NEWSBob Costas Narrates Trailer for New Film About Deaf Baseball Pioneer William 'Dummy' Hoy
Oct. 21 2026, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
The first trailer for Hoy, a new film about Deaf baseball pioneer William “Dummy” Hoy, has arrived, and it comes with a familiar voice attached. Narrated by Bob Costas, features former Major League player Curtis Pride and is Executive Produced by Deafinitely For All Entertainment. “I’ve spent a good portion of my career telling baseball stories,” Costas says. “This is one that deserves to be more widely known.”
Curtis Pride’s connection to Hoy dates back to his own minor-league career. Pride, who later became the first Deaf player in the majors since 1945, learned about Hoy from a reporter while trying to reach the big leagues.
Pride, who was born Deaf, grew up without a Deaf athlete to look up to, until he came across Hoy's story early in his minor league career. "When I was growing up, I never really had a deaf role model," Pride told Sports Illustrated. "When that reporter first mentioned [Hoy's] name, I thought, Wow, now I have a role model. … I figured, well, he made it, he had a great career, why not me?"
So who was Hoy? He was a Deaf center fielder who played 14 major league seasons between 1888 and 1902, recording more than 2,000 hits and nearly 600 stolen bases at a time when professional baseball offered little accommodation for Deaf players.
He's also often credited with helping popularize the hand signals umpires still use for balls and strikes, though historians note he wasn't the only person involved. For the Deaf community, that piece of baseball history carries real meaning.
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For Pride, getting Hoy into the Hall is about more than a plaque. "I feel that Dummy Hoy should have already been in the Hall of Fame," he told USA Today Sports, adding that seeing a Deaf player reach Cooperstown “would mean everything.”
The full film, also narrated by Costas, is expected to be released in November and will explore Hoy’s career, his influence on baseball and the renewed Hall of Fame effort.
The Sign For Hoy campaign is seeking Hoy’s consideration by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, which will meet in December 2027 to consider candidates for the Class of 2028.
