| Ron Stead | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1936-09-24)September 24, 1936 London, Ontario, Canada | |
| Died: December 5, 2011(2011-12-05) (aged 75) Chatham, Ontario, Canada | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2006 |
Ronald Duncan Stead (September 24, 1936 – December 5, 2011) was a Canadian baseballpitcher. He played briefly inMinor League Baseball, then went on to play for over a decade in theIntercounty Baseball League of Ontario, setting multiple league records. He was inducted to theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 150 pounds (68 kg), he threw left-handed and batted right-handed.
Stead grew up in Toronto nearMaple Leaf Stadium, home ballpark of theToronto Maple Leafs of theInternational League.[1] He served as abatboy for the team in 1947 and later was abatting practice pitcher for the team.[1] In 1956, he signed a player contract with the Maple Leafs and was assigned to theFlorida State League (FSL).[2][3]
Stead played inMinor League Baseball during 1956, 1957, and part of 1958.[4] In 1956, he played in the FSL for theOrlando Seratomas.[4] In 30 games (29 starts and 20complete games) he compiled a 10–17win–loss record with a 3.04earned run average (ERA) while striking out 157 batters in 237innings pitched.[4] He returned to the FSL in 1957; pitching for theGainesville G-Men he had a 17–10 record in 30 games (26 starts and 24 complete games) with a 2.34 ERA while striking out 138 batters in 226 innings.[4] In 1958, Stead made two appearances for theDuluth-Superior White Sox, afarm team of theChicago White Sox in theNorthern League.[4] His statistics for the season are incomplete, although a newspaperbox score shows he allowed eight runs in1+1⁄3 innings of relief during a game in May.[5]
In early June 1958, Stead joined theBrantford Red Sox, a team in the amateurIntercounty Baseball League ofSouthern Ontario.[6] One of his teammates with Brantford was outfielderJimmy Wilkes,[7] who had played several seasons inNegro league baseball.[8] Stead went on to pitch for Brantford for nine seasons, through 1966, and pitched 14 total seasons in the Intercounty Baseball League, finishing in 1972 with theGuelph CJoys.[9] Stead had great success in the league, including a 0.35 ERA in 1967, setting a new league record.[10] He was named an all-star 10 times,[11] was league MVP three times,[11] and is considered one of the top 100 players in league history.[12] Stead's uniform number, 11, wasretired by the Brantford Red Sox in 2002.[11] He still held multiple Intercounty Baseball League records, including career wins (104) and strikeouts (1,231), when he was inducted to theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.[1]
Stead also played for theCanada national baseball team, appearing in the1967 Pan American Games, contested inWinnipeg. He was the starting pitcher of the team's opening game, a 3–1 loss toMexico; Stead struck out 10 batters in seven innings while allowing four hits.[13] Canada won its second game in the tournament, defeatingPuerto Rico by a 3–2 score.[14] However, officials then ruled that four players on the Canadian team, including Stead, were ineligible to compete because they had previously playedprofessional baseball.[14] The win over Puerto Rico was forfeited, and the Canadian team continued in the tournament without the ineligible players,[14] ultimately finishing last in the five-team competition.[15] Stead later played for the champion Ontario baseball team at the 1969Canada Games.[16]
Outside of baseball, Stead worked forUnion Gas.[11] After his baseball career, he playedslow-pitch softball until 2000.[11] Stead and his wife, Betty, had three sons and a daughter.[17] He died in 2011, aged 75.[4]