Ralph Vivian Stroud (March 15, 1885 – April 11, 1970), sometimes referred to as Sailor Stroud, was an American

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 ...

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 ...

. He played professional baseball for 20 years from 1910 to 1929, including three years 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), ...

as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in 1910 and the New York Giants in 1915 and 1916. He appeared in 70 major league games, 41 as a starter, compiling an 18–20

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

and a 2.94

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) in 361 innings pitched.

Early years

Stroud was born in Ironia, New Jersey, in 1885.

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

Stroud was a right-handed pitcher. He began pitching in the minor leagues in 1908 at age 23 with the Trenton Tigers in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey League. He then signed with Newark of the Eastern League in 1909 and also played that year with the Williamsport Millionaires (

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second leagu ...

) and the

Macon Peaches The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century. Although Macon did not field teams during and immediately after World War I, the height of the Great ...

Detroit Tigers

In August 1909, the Detroit Tigers purchased Stroud from the Williamsport team. He made his major league debut with the Tigers on April 29, 1910, shutting out the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

, 5–0. He appeared in 28 games for the Tigers during the 1910 season, 15 as a starter, compiling a 5–9 record with a 3.25

(ERA). He allowed nine

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 in 1910 — more than any other pitcher in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Buffalo and Sacramento

In April 1911, the Tigers sold Stroud to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

on an optional contract. He played with the Bisons during the 1911 and 1912 seasons, appearing in 77 games and compiling records of 12–9 in 1911 and 16–15 in 1912. In January 1913, Stroud was purchased by the

Sacramento Solons The Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods (1903, 1905, 1909–1914, 1918–1960, 1974–1976). The current Sacramento River Cats began pl ...

of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). During the 1913 season, Stroud appeared in a career high 51 games, 35 as a starter, compiling a 25–15 record with a 2.49 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 315 innings pitched. In 1914, Stroud had another strong season for the Solons, with a 20–18 record and a 2.01 ERA in 331 innings.

New York Giants

Stroud returned to the major leagues in 1915, playing for the New York Giants. On May 5, 1915, he won a pitching duel with

Grover Cleveland Alexander Grover Cleveland Alexander (February 26, 1887 – November 4, 1950), nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1911 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. He ...

, holding the Phillies to two runs and handing Alexander his first loss of the season. In all, Stroud appeared in 22 games, nine as a starter, for the 1915 Giants, compiling a 12–9 record with a 2.79 ERA in 184 innings pitched. He remained with the Giants in 1916, compiling a 1–2 record with a 2.70 ERA in 10 games. Stroud won his last major league victory on May 26, 1916, a 12–1 win over the Boston Braves. He appeared in his final minor league game on June 13, 1916.

Minor leagues

After his major league career was over, Stroud continued to pitch in the minor leagues for another 13 years from 1916 to 1928. He played in the American Association for five years from 1916 to 1920 for the Louisville Colonels from 1916 to 1918. During the 1919 and 1920 seasons, he played for the

Salt Lake City Bees The Salt Lake City Bees was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams, based in Salt Lake City, Utah between 1911 and 1970 under various names. After minor league baseball first began in Salt Lake City in 1900, the Bees were long-time ...

of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), compiling a 26–13 record and 3.20 ERA in 1920. In February 1921, Stroud signed with Hanford in the

San Joaquin Valley League The San Joaquin Valley League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1910 through 1911. The league operated primarily in the San Joaquin Valley in California. The league disbanded on July 18, 1911. The Bakersfield Drillers and Tu ...

. Stroud remained with Hanford in 1922. At one point, the Hanford club reportedly sold Stroud to the

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

, but Stroud refused to report as the wealthy agricultural interests were paying high salaries in the San Joaquin Valley League and a move to the Yankees would have required a pay cut. In 1925, Stroud returned to the PCL and played in that circuit for another five years with the Salt Lake City Bees in 1925,

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

and

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

in 1926, the Sacramento Senators in 1927, and the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

in 1928. He also played in 1929 for the Oroville Olives in the Sacramento Valley League.

Family and later year

Stroud was married in February 1910 to Catherine Dunlap of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Stroud died in Stockton, California, in 1970 at age 84. He is buried at East Lawn Memorial Park in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stroud, Sailor Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from New Jersey Baseball players from Stockton, California Williamsport Millionaires players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Sacramento Sacts players Sacramento Wolves players Mission Wolves players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Salt Lake City Bees players Sacramento Senators players Hollywood Stars players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Portland Beavers players 1885 births 1970 deaths New York Giants (NL) players