Books and articles about Sam Crawford

Crawford is most famous for hitting triples, 312 of them over a 19-year career, first on the all-time list. Second on the all-time triples list is Ty Cobb, who batted third in front of Crawford for the Tigers following the birth of the American League. The order is ironic because although the two were teammates, and often pulled off some uniquely synchronized double steals, the normally easy-going Crawford despised the fiery Cobb.

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Crawford was nicknamed Wahoo Sam after his birthplace, Wahoo, Nebraska. A former barber, Crawford started out with the Cincinnati Reds in 1899 and hit a then-astounding total of 16 HR in 1901. In 1903 he jumped to the Tigers and led the American League in triples with 25. What is often forgotten about Crawford was his power to drive the ball over fences as well as between fielders; he hit 97 career HR, and at his retirement held the AL career record with 70. In 1908, Crawford led the AL in homers with seven, and so became the only player in baseball history to lead both leagues in homers.

Although they disliked each other, Cobb and Crawford worked closely together on the bases. Cobb, either by steals or by a triple, would often be standing at third when Crawford came to bat. Crawford was often walked. Crawford would jaunt easily to first and then, on cue from Cobb, switch into high gear and take off for second. At the same time, Cobb would break for home. "Sometimes they'd get him," Crawford would later recall, "sometimes they'd get me, and sometimes they wouldn't get either of us."

