Bill Ford (baseball)
Encyclopedia
William Brown Ford was a Major League Baseball
pitcher
who appeared in one game with the Boston Bees
in . His major league career, however, was not listed in the official baseball records until 2003, due to a record keeping error that credited his lone appearance to Boston Bees teammate Gene Ford.
. He attended Penn State University, and played on their baseball team. He threw and batted right-handed, was 6'2" in height and 200 pounds in weight.
On September 27, 1936, the last day of the season, he made his Major League debut, appearing in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies
at Baker Bowl
in Philadelphia
. Still only 20 years old, he was the 5th youngest player in major league baseball that season.
In his only big league appearance, Ford failed to retire a single batter, walking all three batters he faced. He was charged with two earned runs, and never again played in a Major League game. For his Major League career, he is considered to have an earned run average
of infinity
.
Ford died April 4, 1994 in Jefferson, Pennsylvania
. He was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
.
Although researchers will very occasionally find a previously undocumented major league baseball player to add to the official records, such players are usually from the 19th century. Finding one who played as late as 1936 is extremely rare.
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...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who appeared in one game with the Boston Bees
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in . His major league career, however, was not listed in the official baseball records until 2003, due to a record keeping error that credited his lone appearance to Boston Bees teammate Gene Ford.
Life and career
Bill Ford was born October 14, 1915 in Buena Vista, PennsylvaniaBuena Vista, Pennsylvania
Buena Vista is an unincorporated community in Elizabeth Township Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located just outside of Pittsburgh. Its ZIP code is 15018. For a time, Buena Vista served as a mining town....
. He attended Penn State University, and played on their baseball team. He threw and batted right-handed, was 6'2" in height and 200 pounds in weight.
On September 27, 1936, the last day of the season, he made his Major League debut, appearing in relief against 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...
at Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Still only 20 years old, he was the 5th youngest player in major league baseball that season.
In his only big league appearance, Ford failed to retire a single batter, walking all three batters he faced. He was charged with two earned runs, and never again played in a Major League game. For his Major League career, he is considered to have an earned run average
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...
of infinity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
.
Ford died April 4, 1994 in Jefferson, Pennsylvania
Jefferson, Pennsylvania
Jefferson, Pennsylvania can refer to:*Jefferson, Greene County, Pennsylvania*Jefferson Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania*Jefferson, York County, Pennsylvania...
. He was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Monongahela River, where Pennsylvania Route 51 crosses, upstream of Pittsburgh and close to the county line. The population was 1,493 at the 2010 census...
.
2003 re-discovery
Ford did not appear in any official records of Major League baseball during his lifetime. Then in 2003, research by Rick Benner of SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research) discovered that Bill Ford's September 27, 1936 appearance had been incorrectly attributed to Gene Ford, who had appeared in one game for Boston earlier that year. (Gene Ford would also play in 4 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1938.) The official records have now been corrected to show Gene Ford having pitched in one game for the 1936 Bees (on June 17), and Bill Ford also having pitched in one game for the 1936 Bees (on September 27).Although researchers will very occasionally find a previously undocumented major league baseball player to add to the official records, such players are usually from the 19th century. Finding one who played as late as 1936 is extremely rare.