Wikipedia

Sam Rice

Edgar Charles"Sam"Rice(February 20, 1890 – October 13, 1974) was an AmericanpitcherandoutfielderinMajor League Baseball.Although Rice made his debut as arelief pitcher,he is best known as an outfielder. Playing for theWashington Senatorsfrom1915until1933,he was regularly among theAmerican Leagueleaders inruns scored,hits,stolen basesandbatting average.He led the Senators to three postseasons and aWorld Serieschampionship in1924.He batted left-handed but threw right-handed. Rice played his final year,1934,for theCleveland Indians.He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Famein 1963.

Sam Rice
Rice in 1924
Outfielder
Born:February 20, 1890
Morocco, Indiana,U.S.
Died:October 13, 1974(1974-10-13)(aged 84)
Rossmoor, Maryland,U.S.
Batted:Left
Threw:Right
MLB debut
August 7, 1915, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
September 18, 1934, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average.322
Hits2,987
Home runs34
Runs batted in1,078
StatsatBaseball ReferenceEdit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1963
Election methodVeterans Committee

Rice was best known for making a controversial catch in the1925 World Serieswhich carried him over the fence and into the stands. While he was alive, Rice maintained a sense of mystery around the catch, which had been ruled an out. He wrote a letter that was only opened after his 1974 death; it claimed that he had maintained possession of the ball the entire time. He collected nearly 3,000 hits in his career, with his 2,889 as a Senator being the most in franchise history.

Early life

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Rice was the first of six children born to Charles Rice and Louisa Newmyer. Charles and Louisa married about two months after his birth. He grew up in various towns nearMorocco, Indiana,on the Indiana-Illinois border, and considered Morocco his hometown.[1]He was known as "Eddie" during his childhood. In 1908, Rice married 16-year-old Beulah Stam.[2]They lived inWatseka, Illinois,where Rice ran the family farm, worked at several jobs in the area, and attended tryouts for various professional baseball teams.[3]

By April 1912, Rice and his wife had two children, aged 18 months and three years. While Rice's wife cared for the children, Rice traveled toGalesburg, Illinois,to play for a spot on a minor league baseball team, theGalesburg Paversof theCentral Association.[4]Rice spent about a week with the team, appearing in three exhibition games. In an appearance on April 21, Rice entered the game as a relief pitcher and finished the last three innings of a Pavers victory, giving up one run in a game marked by forceful winds.[5]

That same day, Rice's wife took their children on a day trip to the homestead of Rice's parents in Morocco, about 20 miles from Watseka. A storm arose and a tornado swept across the homestead, destroying the house and most of the outbuildings. The tornado killed Rice's wife, his two children, his mother, his two younger sisters and a farmhand. Rice's father survived for another week before also succumbing to his injuries. Rice had to attend two funerals: one for his parents and sisters, and a second for his wife and children.[6]

Rice played for theMuscatine Muskiesof the Central Association in 1912, hitting.194 in 18 games. He did not play in 1913.[7]

Early baseball career

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Perhaps wracked with grief, Rice spent the next year wandering the area and working at several jobs. In 1913, he joined theUnited States Navyand served on theUSSNew Hampshire,a 16,000-ton battleship that was large enough to field a baseball team. Rice played on that team during one season.[8]He was on the ship when it took part in theUnited States occupation of Veracruz,Mexico.[9]

In 1914, Rice joined thePetersburg Goobersof theVirginia Leagueas a pitcher. He compiled a 9–2 record with a 1.54earned run average(ERA) that year, then returned in 1915, earning an 11-12 record with a 1.82 ERA.[10]Petersburg team owner "Doc" Leigh owed a $300 debt toClark Griffith,who owned the major-leagueWashington Senatorsat the time, and he offered Rice's contract to Griffith in payment of the debt. Leigh is credited with two acts which influenced Rice's subsequent career: he changed the player's name from "Edgar" to "Sam", and he convinced the Senators to let Rice play in the outfield instead of pitching.

