Hugh Mulcahy, a right-handed pitcher who started regularly for the dismal 1940s-era Philadelphia Phillies, was the first MLB regular drafted to serve in World War II.

Inducted on March 8, 1941 — nine months before Pearl Harbor — Mulcahy lost five potentially productive MLB seasons.

Before the 27-year-old left in 1941 for Camp Edwards on Cape Cod, Mulcahy was full of vim and vigor. He predicted that a year away from professional baseball should not hamper his career. “I won’t be 28 until September,” explained the 6-foot-2-inch fireballer, “and they say that a pitcher’s prime comes between the ages of 28 and 31. So, by the time I come out of the army, I should be just about reaching my peak.”

A Career Built on Losses

Mulcahy’s optimism was, on the surface, hard to fathom. By the time 1941 rolled around, he had put in six seasons with the Phillies and won 43 games, but lost 82, including the four years that preceded his induction when his record was 8-18, 10-20, 9-16, and 13-22. The young righty absorbed losses so frequently that he became known as Hugh “Losing Pitcher” Mulcahy, or “LP” for short.

What does not show up in Mulcahy’s won-lost records is the dismal performance of the Phillies. In 1937, Mulcahy was the ace of the Phillies staff, led the league with 56 appearances, and tied the great Christy Mathewson with 216 innings pitched for most National League appearances. His 8-18 won-loss record was compiled for the seventh-place Phillies, who finished 34½ games behind the pennant-winning New York Giants — the Phillies’ only finish out of the basement during Mulcahy’s four principal years with the club.

More of the same followed in 1938 and 1939, though Boston Bees. Manager Wilson rebuked reporters who referred to Mulcahy as “LP” and suggested his proper nickname should be “Iron Man.”

Mulcahy’s 1940 season — 13-22 but with 21 complete games — was notable for his selection to the National League All-Star game. But as always, the hapless Phillies let the “Iron Man” down. The Phillies hit a league-worst .238, managed just 50 wins, and finished 50 games behind the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds.

After the War

After his discharge, Mulcahy had nothing left. GM Herb Pennock said, “We’d like nothing better than to see Hugh get in there and pitch the way he did before the war.” Pennock’s hopes were dashed as Mulcahy remained on the Phillies roster for two more seasons before finishing up in 1947 with another perennial loser, the Pittsburgh Pirates. For those three seasons, Mulcahy’s record was 3-7.

Looking back, Mulcahy held no grudges about his early Army induction or his misfortune pitching for the punchless Phillies. He noted, “A lot of guys went to the war and didn’t come back. I came back and had a long career in baseball. I feel I was fortunate, not cheated.”

Mulcahy served 53 months, including a year in New Guinea and the Philippines, before receiving his honorable discharge on August 5, 1945. He earned a Bronze Star and three campaign ribbons.

The “Iron Man” succumbed to cancer in October 2001 at age 88.

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Copyright 2025 Joe Guzzardi, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Joe Guzzardi is a Society for American Baseball Research and Internet Baseball Writers’ Association member. Contact him at [email protected].