rumor has it, ‘Dr. Strangeglove’ did that very thing.
All-time baseball nicknames
"Dr. Strangeglove" Dick Stuart pic.twitter.com/IgEJyaIe7N
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) April 18, 2023
Stuart passed away in 2002 at the age of 70. His life was later documented in the biography by
However, the legend of Dr. Strangeglove lives on, and every time a fielder drops a routine flyball or lets a groundball go between his legs? Dick Stuart is looking down and laughing.
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Ryan K Boman is the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays about Embracing Life with Laughter & Love. His previous work has appeared at The Miami Herald, SB Nation, Bounding into Sports, and Yardbarker. Follow him on social media @RyanKBoman.
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