Sam Rice

Sam Rice
Rice in 1924
Outfielder
Born: February 20, 1890
Morocco, Indiana, U.S.
Died: October 13, 1974(1974-10-13) (aged 84)
Rossmoor, Maryland, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 7, 1915, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
September 18, 1934, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average.322
Hits2,987
Home runs34
Runs batted in1,078
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1963
Election methodVeterans Committee

Edgar Charles "Sam" Rice (February 20, 1890 – October 13, 1974) was an American pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball. Although Rice made his debut as a relief pitcher, he is best known as an outfielder. Playing for the Washington Senators from 1915 until 1933, he was regularly among the American League leaders in runs scored, hits, stolen bases and batting average. He led the Senators to three postseasons and a World Series championship in 1924. He batted left-handed but threw right-handed. Rice played his final year, 1934, for the Cleveland Indians. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.

Rice was best known for making a controversial catch in the 1925 World Series which carried him over the fence and into the stands. While he was alive, Rice maintained a sense of mystery around the catch, which had been ruled an out. He wrote a letter that was only opened after his 1974 death; it claimed that he had maintained possession of the ball the entire time. He collected nearly 3,000 hits in his career, with his 2,889 as a Senator being the most in franchise history.