| Russ Ford | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Pitcher | ||
| Born: April 25, 1883 Brandon, Manitoba |
||
| Died: January 24, 1960 (aged 76) Rockingham, North Carolina |
||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 28, 1909 for the New York Highlanders |
||
| Final game | ||
| August 16, 1915 for the Buffalo Blues |
||
| Career statistics | ||
| Pitching record | 99-71 | |
| Earned run average | 2.59 | |
| Strikeouts | 710 | |
| Teams | ||
|
||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
|
||
Russell William Ford (April 25, 1883 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada – January 24, 1960 in Rockingham, NC) was a baseball pitcher during the dead-ball era of the early 1900s.
Contents |
Emery Ball
He is known as the creator of the "emery" or "scuff" ball, a pitch that was thrown with a ball that had been scuffed with a piece of emery. Ford won 26 games in his rookie season of 1910, becoming only the third player in major league history to win 20 games and strike out at least 200 batters in his first season. (Christy Mathewson and Pete Alexander are the others)
Pitches
His pitch selection included his famed scuff/emery ball, a spitball, fastball, and knuckle ball.1
Hall of Fame
Ford was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002.
Brother
Russ' brother, Gene Ford, also played in the major leagues. Gene pitched in seven games for the Detroit Tigers in 1905.
See also
References
- ^ The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Bill James and Rob Neyer. 2004.
External links
- Baseball-Reference - career statistics and analysis
- Bio at Mop Up Duty
- Russ Ford’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum