| Russ Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in 1911 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1883-04-25)April 25, 1883 Brandon, Manitoba, Canada | |
| Died: January 24, 1960(1960-01-24) (aged 76) Rockingham, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 28, 1909, for the New York Highlanders | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 16, 1915, for the Buffalo Blues | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 100–71 |
| Earned run average | 2.59 |
| Strikeouts | 710 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1987 |
Russell William Ford (April 25, 1883 – January 24, 1960) was a Canadian-American professionalbaseballpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball for theNew York Highlanders / Yankees of theAmerican League from 1909 to 1913 and for theBuffalo Buffeds / Blues of theFederal League in 1914 and 1915. Ford is credited with developing theemery ball.
Born inManitoba, Ford grew up inMinneapolis,Minnesota, where he began his baseball career. After he noticed how the ball moved after it was scuffed, he mastered how to doctor the baseball with a piece ofemery paper hidden in hisbaseball glove. Using thepitch, Ford won 26 games in hisrookie year with the Highlanders in 1910. After the pitch was outlawed in 1914, Ford's results declined, and his career ended in 1917. He is a member of theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame and theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
Ford was born inBrandon, Manitoba, on April 25, 1883.[1] He was the third of five children born to Walter and Ida Ford. His mother was a second cousin ofGrover Cleveland, who served aspresident of the United States. The Ford family moved to the United States when he was three years old,[2] and settled inMinneapolis,Minnesota when he was 10 years old.[2][3] He playedsandlot ball in Minneapolis.[4]
Russ' older brother,Gene Ford, also played in the major leagues. Gene pitched in seven games for theDetroit Tigers in 1905. His younger brother, Walter, played in the minor leagues.[5]
Ford made hisprofessional baseball debut in theNorthern League with a team based inEnderlin, North Dakota, in 1904, but the team folded during the season. He continued playing in the 1904 season with a team inLisbon, North Dakota.[6] After a recommendation by his older brother, Ford was signed byBill Watkins, themanager of theMinneapolis Millers of theAmerican Association, in July 1904.[7] In April 1905, Watkins sold him to theSpringfield Senators of theIllinois–Indiana–Iowa League.[8] In 1906, he pitched for theCedar Rapids Rabbits of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League.[9] At the end of the 1906 season, theAtlanta Crackers of theSouthern Associationdrafted Ford from Cedar Rapids.[10]
In 1907, Ford discovered theemery ball, a pitch that was thrown with a ball that had been scuffed with apiece of emery. Ford came across the pitch by accident.[11] When warming up withcatcherEd Sweeney under a grandstand due to rain, Ford accidentally threw a ball into a wooden upright, marking the surface. Ford threw another pitch with the damaged ball, and noticed how it curved more than previous pitches.[12] He continued to study the effects of the rough patch on thewind resistance of the baseball when practicing, but did not yet begin to use it in a game.[13]
Ford returned to Atlanta for the 1908 season, and his pitching began to draw attention from major league teams.[14] TheNew York Highlanders of theAmerican League purchased Ford from the Crackers.[15]
Ford made his major league debut for the Highlanders against theBoston Red Sox on April 28, 1909, as arelief pitcher. He pitched threeinnings, allowing fourruns on fourhits, fourwalks, and threehit by pitches. After the game, the Highlanders demoted Ford to theJersey City Skeeters of theEastern League, where he spent the rest of the 1909 season.[2] With Jersey City, he began to use the emery ball during games by hiding a piece ofemery paper in hisbaseball glove. He pretended to be throwing aspitball, which was still legal at the time.[13]
Ford pitched for the Highlanders in 1910, and tried to disguise his emery ball as a "slide ball", a type of spitball that could move side-to-side, in addition to up and down.[16] Ford won 26 games against six losses for the Highlanders,[3] and threwcomplete games in all 26 wins.[17] He also had a 1.65earned run average (ERA), which was the seventh-best in the American League, and 209strikeouts, which was the fourth-most.[2][18] Ford also shared the secret of his emery ball with teammatesEddie Foster andEarle Gardner, who he roomed with when the Highlanders were traveling.[12]
For the 1911 season, the Highlanders paid Ford a $5,500 salary ($185,605 in current dollar terms), second-highest on the team behind onlyHal Chase, thefirst baseman andmanager.[19] In 1911, Ford won 22 games and lost 11.[17] He also had a 2.27 ERA, which was the seventh-best in the American League, and 158 strikeouts, which was the fifth-most.[2][20] In 1912, he only won 13 games while losing 21, and his strikeout total decreased to 112.[1][21] His 21 losses, 115earned runs, and 11home runs allowed were the most in the American League.[22] Ford had 13 wins, 18 losses, and a 2.66 ERA in the 1913 season, with only 72 strikeouts.[23] During the 1913 season, Ford announced that he was giving up the spitball because of the strain that it put on his shoulder and wrist.[24]
New York attempted to cut Ford's salary before the 1914 season,[2] so he jumped to theBuffalo Buffeds of theoutlawFederal League.[25] He had a 21–6 win–loss record for Buffalo in 1914 with 123 strikeouts; his .778winning percentage was the best in the Federal League that year, and his 1.82 ERA was the second-best, behindClaude Hendrix.[17][26][27] He was reported to be using aknuckleball during the 1914 season.[28]
In September 1914,Ray Keating, who had learned the emery ball from Sweeney, was caught using it.[29] The major leagues decided to ban the pitch, withBan Johnson, president of the American League, calling for a $100 fine ($3,139 in current dollar terms) and a 30-day suspension for anyone caught attempting it.[30] The other major leagues followed suit.[31][32]
Unable to use the emery ball, Ford struggled as he attempted to develop a new pitch, and was released from Buffalo during July.[33] He was re-signed later in the month.[34] Ford won five games and lost nine,[17] with a 4.52 ERA, for the 1915 season.[35]
Following the collapse of the Federal League, his contractual rights reverted to the Yankees, who gave him his unconditional release.[36] Returning to the minor leagues, Ford pitched for theDenver Bears of theWestern League in 1916 and 1917. In July 1917, Denver sold Ford to theToledo Iron Men of the American Association.[37] In 1918, he was playing in asemi-professional league.[38]
In 1922, Ford andBee Lawler served as thecoaches for theMinnesota Golden Gophers baseball team, thecollege baseball team representing theUniversity of Minnesota.[39]
Ford married Mary Hunter Bethell in 1912. They had two daughters.[2]
After his retirement from baseball, Ford graduated from college.[40] His family moved toRockingham, North Carolina, near Mary's hometown, ofReidsville,[17] in 1923. He went into banking and worked as a cashier in a local bank. In the 1930s, he worked for an engineering firm in New York City as adraftsman.[40][41]
Mary died in 1957. When she did, Ford moved back to Rockingham, and lived a quiet life in retirement. Ford died of aheart attack on January 24, 1960, in Rockingham.[2][41]
Ford was posthumously elected to theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987,[42] into theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002,[43] and into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.[44]
· Baseball Almanac
