Alex Ferguson (baseball)

Alex Ferguson
Pitcher
Born: (1897-02-16)February 16, 1897
Montclair, New Jersey
Died: April 26, 1976(1976-04-26) (aged 79)
Sepulveda, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 16, 1918, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
May 18, 1929, for the Brooklyn Robins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record 61-85
Earned run average 4.89
Strikeouts 397
Teams

James Alexander Ferguson (February 16, 1897 – April 26, 1976) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1918 and 1929. Listed at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 180 lb., Ferguson batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Montclair, New Jersey and died in Sepulveda, California, at age 79.

Professional career

Ferguson was one of the first forkball specialists in major league history. He entered the majors in 1918 with the New York Yankees, playing for them two years (1918, 1921) before joining the Boston Red Sox (1922–1925), Washington Senators (1925–1926), again the Yankees (1925), and with the Philadelphia Phillies (1927–1929) and Brooklyn Robins (1925). He enjoyed his highest win season in 1924 with the seventh-place Red Sox, when he won 14 games while losing an American League-high 17. In 1925 he divided his playing time with Boston, New York and Washington, ending with a 5–1 mark and a 3.25 ERA in seven games for the Senators AL champion team. During the World Series, he pitched well against the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 1–1 with a 3.21 ERA in two starts.

In a 10-season career, Ferguson posted a 61–85 record with 397 strikeouts and a 4.89 ERA in 257 appearances, including 166 starts, 62 complete games, two shutouts, 10 saves, and 1241⅔ innings of work.

In 1926 Ferguson set a major league record for the highest ERA during a regular season by a pitcher who started a postseason game the same year. Ferguson collected a combined 6.18 ERA while pitching with the Red Sox, Yankees and Senators. The mark was broken in 2006 by Óliver Pérez of the New York Mets, who posted a 6.55 ERA during the regular season before starting Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.

References

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