Jim Hughes; Set a Pitching Record for Brooklyn Dodgers

Jim Hughes, 78, a mainstay of the Brooklyn Dodgers bullpen in the mid-1950s who set a club record for saves that stood for 35 years, died Aug. 12 of a heart attack in Worth, Ill.

Born in Chicago, Hughes pitched for the Dodgers from 1952 to 1956. In 1954 he led the major leagues with saves, recording 24, a modest total by today’s more liberal standards. A relief pitcher earns a save when he protects a lead built under another pitcher and finishes the game.

Hughes also led the majors in games pitched, with 60.

His total of saves was matched in 1970 by Jim Brewer of the now-Los Angeles Dodgers, but it wasn’t surpassed until Jay Howell recorded 28 for the Dodgers in 1989.

The Dodgers traded the hard-throwing right-hander to the Cubs in 1956. Hughes retired the next season after pitching for the White Sox.

After his career as a baseball “fireman” ended, he joined the ranks of his father and grandfather in the family business: firefighting. He worked for the Chicago Fire Department, retiring as a captain in 1986 after a 23-year career.

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