Books and articles about Sam Rice

One of baseball's greatest singles hitters, Rice fell only 13 hits shy of 3,000. In 20 ML seasons, he never hit below .293 and averaged .322. Although he lacked power (21 of his 34 career home runs were hit inside the park), he met every other requirement for stardom. At bat, he usually made contact, averaging only one strikeout in every 34 at-bats. On the bases, he was fast and intelligent, leading the AL with 63 stolen bases in 1920. In the outfield, he was swift and had an excellent arm.

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His most famous play was on defense. In Game Three of the 1925 WS, he raced full-tilt after Pirate Earl Smith's drive, leaped and backhanded it. He and the ball disappeared into the stands, but when Rice emerged with the ball in his glove, the umpire called Smith out. Had he really caught the ball? He refused to say but left a sealed letter at the Hall of Fame to be opened after his death. In it, he'd written: "At no time did I lose possession of the ball."

Rice joined the Senators as a pitcher in 1915 but by the next season was moved to right field. A lefthanded hitter, he stood nearly erect in the batter's box, crowding the plate. Although his speed helped him to 497 career two-base hits and the AL lead in triples in 1923, his forte was the slap single. Of his 2,987 career hits, 2,272 went for one base. With a good batting eye he added 709 walks, and he scored 1,515 runs in his career. In 1924, when the Senators won the World Championship, Rice led the AL in hits with 216 and had a 31-game hitting streak. The next year, for Washington's second pennant winner, he amassed 227 hits and batted a career-high .350. He led the AL with 216 hits in 1926. All told, he topped 200 hits seven times.

At age 40 in 1930, he told Baseball Magazine, "I can still smack the ball," and proved( -h)h)h)it by hitting .349 with 207 hits, while scoring a personal-best 121 runs. He was able to contribute a .294 average to the Senators' third and final pennant win as a part-timer in 1933. In 1963, Rice was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame. (ADS)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 7, 1915: In Chicago, the White Sox top the Senators 6–2. Relieving for the losing pitcher Jim Shaw is future Hall of Famer Sam Rice, who will pitch only eight more times before going to the outfield for two decades. Playing RF in the game for Washington is Walter Johnson, filling in for the injured Danny Moeller. » September 14, 1921: Washington's Walter Johnson gives up three hits but still faces just 27 batters in edging the Browns 1–0. Following two singles in the 4th, George Sisler's line drive is turned into a triple play. Jack Tobin singles in the 7th, but Johnson picks him off. Tobin will set a American League record this year with 179 singles, a mark that Sam Rice will top in 1925. » September 26, 1924: With the Yankees beating the A's, Boston tightens the race by edging the Senators 2–1. September call-up Wade Lefler drives in Nemo Leibold in the 8th with a pinch double for the Nats only run. Washington now leads by a game. For the Senators, the loss stops Walter Johnson's 13-game win streak and Sam Rice's 31-game hit streak. » September 19, 1925: In the 2nd game of a twinbill, the White Sox take a 15–0 lead against Washington after five innings, but Chicago P Ted Lyons will have to pitch to 18 different batters as Senators manager Bucky Harris juggles his lineup and sends in pinch hitters. With a no-hitter going, Lyons continues to bear down. Finally, with two out in the 9th, Washington's Bobby Veach gets a base hit to break the no-hitter. The final is 17-0 for Lyons with Tom Zachary taking the loss. Washington outfielder Sam Rice's streak of nine hits in a row is stopped, but he will end the season with 182 singles, an American League record until 1980. Washington takes the opener, 3–2, behind Dutch Ruether. » October 7, 1925: Walter Johnson (20-7) opens the World Series in Pittsburgh. A 5th-inning home run by Pie Traynor is the only damaging blow, as Johnson fans 10 of the heavy-hitting Bucs for a 4–1 win over Lee Meadows (19-10). Sam Rice, Joe Harris, and Ossie Bluege, with two hits each, drive in the Senators' runs. » October 10, 1925: For game three it's clear but bitterly cold in Washington following a rainstorm that caused the game to be rescheduled. President Coolidge throws out the first ball. The Pirates hold a slim 3–2 lead after 6. A walk and two singles score two in the 8th for Washington, and Firpo Marberry (8-6) closes it. Joe Harris has two hits for the 3rd time; he'll lead the Senators with .440. Sam Rice makes a controversial game-saving play in the 8th, tumbling into the stands in the right corner to spear a long drive by Earl Smith. About 15 seconds later he emerges with the ball. Despite the Pirates' arguments that a fan might have given it to him, ump Cy Rigler calls Smith out. Questioned about it for the rest of his life, Rice leaves a letter, to be opened after his death (in 1974), in which he states: "At no time did I lose possession of the ball." » May 5, 1927: The Senators even the series at two apiece with the Yankees as Hod Lisenbee wins, 6–1. The Yanks manage six hits -- 3 by Bob Meusel. The Nats are playing their 4th game without stars Sam Rice and Goose Goslin: Rice is out with sinus trouble and Goose has pleurisy. » August 5, 1929: Despite three triples by Charlie Gehringer, the Senators overwhelm the Tigers, 21–5, collecting 21 hits. Sam Rice and Buddy Myers each have four hits and four runs as every hitter in the lineup hits a safety. Winning pitcher Lloyd Brown scores three runs. » September 25, 1931: Sam Rice drops a fly ball and the Yankees rally for five runs in the 8th to beat the Senators, 8–3. Ruth has two solo homers to help in the win. The 3rd place Yanks now trail the Nats by a 1/2 game. » February 14, 1934: Sam Rice is signed by the Cleveland Indians. He will fall 13 short of 3,000 career hits. » February 4, 1960: For the 2nd straight year, the BBWAA voters fail to elect a new Hall of Fame member. Edd Roush gets 146 votes, but 202 are necessary for election. Sam Rice (143) and Eppa Rixey (142) are next in line. » January 27, 1963: The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee votes in Sam Rice, Eppa Rixey, Elmer Flick, and John Clarkson. » October 13, 1974: Hall of Fame OF Sam Rice dies at Rossmor, Maryland, at age 84, leaving a letter—opened at Cooperstown—confirming his controversial catch in the 1925 World Series. The letter, dated July 26, 1965, details the entire play and ends with Rice's punchline, "at no time did I lose possession of the ball." » October 4, 1980: In a 17–1 rout of the Twins, Kansas City's Willie Wilson becomes the first ML player ever to be credited with 700 at-bats in one season. Wilson will post 705 at bats, the highest this century. He also sets the AL record for singles in a season with 184, eclipsing the mark Sam Rice set in 1925. Wilson also becomes only the 2nd player in history to collect 100 hits from each side of the plate, matching the feat accomplished by Garry Templeton in 1979. The loss ends Minnesota's club-record 12-game winning streak.