Hadley was born on July 5, 1904 to Irving A. and Effie B. Hadley in Lynn, Massachusetts. Irving A. Hadley was a successful Boston lawyer and it was expected that his son would follow him in the profession. Hadley attended Lynn English High School, where earned letters in baseball, basketball, track, rowing, and football. He set an interscholastic shot-put record and excelled as a punter on the school\'s football team. As a member of the school\'s baseball team, Hadley threw a no-hitter against Chelsea High School. On May 3, 1923 he struck out a North Shore League record 21 batters in a one-hit shutout against Chelsea. He went on to attend Mercersburg Academy. Hadley started out as Mercersburg\'s third baseman, but moved to the mound after the team\'s pitcher dropped out of school. On June 4, 1924, Hadley threw a perfect game against the State Forestry School in which he struck out 26 of 27 batters he retired.\n', '

After Mercersburg, Hadley attended Brown University. He left the school during his sophomore year after being ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming baseball season and signed with East Douglas in the independent Blackstone Valley League, where he went 17–2.\n', '

Hadley made his major league debut on April 30, 1926 against the New York Yankees. In 3 innings of relief, Hadley gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 4 earned runs. Hadley was demoted to the Birmingham Barons, where he posted a 14–7 record with a 3.83 earned-run average. In the spring of 1927, Hadley contracted mumps, which led him receiving the nickname "Bumps" (later shortened to "Bump"). He became the team\'s #3 starter that year and compiled a 14–6 record with a 2.85 ERA. In 1928, Hadley missed several weeks due to appendicitis. He finished the season with a 12–13 record and a 3.54 ERA. On September 3, 1928, he surrendered Ty Cobb\'s final career hit. Hadley struggled in 1929, going 6–16 with a 5.62 ERA. He improved the following year with a 15–11 record. In 1931, Senators Manager Walter Johnson elected to use Hadley as a starter for home games only, as he felt that Hadley did not do well on the road. Hadley made a league leading 55 appearances that season (11 starts and 44 relief appearances). He went 11–10, with an improved ERA of 3.06. He also tallied seven saves. That season, Yankees manager Joe McCarthy offered Tony Lazzeri to the Senators for Hadley and infielder Jackie Hayes. The trade did not take place, however, as Clark Griffith wanted Buddy Myer instead of Hayes. Instead, Hadley was traded to the Chicago White Sox after the season with Hayes and Sad Sam Jones for John Kerr and Carl Reynolds.\n', '

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