SFH 135: Wahoo Sam Crawford - MLB

Sports' Forgotten Heroes

The name "Wahoo Sam Crawford" might not sound familiar to many Major League Baseball fans. But, it's probably quite familiar to fans of the Detroit Tigers. Wahoo Sam played for the Tigers back in the early 1900s. He was a phenomenally good hitter. In fact, if not for Ty Cobb, one could argue that Wahoo Sam might be the greatest to ever play for the Tigers. He had a career batting average of .309 to go along with a career OPS of .814. He averaged 191 hits a year as well. Not known for blazing speed, perhaps the most surprising of all when it comes to Wahoo Sam is this - he holds the record for most triples in a Major League career with 309 ... and ... he also holds the record for most inside-the-park home runs in a year with 12! But, the fact that he played during the same period as Ty Cobb stifled Crawford's popularity. Along with Cobb, however, Wahoo Sam helped the Tigers to three straight American League pennants: 1907, 1908, 1909. Unfortunately, Detroit never came out on top of any of those World Series. And the fact that this was the early 1900s also contributes to the fact that Wahoo Sam is not widely as known as he should be. However, the Veteran's Committee, at the constant urging of Cobb, elected Crawford to the Hall of Fame in 1957; and honor that was long overdue. Joining me on this episode of Sports' Forgotten Heroes to talk about Sam is author Kent Krause. Kent's book "Wahoo Sam Crawford, The King of Sluggers" is a must read for any fan of baseball, particularly fans of the Detroit Tigers. Kent shares so much with us, from Sam's upbringing, to his days working in a barber shop, through his career in the Majors, to his days playing in the Pacific Coast League.