John Henry "Doc" Stafford (April 8, 1870 – July 3, 1940) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball in 1893. Stafford attended

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts, and later pitched in two games for the

Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed ...

in 1893. After his major league appearances, Stafford played 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 Nor ...

until 1898, including seasons in the New England League and the Western League. His older brother was James Joseph "General" Stafford, who played in the major leagues between 1890 and 1899. Stafford became known as "Doc" after his playing career, when he became an

optometrist Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Uni ...

in his hometown of

Dudley, Massachusetts Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2020 census. History Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732. The town was named for landholders Paul and Will ...

. He died in 1940, aged 70; both he and his brother are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Dudley.

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External links

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Retrosheet
* 1870 births 1940 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Cleveland Spiders players Baseball players from Massachusetts 19th-century baseball players Worcester Grays players Woonsocket (minor league baseball) players Providence Grays (minor league) players Lewiston (minor league baseball) players Grand Rapids Gold Bugs players Winsted Welcomes players Paterson Silk Weavers players New Bedford Whalers (baseball) players Worcester (minor league baseball) players People from Dudley, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Worcester County, Massachusetts {{US-baseball-pitcher-1870s-stub