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Gus Dugas
Gus Dugas
	Outfielder
	Born: March 24, 1907; Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec
	Died: April 14, 1997 (aged 90); Colchester, Connecticut
	Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
	September 17, 1930, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
	June 28, 1934, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average	.206
Home runs	3
Runs batted in	23
	Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
	Pittsburgh Pirates (1930, 1932); Philadelphia Phillies (1933); Washington Senators (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 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 165 pounds (75 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.^[1] 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).^[2] In April 1931, before appearing in any games with the Pirates, Dugas collided with shortstop Ben Sankey during a practice, suffering a broken jaw.^[3] 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.^[2]

Dugas returned to MLB in 1932, playing in 55 games with the Pirates, batting .237 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.^[2] In December, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, as part of a four-player deal involving the Pirates, Phillies, and New York Giants.^[2] During 1933, Dugas saw limited action with the Phillies, appeared in 37 games between mid-April and early August;^[1] he batted .169 with no home runs and nine RBIs.^[2] Defensively, he made the only non-outfield appearances of his major league career, playing 11 games as a first baseman.^[2] 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.^[2] With Albany, Dugas batted .379 in 38 games through the end of the season.^[1]

In 1934, Dugas played for the Washington Senators from mid-April to late June;^[1] he appeared in 24 games,^[2] almost exclusively as a pinch hitter.^[4] He collected one hit in 19 at bats, for an .053 average.^[2] He spent the balance of the season with Albany, batting .371 in 57 games.^[1] In parts of four major league seasons with three teams, Dugas appeared in 125 games, batting .206 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.^[5] Defensively, he accrued a .926 fielding percentage in the outfield, and .984 at first base.^[5]

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).^[1] He appeared in over 1200 minor league games, during which he hit at least 175 home runs (records for the 1938 season are incomplete).^[1]

Personal life

Dugas married Doris Buteau in October 1934; the couple settled in Norwich, Connecticut, and had four children.^[6] His draft registration card of October 1940 indicated that Dugas became a naturalized American citizen.^[7] Dugas was an inaugural member of the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 1968,^[8] and there is a "Lefty Dugas Drive" around Dodd Stadium in Norwich.^[6] 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.^[9] A great-grandchild, Andrew Carignan, played in MLB in 2011 and 2012.^[6]

Dugas died in April 1997, two weeks after suffering a stroke.^[10] In reporting his death, some reports referred to Dugas as "the first Canadian-born baseball player in the major leagues";^[10] however, that distinction lies with Bob Addy, who played in the National Association in 1871.^[11]