Jack Sanford
Encyclopedia
John Stanley Sanford was an American
right-handed starting pitcher
in Major League Baseball
, and later in his career a relief pitcher
as well, for the Philadelphia Phillies
, San Francisco Giants
, and California Angels
. He finished his career playing very briefly with the Kansas City Athletics
.
Sanford was born in Wellesley Hills
, Massachusetts
. He won the National League
's Rookie of the Year
award in with the Phillies for a season with outstanding numbers. That year, he was 19-8
with a 3.08 ERA
in 33 starts. He had 15 complete game
s on the season, including three shutout
s. Impressively, he also finished the season with 188 strikeout
s, which led the league.
His next seven years would be extremely solid, but never quite as impressive as his rookie season; or according to some, he never improved much after it. After being traded to the Giants for the season, Sanford went 15-12 with a 3.16 ERA in 222 innings pitched
and completed 10 games. That year, he started 31 games and made 36 appearances, 5 out of the bullpen.
Sanford's best bid for a Cy Young Award
came in when he finished 24-7 with a 3.43 ERA for a very good Giants team. He won 16 consecutive decisions from mid-June to mid-September and was named Player of the Month in August for his second straight 6-0 month. Sanford led the Giants to the NL pennant and a chance to face the New York Yankees
in the World Series
. It was the only time he would get to play in the postseason, but the Giants lost to the Yankees after Sanford lost Game 7, 1-0 to Ralph Terry
. (The Giants lost the Series by inches: Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson
caught Willie McCovey
's line drive with Willie Mays
on second and Matty Alou
on third; a foot or two to either side and both runners would have scored and the Giants would have won the Series.) But his statistics in the Series were outstanding. He had a 1.93 ERA with 23 innings pitched and only 16 hits. He had 19 strikeouts and only a 1-2 record due to lack of run support. He would also fall short of a Cy Young Award that year, coming in second in the voting to Don Drysdale
.
After he left the Giants, his best seasons were behind him. He ended his career on August 6, with Kansas City. In his career, he posted a solid 137-101 record with a 3.69 overall ERA in 2049 innings pitched. He pitched in 388 games (293 starts), accumulated 1182 strikeouts and gave up only 840 earned run
s. He also finished in the Top 10 in MVP Award
voting twice in his career (1957, 1962). He finished 2nd in the league in wins twice, losing in 1957 to only Warren Spahn
and in 1962 to Cy Young Award winner Don Drysdale.
Sanford died at age 70 in Beckley, West Virginia
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, and later in his career a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
as well, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, and California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. He finished his career playing very briefly with the Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
Sanford was born in Wellesley Hills
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He won the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
's Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
award in with the Phillies for a season with outstanding numbers. That year, he was 19-8
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
with a 3.08 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 33 starts. He had 15 complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s on the season, including three shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s. Impressively, he also finished the season with 188 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s, which led the league.
His next seven years would be extremely solid, but never quite as impressive as his rookie season; or according to some, he never improved much after it. After being traded to the Giants for the season, Sanford went 15-12 with a 3.16 ERA in 222 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
and completed 10 games. That year, he started 31 games and made 36 appearances, 5 out of the bullpen.
Sanford's best bid for a Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
came in when he finished 24-7 with a 3.43 ERA for a very good Giants team. He won 16 consecutive decisions from mid-June to mid-September and was named Player of the Month in August for his second straight 6-0 month. Sanford led the Giants to the NL pennant and a chance to face the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the World Series
1962 World Series
The 1962 World Series matched the defending American League and World Series champions New York Yankees against the National League champion San Francisco Giants, who had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a...
. It was the only time he would get to play in the postseason, but the Giants lost to the Yankees after Sanford lost Game 7, 1-0 to Ralph Terry
Ralph Terry
Ralph Willard Terry is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Kansas City Athletics , Cleveland Indians and New York Mets...
. (The Giants lost the Series by inches: Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
caught Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
's line drive with Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
on second and Matty Alou
Matty Alou
Mateo Rojas "Matty" Alou was a Dominican outfielder who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics , New York Yankees and San Diego Padres...
on third; a foot or two to either side and both runners would have scored and the Giants would have won the Series.) But his statistics in the Series were outstanding. He had a 1.93 ERA with 23 innings pitched and only 16 hits. He had 19 strikeouts and only a 1-2 record due to lack of run support. He would also fall short of a Cy Young Award that year, coming in second in the voting to Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
.
After he left the Giants, his best seasons were behind him. He ended his career on August 6, with Kansas City. In his career, he posted a solid 137-101 record with a 3.69 overall ERA in 2049 innings pitched. He pitched in 388 games (293 starts), accumulated 1182 strikeouts and gave up only 840 earned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
s. He also finished in the Top 10 in MVP Award
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
voting twice in his career (1957, 1962). He finished 2nd in the league in wins twice, losing in 1957 to only Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...
and in 1962 to Cy Young Award winner Don Drysdale.
Sanford died at age 70 in Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, which was founded on April 4, 1838. The 2008 population was estimated to be 16,832 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Early in its history, the town was known as Beckleyville and Raleigh Court House...
.
Highlights
- Rookie of the Year in 1957
- Led the league in strikeouts in 1957 (188)
- National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
All-StarMajor League Baseball All-Star GameThe Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
in 1957 - Led the league in shutouts in 1960 (6)
- 2nd in Cy Young Award voting in 1962 to Don DrysdaleDon DrysdaleDonald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions