Thomas Eugene Davidson (October 4, 1939 – September 1, 2006) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

player. He was a left-handed

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

from 1965 to 1968 for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

. He was called "Ted" after the initials of his first, middle, and last names. After attending Allan Hancock College in

Santa Maria, California Santa Maria ( Spanish for " St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately northwest of Santa Barbara and northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 109,707 at the ...

, he was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent in 1960 and made his Major League debut at age 25 on July 24, 1965. In a 4–2 Reds loss to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Housto ...

, Davidson relieved Reds pitcher Jim Duffalo with two outs and immediately induced future

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

Joe Morgan Joe Leonard Morgan (September 19, 1943 – October 11, 2020) was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, ...

to ground into a double play. In his first game, Davidson pitched 2 innings, giving up no runs and striking out four batters. Apart from one

start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms * ...

during his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

1965 season, Davidson was used as a left-handed relief specialist. After a solid 1966 season, Davidson nearly lost his life in March 1967 after his estranged wife confronted him in a bar and shot him three times with a small-caliber pistol, once in the left abdomen and twice in the right chest. At the time, it was reported that Davidson's wife was to be charged with assault to commit murder. However, the charge was dismissed when Ted Davidson failed to appear in court on two occasions, the last time being April 25, 1967 (at which time both Mary Ruth Davidson and her attorney did appear). Davidson recovered from his wounds and was back playing by June of the same year but his effectiveness was not the same as it was prior to the shooting. He was traded along with Milt Pappas and Bob Johnson by the Reds to the

for

Tony Cloninger Tony Lee Cloninger (August 13, 1940 – July 24, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds an ...

, Clay Carroll and Woody Woodward on June 11, 1968."Pappas Traded in Big Deal for Atlanta Pitcher," ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'', Wednesday, June 12, 1968.
Retrieved April 30, 2020 In 34 career plate appearances, Davidson failed to register a hit, striking out 19 times. He died at age 66 on September 1, 2006, in

Bullhead City, Arizona Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the e ...

References

External links

o
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Ted 1939 births 2006 deaths Allan Hancock Bulldogs baseball players Atlanta Braves players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cincinnati Reds players Columbia Reds players Industriales de Valencia players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Macon Peaches players Major League Baseball pitchers Palatka Redlegs players Portland Beavers players Richmond Braves players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Baseball players from Las Vegas Tacoma Cubs players Topeka Reds players Tucson Toros players People from Bullhead City, Arizona