According to a 2002 article by ESPN's Steve Wulf, Cummings was "fairly well-connected" in baseball, as evidenced by his position with the International Association, and this might explain why he received credit for inventing the pitch.
Candy Cummings (William Arthur Cummings, 1848–1924), U.S. baseball player
Candy Cummings is reputed to have thrown the first ever curveball pitch in Worcester in 1867 while playing for the Brooklyn Stars.
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