John Stanley Sanford (May 18, 1929 – March 7, 2000) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who played 12 seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). Sanford was notable for the meteoric start to his career when, he led the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

with 188

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s as a 28-year-old rookie for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

in 1957. He later became a 20-game-winner and made his only

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

appearance as a member of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. He also played for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

and the

Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...

Baseball career

Sanford was born in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. After playing in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

for seven seasons, he made his major league debut with the Phillies on September 16, 1956 at the age of 27. Sanford made an immediate impact the following season when, he began the year with a 10–2 win–loss record to earn a spot on the National League team in the 1957 All-Star Game on July 9, 1957. He ended the season with a 19–8 win–loss record and a 3.08

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

along with a league-leading 188 strikeouts. His 19 victories were second only to the 21 wins by

Warren Spahn Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed pitcher, Spahn played in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notabl ...

. He also had 15

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s on the season, including three

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s. For his impressive performance, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year in . 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 In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

and completed 10 games. That year, he started 31 games and made 36 appearances, 5 out of the bullpen. Sanford led the Giants to the 1962

National League pennant The National League pennant winner of a given Major League Baseball season is the team that wins the championship—the pennant—of MLB's National League (NL). This team receives the Warren C. Giles Trophy and the right to play in the World S ...

with 24 victories, second only to the 25 victories by

Don Drysdale Donald Scott Drysdale (July 23, 1936 – July 3, 1993), nicknamed "Big D", was an American professional baseball pitcher and broadcaster who played in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire 14-year career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Do ...

. 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 (he also posted a 3.55 ERA, and 31 SO). Only

Rube Marquard Richard William "Rube" Marquard (October 9, 1886 – June 1, 1980) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s. He achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Ba ...

, who won 19 straight games for the 1912 New York Giants, and

Roy Face Elroy Leon Face (born February 20, 1928), nicknamed "the Baron of the Bullpen", is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. During a 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A ...

, who won 17 straight for the 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates have won more consecutive games in a single season during the modern era. Six pitchers have matched Sanford's 16-game streak. The Giants would face the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in the

in the only post-season appearance of Sanford's career. Sanford made three starts for the club in the World Series. In Game 2, he pitched a three-hit shutout as the Giants beat the Yankees 2-0. He was supposed to start Game 5 October 9, but rain pushed it back a day, which bothered Sanford, who had psyched himself to pitch that day. Sanford gave up a three-run home run to

Tom Tresh Thomas Michael Tresh (September 20, 1938 – October 15, 2008) was an American professional baseball infielder and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (–) and Detroit Tigers (). Tresh was a switch-hitt ...

and a total of five runs (four earned) in innings as the Giants lost 5-3. He pitched better in Game 7, allowing just one run in seven innings against the Yankees when

Bill Skowron William Joseph Skowron (December 18, 1930 – April 27, 2012), nicknamed "Moose", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 to 1967 for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Do ...

scored as

Tony Kubek Anthony Christopher Kubek (born October 12, 1935) is an American former professional baseball player and television sportscaster, broadcaster. During his nine-year playing career with the New York Yankees, Kubek played in six World Series in the ...

hit into a double play in the fifth inning. That run was enough, though, for the Yankees to win 1-0, behind a

Ralph Terry Ralph Willard Terry (January 9, 1936 – March 16, 2022) was an American baseball player who played as a right-handed starting pitcher for twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, ...

shutout. Sanford finished second to

in the voting for the 1962

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

. After he left the Giants, his best seasons were behind him. He ended his playing career with the

on August 6, at the age of 38. However, Sanford remained in the major leagues for two more seasons as the

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

of the –

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. Working on the staff of

Alvin Dark Alvin Ralph Dark (January 7, 1922 – November 13, 2014), nicknamed "Blackie" and "the Swamp Fox", was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played fourteen years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston/Milwaukee ...

, his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

with the 1962 Giants and 1967 Athletics, Sanford's first season saw the 1968 Indians compile a staff earned run average of 2.66. Throughout baseball, 1968 was known as "The Year of the Pitcher", and two of Cleveland's starters,

Luis Tiant Luis Clemente Tiant Vega () (November 23, 1940 – October 8, 2024), nicknamed "El Tiante", was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 years, primarily for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston R ...

(1.60 in 258 innings pitched) and Sam McDowell (1.81 in 269 innings), finished first and second in ERA in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

Pitching style

Sanford's best pitch was his

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

. When he was with the Giants in 1961, Dark and Larry Jansen had him practice throwing a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

or slider on the first pitch to every batter. This was because Dark believed that it was better to be able to throw a pitch that might not be a pitcher's best if a hitter was particularly good at hitting a pitcher's best pitch.

Career statistics

In a twelve-year major league career, Sanford played in 388

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

, accumulating a 137-101

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

along with a 3.69

in 2,049 innings pitched. He accumulated 1,182 strikeouts and gave up only 840

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

s. He also finished in the Top 10 in MVP Award voting twice in his career (1957, 1962). He finished second in the league in wins twice, losing in 1957 to only

and in 1962 to Cy Young Award winner Don Drysdale.

Later life

After retiring from baseball, Sanford was a golf director at country clubs. Sanford died of a

brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

at age 70 in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, ninth-most populous city in th ...

Highlights

* Rookie of the Year in 1957 * Led the league in strikeouts in 1957 (188) *

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in 1957 * Led the league in shutouts in 1960 (6) * 2nd in Cy Young Award voting in 1962 to

References

External links

Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Jack 1929 births 2000 deaths Americus Phillies players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball players from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bradford Blue Wings players California Angels players Cleveland Indians coaches Deaths from brain cancer in West Virginia Dover Phillies players Kansas City Athletics players 20th-century American sportsmen Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners National League All-Stars National League strikeout champions Sportspeople from Wellesley, Massachusetts Philadelphia Phillies players San Francisco Giants players Schenectady Blue Jays players Syracuse Chiefs players Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952) players