It was raining on October 11, 1905, a day that Luther “Dummy" Taylor had waited for since he began playing baseball in the major leagues. It was his chance to start a World Series game. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled because of the rain. During an interview with The Sporting News, Taylor was asked why a start meant so much to him. It was very simple: If he had gotten the start the next day, he would have been the first deaf player to play in a World Series. Taylor was born profoundly deaf and communicated on-field with his teammates in sign language. The nickname "Dummy" was commonly applied to deaf baseball players in the late 19th and early 20th century. Taylor accepted the nickname, saying it just made him fight harder. Taylor was inducted into the American Athletic Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame in 1953. After his retirement from baseball, he returned to the Kansas State School for the Deaf, where he worked as a teacher and coach. Taylor died on August 22, 1958. He was the last surviving member of the 1905 World Champion New York Giants, and he was subsequently inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