Once Cobb started winning batting titles regularly, fellow lefthanded hitter Crawford began to drive in more than 100 runs a season, leading the league three times in RBI in the 1910s. But, like Cobb, Crawford could find no success in the World Series. The duo's failures at the bat were the main reasons why the Tigers lost three straight Series in 1907, 1908, and 1909. Crawford's one shining World Series moment came in Game Five of the 1909 affair when he went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer, but the Tigers lost the game, 8-4, and the Series to Pittsburgh. Crawford ended his career 36 hits shy of 3,000 in 1917, then umpired in the Pacific Coast League for four years. (SEW)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » July 12, 1900: Frank "Noodles" Hahn of Cincinnati twirls a 4–0 no-hitter over Philadelphia. The Reds lefty gives up five walks to the visiting Quakers who are playing without Nap Lajoie. Hahn strikes out 7, including the first two batters in the 9th. The last batter, Roy Thomas, is thrown out on his two-strike bunt. Philadelphia's Bill Bernhard allows seven hits, including a homer by Sam Crawford in the 7th. » April 27, 1901: Behind Sam Crawford's five hits, including a triple and a HR, the Reds beat Chicago, 9-2. Jack Taylor surrenders the hits and loses. » September 29, 1901: The AL season ends with the White Stockings in first place by four games over Boston. Jimmy Williams of the Baltimore Orioles leads the AL in triples, with 21, two years after leading the NL with 27. This feat will be topped by Sam Crawford in 1902-1903. » January 10, 1903: At Cincinnati peace talks, the National League proposes a consolidated 12-team league, which the American League rejects. An agreement is reached to coexist peacefully if the AL promises to stay out of Pittsburgh. In the awarding of disputed contracts, the most hotly contested case is that of Sam Crawford, Reds OF who batted .333 and led the NL with 23 triples in 1902. The future Hall of Famer, signed for 1903 by both Detroit and the Reds, is awarded to the Tigers, having signed with them first. He will lead the AL in triples this year with 25. » August 16, 1903: Toledo native George Mullin, pitching for the Tigers, helps the attendance today (6,000) as the Tigers take on New York in a Sunday game in Toledo. Mullin is racked for eight runs, but Detroit scores 12, led by the hitting of Sam Crawford, who is 5-for-6. » May 11, 1904: Against Detroit, Cy Young pitches no-hit ball until the 7th inning, when Sam Crawford hits a one-out single to break his consecutive streak of no hit innings at 24 1/3 (76 batters without a hit) still the record (for years, the record book had Young at 23 1/3 innings arguing his relief of Winters occurred with men on base). Young and Tiger starter Ed Killian battle for 15 innings before Boston finally scores a run to win 1-0. Young will throw 45 shutout innings in a row, a record broken by Don Drysdale's 58 in 1968. » August 2, 1907: Walter Johnson, 19, debuts with Washington and loses to Detroit. The first hit off him is a bunt single by Ty Cobb, who also helps Detroit's cause by throwing out three runners from RF, two of them at home plate. Sam Crawford's inside-the-park home run is the margin in Detroit's 3-2 win. Johnson exits in the 8th, trailing, 2-1. Detroit also wins the 2nd game of the doubleheader and moves into first place. » September 30, 1907: An overflow crowd lines the OF at Philadelphia's Columbia Park for the showdown Monday doubleheader between the A's and Tigers. In the first game, the home team gets off to a 7-1 lead against 25-game winner Bill Donovan. But Rube Waddell, who relieves in the 2nd, fails to hold the lead. A 2-run home run by Ty Cobb ties it 8-8 in the 9th. Both teams score once in the 11th; an umpire's ruling costs Philadelphia the game in the 14th: Harry Davis hits a long fly into the crowd in left CF, ordinarily a ground-rule double. As Tiger CF Sam Crawford goes to the crowd's edge, a policeman stands up and moves, either to interfere or to get out of the way. Home plate umpire Silk O'Loughlin says there is no interference, then reverses his ruling when base umpire Tom Connolly offers a different opinion. When play resumes, the Athletics' Danny Murphy hits a long single that would have scored Davis. The game is called because of darkness in the 17th, a 9-9 tie. The 2nd game is never played. The Tigers, in first place, leave for Washington where they will win 4. They will finish one 1/2 games in front. » October 6, 1908: Detroit OF Sam Crawford leads the American League with seven home runs. Having led the National League with 16 in 1901, he becomes the first player to lead both leagues in that department. The Cardinals have scored 372 runs, the lowest season's total ever. » October 18, 1908: Four days after the finish of the World Series, the two teams meet again in Chicago for an exhibition game (as noted by historian Al Kermisch). The game outdraws the last series game in Detroit, as 6,864 watch the Tigers win, 7–2. In a pregame field day, Ty Cobb wins all three sprint events: he bunts and runs to 1B in 3.2 seconds, beating Evers, Mordecai Brown, and Del Howard. He circles the bases in 13.8 seconds and, clad in uniform, wins the 100-yard dash in 10.4 seconds, beating Jones and Solly Hofman in the latter. Hofman wins the long throw with a toss of 338 feet, besting Sam Crawford. » August 24, 1909: At Detroit, A's catcher Paddy Livingston throws out Ty Cobb trying to steal 3rd during an intentional walk to Sam Crawford. Cobb intentional spikes 3B Frank Baker on his bare hand during the play, prompting howls of protest from the Athletics. The Tigers win, 7-6, and A's manager Connie Mack will complain to Ban Johnson about Cobb's dirty play. Cobb gets a warning from the AL president. » September 13, 1909: Ty Cobb clinches the AL home run title with his 9th round-tripper. It is an inside-the-park drive against the Browns. In fact, all his nine home runs this season are inside-the-park, including two on July 15th. He is the only player in this century to lead in home runs without hitting one out of the park. Only Sam Crawford (12 in 1901) has hit more inside-the-park homers in a year than Cobb. » October 13, 1909: Babe Adams hurls his 2nd complete-game victory 8-4, despite a double and home run by Sam Crawford. Fred Clarke's 3-run home run breaks a tie and gives the Pirates a 3-2 Series lead. » June 18, 1911: Down 13–1 after five 1/2 innings, the Tigers make up a 12-run deficit to stage the biggest comeback in ML history, defeating the visiting Chicago White Sox by a score of 16–15. Ty Cobb chips in with five hits and five RBIs, as the Tigers score five in the 8th and three runs in the 9th. Cobb scores the winner when Sam Crawford hits a drive over the head of CF Ping Bodie for a double. Reliever Ed Walsh takes the loss with Clarence Mitchell pitching the last two innings to win. » July 12, 1911: In the first inning of a 9–0 win over the Athletics at Detroit, Ty Cobb walks, then on consecutive pitches steals 2B, 3B, and home off lefty Harry Krause. Twice he beats perfect throws by C Ira Thomas. After Cobb reaches on a fielder's choice in the 3rd, Sam Crawford homers. In the 7th, Cobb walks, is bunted to 2B, and scores on a sacrifice fly, knocking the ball out of the hands of the new catcher Paddy Livingston. » April 20, 1912: Detroit opens remodeled Navin Park and beats Cleveland 6–5 in 11 innings before 24,384. George Mullin wins his own game with a RBI single. Detroit opens with two double steals in the 1st inning, including Ty Cobb's swipe of home when Sam Crawford takes 2B. Cobb has two singles and two steals today. » July 22, 1912: Walter Johnson beats Detroit and strikes out the first five batters (Davy Jones, Donie Bush, Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Charlie Deal) in the game. He then gives up a double to George Moriarty before striking out Baldy Louden. » April 25, 1914: Browns catcher Frank Crossin throws out Detroit's Sam Crawford at 2B, and the return throw from Del Pratt nips Ty Cobb at home, for a rare double play on a double steal. The Tigers win anyway 4–0. » May 30, 1914: At St. Louis, the Browns and Tigers combine for just 11 hits in a doubleheader. Detroit's Harry Coveleski tosses a one-hitter in the opener to win, 2–1. The Tigers manage four hits off Earl Hamilton. Carl Weilman then wins for the Browns in the 2nd game, 2–1, outpitching Miles Main. Both pitchers allows just three hits, with Sam Crawford collecting two of the three Bengal bingles. The Tigers miss Ty Cobb, sitting with a cracked rib, who will not return until June 5th. » August 11, 1914: After missing six weeks, first with broken ribs, then a broken thumb, Ty Cobb signs a new 3-year contract and returns to the lineup. He and Sam Crawford had been offered double their salaries to jump to the Feds. Cobb will get into just 97 games, but he will win another batting crown at .368. Under existing rules his 345 at bats are enough to qualify. » June 23, 1915: For the 5th time this month, and 6th time this year, Ty Cobb steals home, doing it in a 4–2 Tiger win over the St. Louis Browns. Cobb scores another run when Sam Crawford hits back to Browns P Grover Lowdermilk, who somersaults after catching the grounder and sits on the mound holding the ball. Cobb scores all the way from 2B on the play. » April 17, 1916: Detroit scores a 12-inning 3–1 victory over Stan Coveleski, in his first year at Cleveland. Righthander George Cunningham fills in when Tiger ace Harry Coveleski refuses to take the mound against his younger brother. Sam Crawford's consecutive-game streak ends at 472. He played in every Tiger game in 1913 through 1915. » September 30, 1917: Detroit's future Hall of Fame OF Sam Crawford retires from ML baseball at 37. In addition to his career-record 312 three-base hits, he has hit 50 inside-the-park home runs. He will play in the PCL for several years. » February 4, 1957: The BBWAA elects manager Joe McCarthy and Detroit's Wahoo Sam Crawford to the Hall of Fame.