Joseph Vance Ferguson (born September 19, 1946) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He played as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

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), ...

from 1970 to 1983 for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, Houston Astros, and the California Angels. After his playing career, Ferguson became a coach and minor league manager.

Career

Prior to his professional baseball career, Ferguson played baseball but also basketball at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. In fact, he played in the West Regional Final in March of 1967, where Pacific fell to eventual National champion UCLA, led by sophomore Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Ferguson reached the majors in 1970 with the

, becoming their everyday catcher in 1973. He set a major league record for catchers by committing only three errors, leading the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

catchers in fielding percentage (.996) and double plays (17), while hitting .263 with a .369 on-base percentage. He also reached career-highs in games played (136),

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s (25), RBI (88), runs (84), doubles (26) and walks (87). When

Steve Yeager Stephen Wayne Yeager (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from 1972 through 1985, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, 1986, ...

became a regular in the 1973 midseason, Ferguson shared catching duties and played right field against left-handed

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 ...

s. He soon became known for having one of the strongest throwing arms of any outfielder in the major leagues. This came into play during Game One of the

1974 World Series The 1974 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1974 season. The 71st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion (and two-time defending World ...

against the Oakland Athletics, when Ferguson made a memorable play in right field in the top of the eighth inning, running in front of teammate Jimmy Wynn to catch a fly ball off the bat of Reggie Jackson, and then firing a 300-foot strike to Yeager to gun down

Sal Bando Salvatore Leonard Bando (born February 13, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from to , most prominently as the team captain for the Oakland Athletic ...

, who was trying to score from third base. In Game Two, Ferguson hit a two-run homer off

Vida Blue Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between and , most notably as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won thr ...

to provide the only Dodgers' victory in the Series. He enjoyed another fine season in 1977 with Houston, catching 122 games and hitting 16 home runs with 61 RBI and a .379 OBP. Reacquired by the Dodgers in the 1978 midseason, he helped his team reach the

1978 World Series The 1978 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1978 season. The 75th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Natio ...

. After retiring, he coached at the major league level with the Texas Rangers (1986–87), working under former Dodger teammate

Bobby Valentine Robert John Valentine (born May 13, 1950), nicknamed "Bobby V", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He also served as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University. Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1 ...

, and the Dodgers (1988–94). He also managed in the Dodgers,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

minor league systems. He managed the Camden Riversharks Atlantic League baseball team in New Jersey for 3 seasons from 2007 - 2009. In a 14-season career, Ferguson was a .240 hitter with 122 home runs and 445 RBI in 1013 games. In 13 postseason games, he hit .200 (7-for-35) with one home run and four RBI.

References

External links

Baseball GaugeJoe Ferguson MLB
- Baseballbiography.com
Camden Riversharks websiteVenezuelan Professional Baseball League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Joe 1946 births Living people Albuquerque Dodgers players Albuquerque Dukes players Arizona Instructional League Dodgers players Baseball players from San Francisco California Angels players Daytona Beach Dodgers players Houston Astros players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball right fielders Minor league baseball managers Pacific Tigers baseball players St. Louis Cardinals players Spokane Indians players Texas Rangers coaches Tri-City Atoms players University of the Pacific (United States) alumni