Originally Posted by LansdowneSt
Sam Jones was an intimidating pitcher. He was big (6 feet 4 and 200 pounds), threw hard, had a massive sweeping curveball, and could be quite wild. Three times he led the National League in both strikeouts and walks (1955, 1956, and 1958). He narrowly missed this feat a fourth time in his finest season, 1959, when he was the NL’s Pitcher of the Year. In 1955, Jones became the first African-American major leaguer to throw a no-hitter. He could have had at least two more, barring a dubious scoring decision and a fierce storm.
“Toothpick Sam” — he always had one in his mouth — gave no quarter on the mound. Valmy Thomas, his catcher in Puerto Rican winter ball, recalls how Jones warned any batter who crowded the plate, “[Expletive deleted], cover it up!” Sam squared off with Don Newcombe, Rubén Gómez, and Don Drysdale in knockdown duels and payback plunkings. Yet he disclaimed the “headhunter” tag. He stated, “I was always worried I might permanently hurt someone. . . .I just don’t believe in the beanball.”
The mournful-looking Jones was also known as “Sad Sam,” echoing the AL hurler of 1914-35. He didn’t talk much and mumbled when he did. He had quirks: He was afraid of airplanes and snorted like an old horse because of a sinus condition. Off the field, Sam was an amiable man, generous to teammates and fans alike. Hobie Landrith, who caught the righty for six seasons (1956-61), said it well. “He wasn’t very expressive, he wasn’t the gregarious type, (but) he injected humor.”
In a pro career that spanned 22 years (1946-67), Jones played in the Negro Leagues and in four other Caribbean nations: Panama, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. He was in the majors for eight full seasons (1955-62) and parts of four others (1951-52, 1963-64). His last four summers were spent as a player-coach in the minor leagues.
Sam came to the game late and needed time to harness his talent. With his shambling gait, he wasn’t a graceful athlete. He faced still more obstacles. It took him years to find an opening in the majors, and once he did, he got a largely undeserved reputation as “not a winner.” Often saddled with low run support and shaky fielding, he seemed to catch more than his share of bad breaks. Alas, this hard luck followed him into retirement. Just four years after he hung up his spikes, Jones passed away from a recurrence of cancer. - SABR bio
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