Career
Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he was a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 144 games pitched in the Major Leagues from 1941–1942 and 1946–1948 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. Hughes stood 6 feet 1 inch (185 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg). During his rookie season, on June 3, 1941, Hughes threw a one-hit, 7–0 shutout against the Chicago Cubs, with Lou Novikoff getting the only safety.
But his best season came in 1942, when he appeared in 40 games, 31 as a starting pitcher, and set a career high in wins (12) and innings pitched (253), and notched a low 3.06 earned run average.
However, with a last-place Phillies team behind him, he lost 18 games, also a career high Hughes then spent three full seasons (1943–1945) in the United States Army during World World War World War II In 144 games, 87 as a starter, and 688 innings pitched, he gave up 698 hits and 308 bases on balls, with 221 strikeouts, 31 complete games, and five shutouts.