| Ted Savage | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Savage in 2017 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1937-02-21)February 21, 1937 Venice, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: January 12, 2023(2023-01-12) (aged 85) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 9, 1962, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 3, 1971, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .233 |
| Home runs | 34 |
| Runs batted in | 163 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Theodore Savage Jr. (bornEphesian Savage; February 21, 1937 – January 12, 2023) was an American professional baseballoutfielder who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1962 to 1971. He played for thePhiladelphia Phillies,Pittsburgh Pirates,St. Louis Cardinals,Chicago Cubs,Los Angeles Dodgers,Cincinnati Reds,Milwaukee Brewers, andKansas City Royals.
Savage was born inVenice, Illinois, in 1937. He graduated fromEast St. Louis Lincoln High School inEast St. Louis, Illinois, where he starred in baseball, basketball, and football. Savage then attendedLincoln University inJefferson City, Missouri, before serving for three years in theU.S. Army.[1]
Savage signed as an amateur free agent in 1960 with thePhiladelphia Phillies. He played for theBuffalo Bisons of theInternational League in 1961,batting .325, which led the league. He won theInternational League Most Valuable Player Award.[2]
Savage made his major league debut with the Phillies on April 9, 1962, in a 12–4 road win over theCincinnati Reds atCrosley Field. Pinch-hitting forWes Covington againstBob Miller, he grounded out but stayed in the game, playing left field. After grounding out again, in the seventh inning he notched his first major league hit and RBI with a single off pitcherDave Hillman that drove inTony Gonzalez. He later had another RBI single that scored Gonzalez again, off pitcherJim Brosnan.[3]
On November 28, 1962, Savage was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates along withPancho Herrera in exchange forDon Hoak.[4] In 85 games with the Pirates, he batted .195 with fivehome runs and 14runs batted in (RBI).[5] After the 1964 season, the Pirates traded Savage andEarl Francis to theSt. Louis Cardinals forJack Damaska and Ron Cox.[6]
On May 14, 1967, theChicago Cubs acquired Savage from the Cardinals with John Kindl forDon Young and Jim Procopio.[7] On April 23, 1968, the Cubs traded Savage andJim Ellis to theLos Angeles Dodgers forPhil Regan andJim Hickman.[8] He batted .209 in 64 games in the 1968 season. Before the 1969 season, the Dodgers traded Savage to theCincinnati Reds forJimmie Schaffer.[9] The Reds sold Savage to theMilwaukee Brewers before the 1970 season. Savage had perhaps the best season of his career in 1970, playing in 114 games and batting .279 with 12 home runs, 50 RBI and a .402slugging percentage in 343plate appearances.[5]
On May 11, 1971, the Brewers traded Savage to theKansas City Royals forTommy Matchick.[10] Savage's final game was on July 3, 1971, in a 1–0 home loss to theChicago White Sox. In the game, he recorded his final career hit, a single offTommy John.[11] He ended his playing career with 642 games played, posting a .233 average with 34 home runs and 163 RBI.[5]
After his baseball career ended, he earned a PhD in urban studies fromSaint Louis University and spent nine years as athletic director atHarris-Stowe State University inSt. Louis. In 1987, Savage was hired by theSt. Louis Cardinals as assistant director of community relations and a minor-league instructor.[12]
In 2006, Savage was inducted into the Lincoln University Alumni Hall of Fame.[13] TheBuffalo Bisons inducted Savage into their team's hall of fame in 2016.[2]
After a 25-year career with the Cardinals, Savage retired in 2012 as director of target marketing in the Cardinals Care and community relations department.[1] In 2013, the 24th annual golf Cardinals Care tournament hosted by Savage was renamed the Ted Savage RBI Golf Classic to raise funds for theReviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.[14]
Savage died on January 12, 2023, at age 85.[12]
