Sam Jones (baseball)

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This article is about Sam Jones (1925–1971). For the baseball player Sam Jones (1892–1966), who was also known as "Sad Sam", see Sad Sam Jones.
Sam Jones
Strikeouts
1,376
Teams
Negro leagues

Major League Baseball

Career highlights and awards

Samuel "Toothpick" Jones (December 14, 1925 – November 5, 1971) was an American

Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles between 1951 and 1964. He batted and threw right-handed.[1]

Early career

Born in Stewartsville, Ohio, Jones played for several Negro league teams, including the Orlando All-Stars and Oakland Larks in 1946; and the Cleveland Buckeyes, where he played under the management of Quincy Trouppe, in 1947 and 1948; and the Kansas City Royals, a "touring Negro League squad handpicked by Satchel Paige." In 1948-49 he played in Panama, and then, with the end of the Negro National League, played semi-pro ball until he was signed by the Indians organization in the fall of 1949, playing Class A ball in the season and winter ball for Panama in 1949–50.[2]

Major League career

Jones began his major league career with the

black battery in American League history. Both Sam Jones and Quincy Trouppe played for the Cleveland Buckeyes in the Negro American League
.

After the

Houston Colt .45s in the 1961 expansion draft, then traded to the Detroit Tigers for Bob Bruce and Manny Montejo. He rejoined the Cardinals for the 1963 campaign and played 1964 with the Baltimore Orioles
. He spent the final three years of his pro career as a relief pitcher with the Columbus Jets of the International League before retiring at the end of the 1967 season.

Legacy

During his career, Jones was known for his sweeping curveball, in addition to a fastball and changeup. Stan Musial once remarked, "Sam had the best curveball I ever saw... He was quick and fast and that curve was terrific, so big it was like a change of pace. I've seen guys fall down on curves that became strikes."[3]

During his career, Jones led the

Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News, but finished a distant second to Early Wynn of the Chicago White Sox for the Cy Young Award. He was named to the NL All-Star
team twice, in 1955 and 1959.

Jones is one of the Black Aces, African-American pitchers with at least 20 wins in a single MLB season.[4]

Death

Jones died from a recurrence of neck cancer first diagnosed in 1962, in Morgantown, West Virginia on November 5, 1971, at the age of 45.

References

  1. The Telegraph
    .
  2. ^ "Sam Jones (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
  3. ^ The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Bill James and Rob Neyer. 2004.
  4. ISBN 978-1593304881
    .

External links
Preceded by No-hitter pitcher
May 12, 1955 		Succeeded by
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