Major league career

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First MLB seasons

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Sam Rice, Washington Senators, 1916

Rice played 19 of his 20 seasons with the Washington Senators. He appeared in only 62 total major league games in 1915 and 1916. He played 155 games in 1917, registering a.302batting averagein 656 plate appearances.[11]Rice was recalled up to the army in 1918.[12]He joined the 68th Coast Artillery Regiment and was stationed atFort Terryin New York. He appeared with the Senators in a few games during two furloughs.[13]By September, his company was sent to France and they prepared for combat, but the men did not see any action before the signing of theArmistice of 11 November 1918.[14]

In 1919, Rice played in 141 games and hit.321, one of 13 seasons in which he hit at least.300. He hit.338 in 1920, recorded a league-leading and career-high 63stolen basesand was caught stealing a league-high 30 times. In 1921, he hit 13triples,the first of ten consecutive seasons in which he finished in double digits in that category. He collected a league-high 216hitsin 1924,[15]which culminated in Rice and the Senators winning the 1924 World Series in a dramatic 7 game series against the New York Giants.[16]Though not the league leader in 1925, Rice recorded a career-high 227 hits, 87 RBI, and a.350 batting average, career highs among his full seasons.

The catch

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The most famous moment in Rice's career came on defense. In Game 3 of the1925 World Series,the Senators were leading thePittsburgh Pirates,4–3. In the middle of the 8th inning, Rice was moved from center field to right field. With two out in the top of the inning,[17]Pirate catcherEarl Smithdrove a ball to right-center field. Rice ran the ball down and appeared to catch it at the fence, robbing Smith of ahome runthat would have tied the game. After the catch, Rice toppled over the fence and into the stands, disappearing from sight. When Rice reappeared, he had the ball in his glove and the umpire called Smith out. The umpire's explanation was that as soon as the catch was made the play was over, so it did not matter where Rice ended up. His team lost the Series in seven games.

Controversy persisted over whether Rice had actually caught the ball and whether he had kept possession of it. Some Pittsburgh fans sent signed and notarized documents claiming that they saw a fan pick up the ball and put it back in Rice's glove. Rice himself would not tell, answering only, "The umpire said I caught it." Magazines offered to pay him for the story, but Rice turned them down, saying, "I don't need the money. The mystery is more fun." He would not even tell his wife or his daughter. The controversy became so great that Rice wrote a letter when he was selected to the Hall of Fame, to be opened upon his death.[18]After Rice's death, a Hall of Fame official located the letter describing his World Series play and delivered it to Rice’s family. It was opened and read after his funeral. In an interview, his wife Mary said, "He did catch it. You don't have to worry about that anymore."[18]The letter concluded by stating, "At no time did I lose possession of the ball."[19]

Later career

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Leading the league in hits again in 1926, Rice finished fourth in theMost Valuable Player Awardvoting.[11]His batting average dipped to.297 in 1927, but he hit.328,.323 and.349 from, respectively, the 1928 through 1930 seasons.[11]Though Rice hit.310 in 1931 across 120 games,Dave Harrisgot significant playing time when the team was facing lefthanded pitchers. The Senators also began to explore younger players for their outfield spots.[11][20]

The Senators held "Sam Rice Day" in late 1932, where the team presented him with several gifts, including a check for more than $2,200 and a newStudebakerautomobile. He played only 106 games that year, often appearing as apinch hitter.In 1933, the team returned to the World Series. Though the team lost, Rice batted once in the second game, picking up a pinch hit single.[21]The Senators released him after the season.[22]

He played in 1934 with theCleveland Indians,then retired at the age of 44. Cleveland managerWalter Johnsontalked to Rice about returning in 1935, but Rice refused.[22]Rice retired with a.322 career average. He stood erect at the plate and used quick wrists to slash pitches to all fields. He never swung at the first pitch and seldom struck out, once completing a 616-at-bat season (1929) with nine strikeouts. Rice struck out only 275 times in 9,269 at-bats, or once every 33.71 at-bats, making him the 11th all-time most difficult MLB player to strike out.[23]He recorded six 200-hit seasons in the major leagues. As the ultimate contact man with the picture-perfect swing, Rice was never a home run threat, but his speed often turned singles into doubles, and his 1920 stolen base total of 63 earned him the timely nickname "Man o' War".

With 2,987 hits, Rice has the most hits of any player not to reach 3,000. Rice later said, "The truth of the matter is I did not even know how many hits I had. A couple of years after I quit, [Senators owner]Clark Griffithtold me about it, and asked me if I'd care to have a comeback with the Senators and pick up those 13 hits. But I was out of shape, and didn't want to go through all that would have been necessary to make the effort. Nowadays, with radio and television announcers spouting records every time a player comes to bat, I would have known about my hits and probably would have stayed to make 3,000 of them. "[24]In postseason play, Rice produced 19 hits and a.302 batting average.[15]

Career statistics

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See:Career Statisticsfor a complete explanation.

