Dummy Hoy has been waiting on Cooperstown for more than a century. Many of his supporters think this might be the time the needle finally moves. Today, the Sign For Hoy campaign releases the trailer for Hoy, a new film narrated by Bob Costas, the loudest push yet to get the Deaf outfielder in front of the Hall of Fame’s era-committee voters.
One of the most recognizable voices in the sport is now attached to Hoy's story. "I've spent a good portion of my career telling baseball stories," Costas says. "This is one that deserves to be more widely known."
Over 14 seasons from 1888 to 1902, Hoy piled up 2,048 hits, scored 1,429 runs and swiped 596 bases, a stolen-base total that still sits inside the top 20 all time. But the case goes beyond stats. Hoy is widely credited with helping popularize baseball’s hand signals, a piece of the game’s history that carries real weight in the Deaf community.
Curtis Pride, the Deaf former Major League player and the campaign’s Chief Baseball Advisor, has been a key voice for the campaign. "I feel that Dummy Hoy should have already been in the Hall of Fame," Pride told USA Today Sports, "not only because of the contributions he's made, but looking at his stats compared to other guys that were in the Hall of Fame in the early 1900s." Pride, who is Deaf and played parts of 11 seasons in the majors, said a Deaf player reaching Cooperstown "would mean everything."
There's modern star power behind it, too. Albert Pujols, a three-time MVP and one of four players ever to clear 700 home runs, sits on the board.
This isn't coming out of nowhere. Hoy is already a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and the club held a Dummy Hoy Day in his honor this season. The campaign launched its petition in September during Deaf Awareness Month, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has written about the push. Now, the trailer gives the campaign another opportunity to build on that momentum.
Hoy's next real shot comes in December 2027, when the Classic Baseball Era Committee meets to set the Class of 2028. Between now and then, the job is simple: make sure the people with a vote know exactly who Dummy Hoy was.
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