Eugene Matthew Ford (June 23, 1912 – September 7, 1970) was a
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...
who played in
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), ...
(MLB) for the
Boston Bees during 1936 and the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
during 1938. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed.
Biography
Born in
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...
,
[ Ford attended the ]University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
, where he pitched for the Hawkeyes baseball team, and was captain of the 1935 varsity. Following his graduation,[ he pitched in Minor League Baseball with the Peoria Tractors in 1935 and ]Columbia Senators The Columbia Senators was the first name of an American minor league baseball franchise representing Columbia, South Carolina, in the original South Atlantic League. Currently, Columbia is home of the Columbia Fireflies in the South Atlantic Leag ...
in 1936, both Class B teams.[ pitching two innings in relief on June 17 against the St. Louis Cardinals; he allowed one run on two hits. Ford then missed the 1937 season, due to injury sustained when he fell from bleachers at his alma mater.][ Overall for his limited major-league career, Ford pitched in five games, all in relief, and compiled a 9.56 ]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 ...
(ERA) while striking out
''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...
two batters and walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...
ing 12 batters in 16 innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
.[ He served as secretary of the Iowa Farmers' Union and was active in the ]Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
.[ He died in 1970 in Emmetsburg from a ]heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
at age 58; he was survived by four siblings.
See also
* Bill Ford (pitcher)
William Brown Ford (October 14, 1915 – April 6, 1994) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in one Major League Baseball (MLB) game with the Boston Bees in 1936. His major-league appearance was not listed in official bas ...
, whose lone MLB appearance was incorrectly attributed to Gene Ford until 2003
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Gene
1912 births
1970 deaths
Sportspeople from Fort Dodge, Iowa
Baseball players from Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes baseball players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Boston Bees players
Chicago White Sox players
Columbia Senators players
Peoria Tractors players