G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG FP
2,404 9,269 2,987 498 184 34 1,514 1,078 708 275 .322 .374 .427 .965

[25]

Rice accumulated 7 five-hit games and 52 four-hit games in his career.[26]

Later life

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By the 1940s, Rice had become a poultry farmer. His farm was located in Olney, Maryland next to that ofHarold L. Ickes,theUnited States Secretary of the Interior.Rice and Ickes employed several workers of Japanese descent who were displaced from the West Coast by order of the U.S. Army after the outbreak of World War II.[27]

Rice was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Famein 1963. He and three other players –John Clarkson,Elmer FlickandEppa Rixey– were elected unanimously that year by the Hall of Fame'sVeterans Committee,which considered players who had been inactive for 20 or more years. Rice said that he was glad to be inducted and said that he thought he would probably be elected if he survived long enough.[28]

Rice remarried twice, first to Edith and at age 69 to Mary Kendall Adams. Mary had two daughters by a prior marriage, Margaret and Christine.[29]In 1965, Rice and his family were interviewed in advance of a program to honor his career. The interviewer asked Rice about the tornado, and as he told of the storm and its destruction, his wife and children learned for the first time of the existence of his previous family.[30]

Rice made one of his last public appearances at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies honoringWhitey FordandMickey Mantlein August 1974. He died of cancer that year on October 13.[18]He was buried in Woodside Cemetery inBrinklow, Maryland.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Carroll, p. 9.
  2. ^Carroll, pp. 9-10.
  3. ^Paul Niemann,Red, White & True Mysteries,Tooele Transcript-Bulletin,10 November 2011
  4. ^Carroll, p. 11.
  5. ^Carroll, pp. 11-12.
  6. ^Carroll, pp. 12-15.
  7. ^"Sam Rice Minor Leagues Statistics & History".
  8. ^Red, White & True
  9. ^"Sam Rice Biography at SABR".sabr.org.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
  10. ^"Sam Rice Minor League Statistics & History".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedDecember 22,2014.
  11. ^abcd"Sam Rice Statistics and History".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedDecember 21,2014.
  12. ^Carroll, p. 40.
  13. ^Carroll, pp. 43-44.
  14. ^Carroll, p. 47.
  15. ^ab"Sam Rice Stats".
  16. ^"1924 World Series".
  17. ^"1925 World Series Game 3, Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Senators, October 10, 1925".
  18. ^abc"Baseball Hall of Famer Sam Rice is dead at 84".Bangor Daily News.October 15, 1974.RetrievedDecember 21,2014.
  19. ^"Rice claims he never lost ball".Ellensburg Daily Record.November 5, 1974.RetrievedDecember 21,2014.
  20. ^Vosburgh, Ted (August 17, 1931)."Johnson leads in tribute to A's great club".Sarasota Herald-Tribune.RetrievedDecember 22,2014.
  21. ^"1933 World Series Game 2, Washington Senators at New York Giants, October 4, 1933".
  22. ^abFleitz, David L. (April 3, 2007).More Ghosts in the Gallery: Another Sixteen Little-Known Greats at Cooperstown.McFarland. p. 87.ISBN978-0-7864-8062-3.RetrievedDecember 21,2014.
  23. ^"All-Time At-Bats Per Strikeout Rankings From Baseball Reference".baseball-reference.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
  24. ^The 3,000 Hit Club.Baseball Hall of Fame.Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  25. ^Sam Rice Statsat baseball-almanac
  26. ^"Sam Rice Top Performances At Retrosheet".retrosheet.org.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
  27. ^Eads, Jane (January 31, 1945)."200 Japanese-Americans work in important government jobs".The Palm Beach Post.RetrievedDecember 21,2014.
  28. ^"Rixey, Sam Rice in Baseball Hall of Fame".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.January 28, 1963.RetrievedDecember 21,2014.
  29. ^Sports Illustrated,August 23, 1993, Letters- Margaret Adams Robinson.[1]
  30. ^"There is one thing about Edgar 'Sam' Rice that no one could dispute: He sure could keep a secret."Red, White & True

References

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