Bill Ford (baseball)

William Brown Ford (October 14, 1915 – April 6, 1994) was a professional baseball pitcher who appeared in one Major League Baseball (MLB) game with the Boston Bees in 1936. His major league career, however, was not listed in official baseball records until 2003, due to a record keeping error that credited his lone appearance to Boston Bees teammate Gene Ford.

Bill Ford
Pitcher
Born: (1915-10-14)October 14, 1915
Buena Vista, Pennsylvania
Died: April 6, 1994(1994-04-06) (aged 78)
Jefferson, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 27, 1936, for the Boston Bees
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1936, for the Boston Bees
MLB statistics
Games1
Innings pitched0
Base on balls3
Earned runs2
Earned run averageInfinity
Win–loss record0–0
Teams
  • Boston Bees (1936)

Life and career

Bill Ford was born October 14, 1915, in Buena Vista, Pennsylvania. He attended Penn State, and played on their baseball team. He threw and batted right-handed, was 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) in height and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).

On the last day of the 1936 season, September 27, Ford made his MLB debut, appearing as the starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Phillies at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. Still only 20 years old, he was the fifth-youngest MLB player that season.[1]

After the Braves batted and took a 1–0 lead in the first inning, Ford failed to retire a single batter, walking all three batters he faced. He was relieved by Guy Bush, who allowed two of the inherited runners to score – these runs were charged to Ford. Bush wound up pitching nine innings of relief, and won the game for the Braves, 7–3.[2][3] Ford never played in another major league game, and he is considered to have an MLB earned run average (ERA) of infinity.

From 1937 through 1941, Ford played for ten different minor league teams, mostly at the Class C and Class B levels. After compiling a 3–6 record as a pitcher in 1937, Ford played as an outfielder and first baseman for the remainder of his career.

Ford died on April 6, 1994, in Jefferson, Pennsylvania, and was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.[4][5]

2003 re-discovery

Ford's appearance with the Bees did not appear in any official MLB records during his lifetime. In 2003, research by Rick Benner of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) discovered that Bill Ford's September 27, 1936, appearance had been incorrectly attributed to Gene Ford, who had appeared in one game for Boston earlier that year.[6] The official records have been corrected to show Gene Ford having pitched in one game for the 1936 Bees (on June 17),[6] and Bill Ford also having pitched in one game for the 1936 Bees (on September 27).[3]

Although researchers will very occasionally find a previously undocumented major league player to add to the official records, such players are usually from the 19th century. Finding one who played as late as 1936 is extremely rare.

References
  1. "Bill Ford". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  2. "Boston Bees at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, September 27, 1936". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  3. "Boston Bees 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3 (1)". Retrosheet. September 27, 1936.
  4. "William Ford". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  5. "William B. Ford, owned Riverview Golf Course". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 9, 1994. Retrieved August 17, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "St. Louis Cardinals 10, Boston Bees 2 (2)". Retrosheet. June 17, 1936.
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