Preston Ward Notable

b. July 24, 1927 · Brooklyn Dodgers 1948, Chicago Cubs 1950, 1953, Pittsburgh Pirates 1953–1956, Cleveland Indians 1956–1958, Kansas City Athletics 1958–1959

Preston Ward played for five clubs across 12 seasons as a first baseman, opening with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 and closing with the Kansas City Athletics in 1959.

Across 744 games he batted .253, with 522 hits and 219 runs. He finished with 50 home runs, 83 doubles and 7 stolen bases.

He played 438 games at first base, with 3,337 putouts and 31 errors. He turned 319 double plays.

He hit three home runs in a game in 1958.

He was born in Columbia, MO, USA on July 24, 1927, and died on June 2, 2013. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Batting, season by season

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
1948	BRO	42	146	9	38	9	2	1	21	15	23	0	.260
1950	CHC	80	285	31	72	11	2	6	33	27	42	3	.253
1953	CHC/PIT	121	381	45	82	12	1	12	39	62	60	4	.215
1954	PIT	117	360	37	97	16	2	7	48	39	61	0	.269
1955	PIT	84	179	16	38	7	4	5	25	22	28	0	.212
1956	CLE/PIT	103	180	21	48	10	1	7	32	22	24	0	.267
1957	CLE	10	11	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	.182
1958	CLE/KCA	129	416	50	118	13	2	10	45	37	63	0	.284
1959	KCA	58	109	8	27	4	1	2	19	7	12	0	.248
Career	—	744	2067	219	522	83	15	50	262	231	315	7	.253

On this day & linked events

1927

Born July 24, 1927

Columbia, MO, USA

2013

Died June 2, 2013

1948

Major-league debut: Preston Ward

Preston Ward made a major-league debut on April 20, 1948.

1958

Preston Ward's Three-Home-Run Game, 1958

Preston Ward hit three home runs for the Kansas City Athletics against the Baltimore Orioles on September 9, 1958.

1959

Final major-league game: Preston Ward

Preston Ward played a final major-league game on August 18, 1959.

Image: Bowman, public domain