Pete Ward

Peter Thomas Ward (July 26, 1937 – March 16, 2022) was a Canadian-born professional baseball player who appeared in 973 games over nine seasons in Major League Baseball as a third baseman, outfielder and first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox (–) and New York Yankees .

Ward was the runner-up for the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award (to pitcher and teammate Gary Peters) in 1963, but was named that season's AL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News. He finished in the Top 10 in the AL's Most Valuable Player poll in both 1963 (ninth) and (sixth).

Early life Ward was born in Montréal, on July 26, 1937. Ward's family moved to Portland, Oregon when Ward was eight years old.

Ward attended Portland's Jefferson High School, graduating in 1955. In 1986, he was inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame. Ward was a member of the Northwest Conference All-Star teams in 1957 and 1958. He was the first Lewis & Clark player to play in major league baseball.

Minor league Ward signed with the Orioles in 1958, In 1960, playing Class B baseball for the Fox City Foxes of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (the Three-I League), he played 114 games at third base and 21 in the outfield. In 1961, he played for two different Double-A teams, playing only 10 games at third base and 109 games among the three outfield positions. In 1962 at Rochester, he hit .328, with 22 home runs, 114 runs scored and 90 runs batted in (RBI). After he was selected to the International League All-Star Team in 1962 as an outfielder, Ward received a September trial with Baltimore, where he hit .143 with two doubles in 21 at bats. only two months older than Ward (May 18, 1937), at the position. By the time Ward was called up in 1962, Robinson had been the Orioles starting third baseman for years, was an All-Star (1960–1962) and was about to win his third Gold Glove Award at third base. In 1963, the White Sox installed Ward as their regular third-baseman, and he responded with a stellar rookie campaign: 177 hits (second in the league), 34 doubles (again second in the AL), 22 home runs, and a .295 batting average (fifth in the league). Chicago won 94 games and finished second to the Yankees. In 1964, Ward avoided the "sophomore jinx" by hitting .282 with 23 home runs and a career-best 94 runs batted in,

Ward suffered a neck injury in a 1965 automobile accident, that also injured teammate Tommy John's neck, affecting the remainder of Ward's career. Ward also suffered from back problems in 1966. He was released by the Yankees in March 1971.

Manager and coach After serving as a minor league coach for the Rochester Red Wings in the early 70s, under manager Joe Altobelli, Ward rejoined the Yankees as a minor-league manager (1972–1977) at the Single-A (Fort Lauderdale Yankees), Double-A (West Haven Yankees) and Triple-A (Syracuse Chiefs) levels. before returning to manage in the minors. In 1980, he managed the Iowa Oaks of the Triple-A American Association (a White Sox affiliate), and in 1981 he managed his hometown Portland Beavers in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate). the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, although The Sporting News did name him its rookie of the year.

In 1964, he was named Oregon's Athlete of the Year at Portland's Haywood Banquet of Champions.

Personal life After retiring as a manager, Ward opened a travel related business in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He was a founding member of the Kruse Way Rotary Club and active in the Lake Oswego Chamber of commerce. He was survived by his wife Margaret, two sons, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.