Crawford, Samuel E.
Baseball
b. April 18, 1880, Wahoo, NE
d. June 15, 1968
"Wahoo Sam" was long overshadowed by teammate Ty Cobb, but he was one of the premier power hitters during his era. An outstanding defensive centerfielder, he teamed for many years with Cobb in right and Bobby Veach in left to form one of the best outfields in baseball history.
Crawford entered the major leagues with the Cincinnati NL team late in the 1899 season and got 5 hits in 8 at-bats during a doubleheader on his first day with the team. He remained with Cincinnati for three more full seasons, leading the league in home runs with 16 in 1901 and in triples with 22 in 1902.
A left-hander, the 6-foot, 190-pound Crawford was a solid line-drive hitter who specialized in triples because his hits often sped through the gaps between outfielders. His career total of 309 triples is a major league record.
Crawford jumped to the Detroit AL team in 1903, when he hit .335 and had 25 triples to lead the league. Cobb joined the team in 1905. The Tigers won three consecutive pennants, from 1907 through 1909, but lost the World Series each year.
In 1908, Crawford became the only player ever to lead both leagues in home runs, though he hit only 7 that season. The following year, he led in doubles with 35, and in 1910 he led in triples again with 19 and in RBI with 120.
He spent the rest of his major league career with Detroit, leading the AL in triples three years in a row, 1913 through 1915, and in RBI two years in a row, 1914 and 1915, but the Tigers never won another pennant while he and Cobb were there.
After playing just 61 games in 1917, Crawford played in the Pacific Coast League for four seasons, then retired as a player. He was an umpire in the PCL from 1935 through 1938.