Russell Ford was born in Brandon, Manitoba on April 25, 1883. An early baseball pioneer from Canada. Russell Ford first debuted in the majors with the New York Highlanders in 1909.
Ford won 26 games in his rookie campaign and is only the third player. (The others being Christy Mathewson and Pete Alexander) to win 20+ and strike out over 200 batters in their first season.
Ford is credited with being the first pitcher to "scuff" the baseball using an emery board. He complemented this pitch with a spit ball, fast ball, and a knuckle ball.
His career ended with Buffalo in 1915. He managed to compile a 99-71 record with three 20 win campaigns. He was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
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