Ron Samford
Encyclopedia
Ronald Edward Samford is a former shortstop
in Major League Baseball
who played from to with the New York Giants
, Detroit Tigers
and Washington Senators
.
Originally signed by the Giants in , he made his major league debut on April 15, at the age of 24. He pinch ran for Ebba St. Claire
in his debut game. He was used as a pinch runner/defensive replacement in his first three appearances in the majors, so he had to wait until his fourth game to get an actual at bat
. He went 0 for 3 in that game, striking out
once. He played a total of twelve games that season, collecting no hits in five at bats. He wore number 17 in 1954.
A small man at 5'11", 156 pounds, he played in only one game in , stepping up to the plate once. He failed to get on base—in fact, he struck out. He wore two numbers in 1955, according to Baseball-Almanac—25 and 37.
He did not play any major league ball in 1956, so he had to wait until to collect his first major league hit, which he got on April 30 against the New York Yankees
and pitcher Duke Maas
. He singled to center field, but the Tigers (who selected him off waivers from the Giants in 1955) lost to Maas in a 10-inning game, 2–1. Maas pitched the entire game. Samford ended up hitting .220 in 54 games for the Tigers that year. He wore 27 in 1957.
Again, he failed to make the majors in 1958. On December 6, he was sent from the Tigers with Reno Bertoia
and Jim Delsing
to the Senators for Eddie Yost
, Rocky Bridges
and Neil Chrisley
.
The 1959 season, in which he wore number 32, would end up being his final season in the majors. He had a .224 batting average, and hit his first career home run (off Ray Herbert
on April 28). He also hit an extra-inning game-winning home run that season. It came on June 2 against the Cleveland Indians
. The game was tied 2–2 going into the top of the tenth inning, and the batter before him, Hal Naragon
, had grounded out. Samford stepped up to the plate with no one on and one out and hit a solo shot off pitcher Bud Podbielan
to put the Senators ahead 3–2. The Indians tried to muster a rally in the bottom of the tenth with a Jim Baxes
single, but were unable to. They were shut down by Senators pitcher Pedro Ramos
, who actually pitched all 10 innings for the complete game. The next night, Samford hit a homer off Herb Score
to help the Senators beat the Indians 4–0.
He hit his final home run in his last major league at bat off Ernie Johnson
on September 7 against the Baltimore Orioles
. It was a three-run shot to cap off a seven-run rally by the Senators in the top of the tenth inning. The Senators won the game 8–1.
He played his final major league game on September 23, . He finished his career with a .219 batting average, 5 home runs and 27 runs batted in
. In a total of 158 games, he had 334 official at bats, walking
17 times and striking out 46 times. He had a .954 fielding percentage
, and was involved in 62 double play
s in his career.
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
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...
who played from to with the New York 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....
, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
Originally signed by the Giants in , he made his major league debut on April 15, at the age of 24. He pinch ran for Ebba St. Claire
Ebba St. Claire
Edward Joseph "Ebba" St. Claire was an American catcher in Major League Baseball player and the father of Randy St. Claire. He stood 6'1" tall and weighed 219 pounds. He was a switch hitter and threw right-handed...
in his debut game. He was used as a pinch runner/defensive replacement in his first three appearances in the majors, so he had to wait until his fourth game to get an actual at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
. He went 0 for 3 in that game, striking out
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....
once. He played a total of twelve games that season, collecting no hits in five at bats. He wore number 17 in 1954.
A small man at 5'11", 156 pounds, he played in only one game in , stepping up to the plate once. He failed to get on base—in fact, he struck out. He wore two numbers in 1955, according to Baseball-Almanac—25 and 37.
He did not play any major league ball in 1956, so he had to wait until to collect his first major league hit, which he got on April 30 against 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...
and pitcher Duke Maas
Duke Maas
Duane Fredrick Maas is a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of 7 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees He was chosen by the Los Angeles Angels in the American League expansion draft prior to the 1961 season, but never played for...
. He singled to center field, but the Tigers (who selected him off waivers from the Giants in 1955) lost to Maas in a 10-inning game, 2–1. Maas pitched the entire game. Samford ended up hitting .220 in 54 games for the Tigers that year. He wore 27 in 1957.
Again, he failed to make the majors in 1958. On December 6, he was sent from the Tigers with Reno Bertoia
Reno Bertoia
Reno Peter Bertoia was an Italian-Canadian professional baseball player, playing infield for the Detroit Tigers , Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Athletics ....
and Jim Delsing
Jim Delsing
James Henry Delsing was an American Major League Baseball outfielder who is most remembered for having been the pinch runner for -tall Eddie Gaedel on August 19,...
to the Senators for Eddie Yost
Eddie Yost
Edward Frederick Joseph Yost is a former professional baseball player and coach. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball career as a third baseman for the Washington Senators, before ending his career with the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels. Yost batted and threw right-handed...
, Rocky Bridges
Rocky Bridges
Everett Lamar "Rocky" Bridges is a former utility infielder with an 11-year career in American Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, and the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland...
and Neil Chrisley
Neil Chrisley
Barbra O'Neil Chrisley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1957 to 1961 with the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Braves. He was 6'3" tall, weighed 187 pounds and he threw right and batted left-handed.He was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as a...
.
The 1959 season, in which he wore number 32, would end up being his final season in the majors. He had a .224 batting average, and hit his first career home run (off Ray Herbert
Ray Herbert
Raymond Ernest Herbert was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. He won 20 games with the White Sox in and was selected to play in the All-Star game. The following season, he led...
on April 28). He also hit an extra-inning game-winning home run that season. It came on June 2 against the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. The game was tied 2–2 going into the top of the tenth inning, and the batter before him, Hal Naragon
Hal Naragon
Harold Richard Naragon is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators & Minnesota Twins...
, had grounded out. Samford stepped up to the plate with no one on and one out and hit a solo shot off pitcher Bud Podbielan
Bud Podbielan
Clarence Anthony Podbielan was an American professional baseball player, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians...
to put the Senators ahead 3–2. The Indians tried to muster a rally in the bottom of the tenth with a Jim Baxes
Jim Baxes
Dimitrios Speros "Jim" Baxes was a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians for one season....
single, but were unable to. They were shut down by Senators pitcher Pedro Ramos
Pedro Ramos
Pedro Ramos Guerra was a Major League pitcher with a 15-year career from 1955 to 1967, and again from 1969 to 1970...
, who actually pitched all 10 innings for the complete game. The next night, Samford hit a homer off Herb Score
Herb Score
Herbert Jude Score was a Major League Baseball pitcher and announcer.-Athletic career:Score came up as a rookie in with the Cleveland Indians...
to help the Senators beat the Indians 4–0.
He hit his final home run in his last major league at bat off Ernie Johnson
Ernie Johnson (pitcher)
Ernest Thorwald Johnson was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The 6'4", 195 lb. right-hander was signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before the season. He played for the Boston Braves , Milwaukee Braves , and Baltimore Orioles .-Playing career:After serving three years in the U.S...
on September 7 against the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. It was a three-run shot to cap off a seven-run rally by the Senators in the top of the tenth inning. The Senators won the game 8–1.
He played his final major league game on September 23, . He finished his career with a .219 batting average, 5 home runs and 27 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. In a total of 158 games, he had 334 official at bats, walking
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
17 times and striking out 46 times. He had a .954 fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
, and was involved in 62 double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s in his career.