Sam Zoldak

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Sam Zoldak
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died: August 25, 1966(1966-08-25) (aged 47)
New Hyde Park, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 13, 1944, for the St. Louis Browns
Last MLB appearance
August 26, 1952, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Win–loss record43–53
Earned run average3.54
Strikeouts207
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Samuel Walter Zoldak, nicknamed Sad Sam, (December 8, 1918 – August 25, 1966) was an American

win–loss record of 43–53, with 30 complete games, five shutouts, and a 3.54 earned run average
(ERA).

Although an average hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a .175

RBIs, he was a very good fielding pitcher, posting a .984 fielding percentage with only four errors in 258 total chances.[1]

Born and raised in

Cleveland Indians in 1948, and helped lead the team to the 1948 World Series. After two more years with Cleveland, he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics
, the organization he originally started with, and played two seasons there. After a short minor league stint in 1953, he retired from the game, and died in 1966.

Early life and career

Zoldak, of

Textile High School where he swam competitively.[2][4]

He began his professional career with the Palatka Azaleas in 1938, and threw 13 innings in two games. He was released afterwards, and played college baseball for the Fordham Rams baseball team while also playing some semi-professional baseball for a team in Cedarhurst, New York.[5] Zoldak was signed by Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack before the 1941 season, ending his college baseball career and restarting his professional one.[1]

In 1941, Zoldak played for the

Eastern League with the Elmira Pioneers due to the Williamsport team choosing not to field a team until the conclusion of World War II.[7] In 36 games for Elmira, Zoldak won 20 games, lost 11, and had a 2.73 ERA in 244 innings pitched.[6]

Major league career

On February 17, 1944, Zoldak was traded along with

Cleveland Indians, he was given the opportunity to start a game opposite Bob Feller. In a six-inning game shortened by rain, Zoldak and the Browns won, 2–1.[10]

Entering the

complete game shutout against the Chicago White Sox, which gave him credit for three of the Browns' first eight wins of the season.[11] He pitched in 35 games over the season, 21 of them starts, and ended the year with a 3.43 ERA, a 9–11 record, and a career-high 51 strikeouts. Unlike the previous season, Zoldak was slow to start in 1947, not winning his first game until June 22 against the Washington Senators.[12] He finished the season similar statistically to 1946: he played in 35 games and started 19, and had a record of 9–10 and a 3.47 ERA.[1] During the offseason, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck offered $100,000 for Zoldak, but were turned down, and he remained on the Browns to begin the 1948 season.[13] Zoldak was projected to be the team's opening day starting pitcher against the Cleveland Indians, who had planned for him; instead he was used in relief and Fred Sanford was named the starter the day of the game.[14]

After spending the first two months of the season with the Browns, where he went 2–4 record in 11 games, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians on June 15, 1948, who added pitcher

Bill Kennedy to go with their original offer of $100,000, a move which Bill Veeck called "a case of begging for him on our knees."[15] For the Indians, he served both as a relief pitcher and a fifth starting pitcher as he did with the Browns. On August 18, he faced his former team, and threw a complete-game shutout, defeating the Browns, 3–0.[16] A month later, he won two back-to-back games against the Detroit Tigers, both in extra innings.[17] During his time with the Indians, he went 9–6 with a 2.81 ERA in 23 games, 12 of them starts. He was on the Indians roster for the 1948 World Series and warmed up for all six games in the Indians' bullpen, but was never called upon to pitch; he was one of two on the roster who did not see any action in the World Series.[2]

Zoldak was moved to a relief role full-time for the

Johnny Berardino, who wanted to play on the west coast and agreed to a demotion instead.[21] Zoldak spent the full season with Cleveland, and had a 4–2 record and a 3.96 ERA in 33 games.[1]

