Dan Ford

Darnell Glenn Ford (born May 19, 1952) is a former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Disco Dan", he played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1975 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, and Baltimore Orioles. In 1,153 career games, Ford had a batting average of .270, 121 home runs and 566 runs batted in.

Dan Ford
Outfielder
Born: (1952-05-19) May 19, 1952
Los Angeles, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 1975, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
May 31, 1985, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.270
Home runs121
Runs batted in566
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Ford went to John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles, California. He served in the United States Army.

Career
Ford with the Minnesota Twins

Ford was picked 18th overall in the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He spent four years in the minor league system for the Athletics before he was traded on October 23, 1974 to the Twins with Dennis Myers for Pat Bourque.[1] For the next four seasons, Ford was a regular in the Twins' lineup. In his second season, he hit the first home run at the rebuilt Yankee Stadium on April 15, 1976.[2] On August 10, 1979, Ford hit for the cycle for the Angels against the Seattle Mariners.[3]

On December 4, 1978, Ford was traded to the Angels for Danny Goodwin and Ron Jackson.[1] He was tagged out by Doug DeCinces while attempting to advance to third base on a force play that ended Game 2 of the 1979 American League Championship Series.[4] Both Ford and DeCinces were exchanged for each other ​2 1⁄3 years later in a trade that also sent Jeff Schneider from the Orioles to the Angels and was announced on January 28, 1982.[5] The deal was delayed when Ford requested additional compensation because the Orioles were not one of six teams listed in his contract to which he could be traded without approval. The transaction became official upon his approval two days later on January 30.[6] The Orioles had tried to trade for Ford previously, but were unable to after the Angels originally picked him up.[7]

Early in the Orioles' 1983 championship season at Memorial Stadium on May 18, Ford ended Richard Dotson's bid for a no-hitter with a one-out opposite-field solo home run over the right-field fence in the eighth inning as the team's lone hit and the only run of the game in a 1–0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, whom the Orioles would eventually face in the 1983 American League Championship Series.[8] Ford later hit a home run off Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton for the Orioles in Game 3 of the 1983 World Series.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Dan Ford Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  2. Madden, Bill (April 16, 1976). "New park revives old Yankes". The Daily Sentinel. p. 4.
  3. "Seattle Mariners 8, California Angels 6". Retrosheet. August 10, 1979.
  4. Chass, Murray. "Orioles Conquer Angels, 9–8," The New York Times, Friday, October 5, 1979. Retrieved October 31, 2020
  5. Boswell, Thomas. "Orioles Give Up DeCinces for Ford," The Washington Post, Friday, January 29, 1982. Retrieved October 31, 2020
  6. "Ford Approves Trade From Angels to Orioles," The Associated Press (AP), Sunday, January 31, 1982. Retrieved October 31, 2020
  7. "Orioles Acquire Angels' Ford". Herald-Journal. January 29, 1982. p. B3.
  8. "Dotson Loses One-Hitter". The New York Times. May 19, 1983. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  9. "Baltimore Orioles 3, Philadelphia Phillies 2". Retrosheet. October 14, 1983.

Further reading
Achievements
Preceded by
George Brett		 Hitting for the cycle
August 10, 1979		 Succeeded by
Bob Watson
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