Oscar Judd

May 8, 2009

Name: Thomas William Oscar Judd

Nickname: Ossie, Lefty

Election: January 28, 1986

Induction: July 31, 1986

Born (date, year, place): February 14, 1908 in Rebecca, Ontario

Died (date, year, place): December 27, 1995 in Ingersoll, Ontario

Primary Position: Pitcher

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

Years Played: 1941 to 1948

Teams Played: Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies

After leading Ingersoll and Guelph to Ontario championships, Oscar Judd played in seven different pro and semi-pro leagues prior to his major league debut in 1941. His minor league odyssey included stints in the Cubs and Cardinals organizations. While in the Cards system, Judd, who had hit as high as .416 in 1939, was asked by baseball legend Branch Rickey to become a full-time outfielder, but the Southern Ontario southpaw refused.

Judd would make his big league debut with the Red Sox in 1941, but it wasn’t until 1942, at age 34, that he became a regular starter, posting eight wins and a 3.89 ERA. The following season was Judd’s finest, when he fashioned an 11-6 record, a sparkling 2.90 ERA and earned himself a trip to the all-star game.

By 1946, he was the ace of a dismal Philadelphia Phillies staff. With 11 wins, 12 complete games and 3.53 ERA that season, Judd was declared the Phillies “one-man pitching staff” by the Associated Press. When the Phillies released Judd in May 1948, he landed with the International League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, where he would win 14 games, hit .349 and pitch a no-hitter at the age of 40. In all, the Canuck southpaw posted 40 big league wins – including 20 in the American League and 20 in the National League – and a respectable 3.90 ERA. He also boasted a .262 career batting average and was regularly employed as a pinch-hitter by both the Phillies and the Red Sox.

CAREER MAJOR LEAGUE STATISTICS