Henry Luff

Who was Henry Luff?

Henry T. Luff was a Major League Baseball player. In four seasons, he played for six different teams in four different leagues. While he played in a total of just 117 games, he managed to play at least 10 games at four different positions, including pitcher, and at least one game at every position except catcher.

Luff's major league career began in 1875 with the New Haven Elm Citys of the National Association. He was in the starting lineup for the franchise's inaugural game on April 19 against the defending champion Boston Red Stockings, batting third and playing in right field.

The New Haven club spent much of the year in dire financial circumstances, and in August and September it played a series of exhibitions in New York and Canada in an effort to control the financial bleeding. During this trip, the team stayed in London, Ontario's Tecumseh House hotel. When the team checked out, the hotel's owners noticed that Luff and his roommate Billy Geer seemed to have more luggage than they'd had when they checked into the hotel.