Later life

As the 1951 season began, Zoldak was part of a three-way trade. On April 30, 1951, he was traded to the

one-hitter against the Chicago White Sox in what was called "the greatest game of his career",[23] and followed that up with a complete game against the Indians, allowing one run in nearly ten innings of work.[24] In 26 games for the Athletics, 18 of them starts, he had a 6–10 record and a 3.16 ERA.[1] Before the 1952 season began, manager Dykes planned on giving Zoldak more rest between starts to try to maximize what he could provide for the team, as he had been growing tired when overused during the season.[25] Zoldak pitched in 16 games in 1952, and had a 0–6 record and a 4.06 ERA.[1]

On February 2, 1953, the Athletics released Zoldak unconditionally, considering him expandable due to the team having 20 pitchers on their spring training roster.[26] He was given a tryout with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but after salary negotiations fell through he signed with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.[27] Zoldak pitched briefly for the Rainiers, appearing in two games before being released by the team; he retired from the game after his release.[6] After retiring, he became a box office man, working at sporting events as well as shows on Broadway.[28] Zoldak, who never married, died of lung cancer on August 25, 1966, leaving behind his mother and three siblings, and is buried in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sam Zoldak Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Murphy, Jimmy (October 21, 1948). "Series' Forgotten Man". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 24.
  3. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. Daily News
    . p. 34. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Parkways, Led By Gray, Test For Bushwicks". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 17, 1940. p. 14.
  6. ^ a b c "Sam Zoldak Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  7. ^ Jones, Welly (March 16, 1943). "The Old Timer". Harrisburg Telegraph. p. 13.
  8. ^ "A Little Something Extra!". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. February 23, 1944. p. 2.
  9. ^ "A Little Something Extra!". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. April 8, 1944. p. 2.
  10. ^ "St. Louis Defeats Bob Feller, 2-1". The Cumberland News. September 29, 1945. p. 10.
  11. Alton Evening Telegraph. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ^ "Blackwell and Reds Blank Dodgers, 4-0". The Daily Register. June 23, 1947. p. 5.
  13. The Bridgeport Post
    . December 9, 1947. p. 16.
  14. ^ "Record 60,000 Crowd To See Tribe Play Browns". The Plain Dealer. April 20, 1948. p. 1.
  15. ^ "Red Sox Trounce Indians, 7-3; Indians Acquire Zoldak in Trade". The Plain Dealer. June 16, 1948. p. 26.
  16. ^ "Tribe Boosts Lead To Three Games As Zoldak Blanks Browns, 3-0". The Plain Dealer. August 19, 1948. p. 16.
  17. ^ Cobbledick, Gordon (January 26, 1949). "Plain Dealing". The Plain Dealer. p. 22.
  18. ^ "Paige, Zoldak To Shoulder Relief Duties For Tribe". The Plain Dealer. March 4, 1949. p. 20.
  19. ^ "Rain Halts Indian-Yankee Game With Teams Deadlocked, 4-4". The Plain Dealer. July 28, 1949. p. 21.
  20. ^ Jones, Harry (April 23, 1950). "Sad Sam Sees Silver Lining". The Plain Dealer. p. 2.
  21. ^ Jones, Harry (May 20, 1950). "Zoldak's Relief Pitching Gives Tribe 4-1 Victory Over Red Sox". The Plain Dealer. p. 16.
  22. ^ Morrow, Art (May 9, 1951). "A's Get What They Needed - Lots Of Help". The Sporting News. p. 7.
  23. ^ "Zoldak Hurls 1-Hit Victory To Give A's Sweep Over White Sox". The Plain Dealer. July 16, 1951. p. 22.
  24. ^ Morrow, Art (August 1, 1951). "Sad Sam Gives Athletics Glad News With Mound Work". The Sporting News. p. 8.
  25. ^ "Athletics' Sam Zoldak Real Sleeper of Staff". The Paris News. April 13, 1952. p. 10.
  26. ^ "Mack Mites". The Sporting News. February 11, 1953. p. 13.
  27. ^ "Zoldak Hurls For Rainiers". The Bee. May 13, 1953. p. 8.
  28. The Terre Haute Tribune
    . February 23, 1959. p. 11.
  29. ^ "Sam Zoldak, Ex-Indians Pitcher, Dies". Valley Morning Star. August 26, 1966. p. 9.

External links

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