Sam Jones

Played For
Cleveland Indians (1914-1915)
Boston Red Sox (1916-1921)
New York Yankees (1922-1926)
St. Louis Browns (1927)
Washington Senators (1928-1931)
Chicago White Sox (1932-1935)

Best Season: 1923
Jones threw a no-hitter, won 21 games, and led the Yankees to their third straight World Series, against the Giants. In Game Three at Yankee Stadium, Jones was beaten 1-0 by Art Nehf. It was the closest "Sad Sam" came to winning a World Series game. In Game Six, Jones relieved in the 8th inning and held the Giants at bay for the deciding 6-4 win. He was one the mound for the final out of the Yankees' first World Series title.

Know When to Hold "Em
Jones was known for his lightning wuick move to first base and runners rarely tried to stel against him, especially later in his career. Jones rarely had to throw to first, since most of the runners in the league had seen his move and didn't risk being nabbed.

Where He Played
Pitcher: starting (487), relieving (160).

Born
Samuel Pond Jones was born on July 26, 1892, in Woodsfield, OH.

Died
July 6, 1966, Barnesville, OH

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  BOS

Major League Debut
June 13, 1914

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1914
Babe Ruth
Harry Heilmann
George Burns
Everett Scott
Red Faber
Sad Sam Jones
Dolf Luque
Jack Tobin
Braggo Roth

Nicknames
Sad Sam

Jones earned the nickname "Sad Sam" or "Sad Sam the Cemetary Man," for his somber demeanor, which, according to some reports, was a misnomer. His obituary called him "whimsical and quietly humorous." It's likely he gained the nickname because he wore a very serious look on his face while pitching. He was also called "Horsewhips," because of the "crack" of his sharp breaking ball. Jones was born in Woodsfield, Ohio, which also earned him the moniker "The Squire of Woodsfield."

Uniform Numbers
#14 (1931), #25 (1932), #28 (1933-1934) #17 (1935)

Similar Players
None

Related Players
Tris Speaker

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1939 BBWAA 1 .4% 1955 BBWAA 1 .4% 1956 BBWAA 1 .5%

No-Hitter
9/4/1923: For NY (A) vs. PHI (A), 2-0 at PHI. 9 innings pitched.

Post-Season Appearances
1918 World Series
1922 World Series
1923 World Series
1926 World Series

Feats
On September 4, 1923, pitching for the Yankees, Jones twirled a 2-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia A's.

Milestones
Pitching in relief on July 14, 1932, Jones won his 200th career game, 9-8, over the Red Sox in Fenway Park.

Transactions
April 12, 1916: Traded by the Cleveland Indians with Fred Thomas and $55000 cash to the Boston Red Sox for Tris Speaker. December 20, 1921: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Joe Bush and Everett Scott to the New York Yankees for Roger Peckinpaugh, Jack Quinn, Rip Collins, and Bill Piercy. February 8, 1927: Traded by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for Cedric Durst and Joe Giard. October 19, 1927: Traded by the St. Louis Browns with Milt Gaston to the Washington Senators for Dick Coffman and Earl McNeely. December 4, 1931: Traded by the Washington Senators with Bump Hadley and Jackie Hayes to the Chicago White Sox for Carl Reynolds and John Kerr.

Matchup Data
On the final day of the 1928 season, as Heinie Manush of the Browns and Goose Goslin of the Senators battled to the wire for the American League batting title, it was Sam Jones who stood in Manush's path. Pitching for the Senators, Jones retired Manush in his final at-bat of the game, setting up Goslin's chance to snatch the crown. In the top of the ninth, Goslin looped a single into center field to win the batting title.

Trivia Question
How many batters did Sam Jones strike out in his no-hitter on September 4, 1923?

Trivia Answer
None

Best Strength as a Player
Durability and leadership.

Largest Weakness as a Player
Lack of a strikeout pitch.

Learn More about Sam Jones
Search Amazon.com for Books about Sam Jones ⇒
Search for Sam Jones at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