| Ed Sprague Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1945-09-16)September 16, 1945 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: January 10, 2020(2020-01-10) (aged 74) Lodi, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 10, 1968, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 5, 1976, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 17–23 |
| Earned run average | 3.84 |
| Strikeouts | 188 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Edward Nelson Sprague Sr. (September 16, 1945 – January 10, 2020) was an American professionalbaseballpitcher who played eight seasons inMajor League Baseball with four teams between 1968 and 1976. He was listed at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), he batted and threwright-handed.
Sprague was born inBoston. He graduated fromSunset High School inHayward, California, in 1963.[1]
Sprague wasscouted while playingsoftball as acatcher in the509th Infantry Regiment of theUnited States Army inGermany and was signed by theSt. Louis Cardinals[2] in 1966. A year later, he was traded to theOakland Athletics. He entered the majors in 1968 with the Athletics, playing with them until 1969 before joining theCincinnati Reds (1971–73), St. Louis Cardinals (1973) andMilwaukee Brewers (1973–76). With Milwaukee in 1974, when he set career-highs inwins (7),strikeouts (57) andearned run average (2.39) in 20games, including 10 as astarter, before damaging knee ligaments which ended his season.
In an eight-season career, Sprague posted a 17–23 record with 188 strikeouts and a 3.84 ERA in 198 games, including 23 starts, threecomplete games, ninesaves and 408innings pitched.
Following his playing career, Sprague became the owner of theStockton Ports and his wife the owner of a collegiate wood bat baseball team, theLodi Crushers, in 2015 and 2016.
His son,Ed Jr., was theToronto Blue Jays' first pick in the 1988 draft and played in the majors from 1991 to 2001.
Sprague died on January 10, 2020, at the age of 74.[3]
But Sprague, a Sunset High alum, ...