Sad Sam Jones was a P who played for the New York Yankees from 1922-1926. Part of the Murderers' Row (1920--1935) era.
October 12, 1923. Yankee Stadium, five months old, packed for a World Series that finally belonged to the Yankees instead of the Giants across the river. Sad Sam Jones took the mound for Game 3 and pitched the game of his life -- a complete game, one run allowed -- and lost anyway. Casey Stengel's seventh-inning home run was the only run of the afternoon, and the Yankees' offense went silent behind Giants ace Art Nehf. Jones walked off a 1-0 loser in what should be remembered as one of the sharper pitching performances of that Series.
Three days later, he got the ball back. Two scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Game 6, and the Yankees closed out their first World Series championship in franchise history, 6-4. That was Sad Sam Jones in a nutshell -- overlooked in the moment, essential to the outcome, and stuck with a nickname that had nothing to do with either.
Samuel Pond Jones pitched 22 seasons in the majors and won 229 games. Five of those seasons, 1922 through 1926, came in pinstripes, where he anchored the rotation that finally beat John McGraw's Giants and kicked off the Yankees dynasty.
Path to the Bronx
Jones was born July 26, 1892, in Woodsfield, Ohio, a small town in the state's southeastern corner. He broke into the majors with the Cleveland Indians on June 13, 1914, mopping up after a starter had already given up nine runs -- not the gentlest introduction to big-league pitching.
Cleveland shipped him to Boston in April 1916 as the throw-in on a trade for Tris Speaker -- the Red Sox were dumping salary, and Jones came over along with a minor leaguer and $55,000 as an afterthought.
The joke was on Cleveland. Jones stuck around Boston for six seasons, won a ring with the 1918 champions, and broke out in 1921 with a 23-16 record, a 3.22 ERA, and a league-leading five shutouts. That season made him a target. The Red Sox were selling off their roster piece by piece, and the Yankees, under general manager Ed Barrow, were buying almost everything Boston put up for sale.
Yankees Career
The Yankees got Jones on December 20, 1921, sending Roger Peckinpaugh, Jack Quinn, Rip Collins, Bill Piercy, and $100,000 to Boston for Jones, shortstop Everett Scott, and pitcher Joe Bush. It was one deal in a long pipeline that would also bring Herb Pennock and Waite Hoyt to the Bronx during the same stretch -- three future rotation mates, all wearing Red Sox road grays a year or two earlier.
Jones split his first season, going 13-13 with a 3.67 ERA while also working out of the bullpen, where his eight saves led the league's relievers. In 1923, everything clicked. He went 21-8 with a 3.63 ERA, the best mark on a staff that won 98 games and the pennant by 16 games.
| NYY Record | 67-56 |
| 1923 Record | 21-8, 3.63 ERA |
| No-Hitter | Sept. 4, 1923 vs. Philadelphia A's |
| World Series Rings | 2 (1918 BOS, 1923 NYY) |
| Career Record | 229-217, 3.84 ERA |
| Career Seasons | 22 (1914-1935) |
The signature moment of that season came on September 4, when Jones no-hit the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park, 2-0, without recording a single strikeout -- 27 outs, all on balls in play, over in an hour and 23 minutes. Only a handful of pitchers have ever thrown a no-hitter with zero strikeouts. Jones was the second Yankee ever to throw one at all, following George Mogridge six years earlier.
Then came October -- the tough Game 3 loss, the clean Game 6 relief job, a ring to show for it. An elbow injury cost him two months in 1924, and he still went 9-6. The whole club collapsed around him in 1925 -- a 69-85, seventh-place disaster -- and Jones absorbed a career-worst 15-21 mark. By 1926, at 9-8, he was a diminished piece of a pennant-winning staff carried by younger arms.
Where "Sad Sam" Came From
The nickname has outlived almost everything else about him, and it's routinely misread. It wasn't about his record. It was about his face.
Sportswriter Bill McGeehan watched Jones pitch from the press box and decided he looked mournful out there -- dubbed him "Sad Sam, the Cemetery Man," and it stuck for the rest of his career. Jones had a simpler explanation.
I would always wear my cap down real low over my eyes.
Other pitchers, he liked to say, wore their caps pushed back so they wouldn't miss any pretty girls in the stands. That's the whole nickname -- a low cap brim, misread from a couple hundred feet away. Teammates who actually knew him described a whimsical, quietly funny man, full of quips and backwoods humor. The sad part was strictly cosmetic.
Key Moments
Traded to the Yankees
Boston sends Jones, Everett Scott, and Joe Bush to New York for four players and $100,000 -- part of the pipeline that stocked the early Yankees dynasty.
No-Hitter at Shibe Park
Jones no-hits the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 without recording a strikeout, becoming just the second Yankee to throw a no-hitter.
Tough-Luck Game 3 Loss
Jones goes the distance in Game 3 of the World Series and allows just one run -- a Casey Stengel homer -- but the Yankees lose 1-0.
Closing Out the First Championship
Jones throws two scoreless relief innings in Game 6 as the Yankees beat the Giants 6-4 to win the franchise's first World Series title.
Traded to St. Louis
The Yankees deal Jones to the St. Louis Browns for pitcher Joe Giard and outfielder Cedric Durst, closing out his five years in pinstripes.
After the Bronx
The Browns, Senators, and White Sox all got a piece of Jones after he left New York. He kept pitching into his forties and retired in 1935 at 42, the oldest active player in the majors. His 22 consecutive seasons in one league is a record he shares with four other pitchers -- his old rotation mate Herb Pennock among them, along with Early Wynn, Red Ruffing, and Steve Carlton. Jones died on July 6, 1966, at 73.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Sam Jones called 'Sad Sam'?
A sportswriter watched him pitch from the press box and thought he looked mournful. Jones said it was simpler -- he just wore his cap pulled down low over his eyes. The nickname described his expression, not his performance.
What was Sad Sam Jones's record with the Yankees?
Jones went 67-56 for the Yankees from 1922 to 1926, highlighted by a 21-8 mark in 1923, when he helped the team win its first World Series title.
Did Sad Sam Jones pitch a no-hitter?
Yes. On September 4, 1923, Jones no-hit the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 at Shibe Park without recording a single strikeout -- only the second Yankee ever to throw one.
Was Sad Sam Jones on the Yankees' 1923 championship team?
Yes. He started and lost Game 3 of the World Series, 1-0, on a Casey Stengel home run, then threw two scoreless relief innings in Game 6 as the Yankees clinched the title, 6-4.
How did the Yankees acquire Sad Sam Jones?
New York got Jones from Boston on December 20, 1921, in a trade that also brought Everett Scott and Joe Bush to the Yankees for four players and $100,000 -- part of Ed Barrow's raid on the Red Sox roster.
He never struck fear into anyone with velocity, never made a highlight reel with his stuff. He just kept getting the ball -- for six teams, across 22 seasons -- and kept getting outs, cap pulled low, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. He wouldn't have been.