Samuel James Ewing (born 9 April 1949) is an American former

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 tea ...

player for 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 ...

and the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He batted left and threw right.

Education

Ewing graduated from

John Overton Comprehensive High School John Overton High School (commonly Overton, John Overton, Johnny O or JOHS) is a public high school located in Oak Hill, Tennessee. Compare to the address "4820 Franklin Rd Nashville TN 37220" It is named after prominent Judge John Overton (1766� ...

in 1966, and received a bachelor's degree from

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

. He got his master's degree in Exercise Physiology and worked on his doctorate in Sports Psychology and physiology at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

Career

Ewing attended the

, where he was an All-American. Ewing had a collegiate batting average of .412, hitting a high of .464 in his junior year. In 1970, Ewing was chosen to represent the US in the World Amateur games in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. The USA was beaten in extra games by Cuba. Ewing played left field in most games and was one of only seven players on that team to later play in the major leagues. Ewing was drafted in the first round by both the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

(1969) and

. In Ewing's first major league game, he was struck out four straight times by

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

, who struck out 17 with the

California 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 ha ...

. He played for the

in 1973 and 1976, and was selected by the

in the

1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft The 1976 MLB Expansion Draft was held November 5, 1976. This expansion draft was conducted by Major League Baseball to stock the major league rosters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, new major league expansion franchises establis ...

. For the Blue Jays in 1977 he hit .287 in 97 games as an outfielder,

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

, and first baseman. Throughout his major league career, Ewing was used primarily against right-handed pitchers, gaining only 20 at-bats in his entire MLB career against southpaws — however, he hit left-handed pitchers for a .300 career average and in 1978 had a two-run homer in his only plate appearance against a lefty that season. Ewing was used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter in 1978, with only seven starts as a DH and two as a right fielder. His final

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 ...

game was on October 1, 1978. In 1979 he went to play with the

Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

in Japan, where he batted .287 with 15 home runs and 65 runs batted in. Returning from Japan, Ewing joined his former AAA team and, after the firing of the manager, accepted the managing job offered by longtime owner Ray Johnstone. The following year he managed the

Appleton Foxes Appleton may refer to: People *Appleton (surname) Places Australia * Appleton Dock Canada * Appleton, Newfoundland and Labrador * Appleton, Ontario United Kingdom * Appleton, a deserted medieval village site in the parish of Flitcham wi ...

(Midwest League) to a fourth-place finish; he was released by management the following year.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing, Sam 1949 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Appleton Foxes players Baseball players from Tennessee Chicago White Sox players Denver Bears players Iowa Oaks players Knoxville Sox players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Michigan State University alumni Minor league baseball managers Nippon Ham Fighters players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders People from Lewisburg, Tennessee Syracuse Chiefs players Tennessee Volunteers baseball players Toronto Blue Jays players Tucson Toros players