Sam Crawford (pitcher)

For other people with the same name, see Samuel Crawford (disambiguation).

Samuel Crawford (April 15, 1892 – date of death unknown) was an American pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro leagues.

Sam Crawford
Pitcher / Manager
Born: (1892-04-15)April 15, 1892 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro leagues debut
1910, for the New York Black Sox
Last Negro leagues appearance
1931, for the Chicago American Giants
Negro leagues[a] statistics
Win–loss record	39–36
Earned run average	4.27
Strikeouts	297
Managerial record	166–163–4
Winning percentage	.505
Stats at Baseball Reference
Managerial record at Baseball Reference
Teams
As player New York Black Sox (1910) Brooklyn Royal Giants (1911–1912) Chicago Giants (1912–1914)[2] Chicago American Giants (1913–1919) Detroit Stars (1919) [3] Kansas City Monarchs (1920–1923) [4] St. Louis Stars (1924) Chicago American Giants (1925) Birmingham Black Barons (1925)[5] Cleveland Tigers (1928) Chicago American Giants (1931) As manager Kansas City Monarchs (1921–1923) Birmingham Black Barons (1924–1925) Cleveland Tigers (1928) Kansas City Monarchs (1935)

Born in Dallas, Texas, he played in the pre-Negro leagues for the Chicago American Giants off and on from 1914 to 1917, and became a pitcher and eventually manager of the Kansas City Monarchs^[4] and J. L. Wilkinson's barnstorming farm-league team All Nations in 1923.^[6] He was known for combining a strong fastball with a knuckleball.^[7]

Crawford left Wilkinson's teams in February 1924 to manage the Birmingham Black Barons.^[8]

Post-playing career

Crawford opened up a news stand, after he left baseball, and made the news in 1955 after he was involved in a shooting. He allegedly shot and killed Pete William DeGraw, telling police that DeGraw came at him in a threatening fashion. Crawford fired shots at DeGraw's friend, who Crawford said had a knife.^[7]

Notes

1. On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared certain Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, to be "Major League".^[1] Crawford's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues from 1920–1925, 1928, and 1931.