Sam “Man O’ War” Rice makes his major league debut as a relief pitcher at the age of 25. Rice is put in the game after the Chicago White Sox took an early lead against the Senators. The Senators were not able to come back and give Rice the win in his debut as the White Sox went on to win the game by a score of 6-2. During the remainder of the 1915 season, Rice pitched in three more games, two as a starter. Rice ended the season with one win and one loss.
Senators’ manager Clark Griffith started the 1916 season with Rice in the bullpen. During the early part of the season, Rice was rarely used as a pitcher but was being used more as a pinch hitter. In July, Griffith was looking for more offense from his team and decided to start Rice in the outfield. Rice exceled in the outfield, able to show off his speed and strong arm. Rice goes on to have a nice season with a batting average of .299 in 197 at-bats.
After the 1916 season, Sam “Man O’ War” Rice will go on to be one of the greatest players to wear the Senators uniform. Below is a list of some of Sam Rice’s accomplishments.
Hitting Streaks: 31 games (1924), 29 games (1920), 28 games (1930)
Career Batting Average: .322
200-Hit Seasons: 6
Strikeouts: Only 275 in 9,269 offcial at-bats
World Series Appearences: 1924, 1925, 1933
Hall of Fame: Elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1963
