Ed Farmer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ed Farmer |
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Farmer with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1982
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: October 18, 1949 Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Died: April 1, 2020 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 9, 1971, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 2, 1983, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 30–43 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.30 | ||
| Strikeouts | 395 | ||
| Saves | 75 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Edward Joseph Farmer (born October 18, 1949 – died April 1, 2020) was a professional baseball pitcher from the United States. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight different teams. Most of his career was in the American League, from 1971 to 1983. He played the most games for the Chicago White Sox. He was even an All-Star once! After playing, he became a radio announcer for the White Sox for almost 30 years.
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Ed Farmer's Baseball Career
Ed Farmer didn't have much success early in his career. But things changed a lot after he got injured. He spent over three years mostly in the minor leagues. During this time, he worked hard to improve his pitching.
This led to his best seasons from 1979 to 1981 with the Chicago White Sox. He recorded 54 of his 75 career saves during these years. A save is when a pitcher finishes a game and helps their team win. Farmer started only 21 games in his career. He came out of the bullpen (as a relief pitcher) for his other 349 games. In total, he played 370 MLB games. He had 30 wins and 43 losses, with a 4.30 earned run average (ERA). He also had 395 strikeouts in 624 innings pitched.
Starting His Journey in Baseball
Ed Farmer graduated from St. Rita High School in Chicago in 1967. The Cleveland Indians picked him in the fifth round of the 1967 MLB draft. He played for their minor league teams from 1967 to 1973. He also played 105 major league games for the Indians between 1971 and 1973. He even played a bit for Chicago State University after high school.
In June 1973, Farmer was traded to the Detroit Tigers. He played 24 games for Detroit until the end of the 1973 season. In March 1974, Farmer was part of a big trade. He went to the New York Yankees, but they quickly sold his contract to the Philadelphia Phillies. Farmer said this happened because he didn't want to play in the minor leagues for the Yankees. He played 14 games for Philadelphia in 1974.
After that season, the Phillies traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1975, Farmer only played 14 games for the Brewers' top minor league team, Triple-A. The Brewers then let him go in April 1976. He didn't play professionally in 1976 because he had surgery. Doctors removed a small bone growth from his right shoulder.
By this point, Farmer had played 143 MLB games. He had 12 wins and 12 losses, a 5.05 ERA, 14 saves, and 139 strikeouts.
Farmer joined the Baltimore Orioles from March 1977 to March 1978. He only played one MLB game for them, spending most of his time in Triple-A. The Brewers signed Farmer again in April 1978. He played only three MLB games for them that year, mostly pitching in Triple-A. After the season, the Brewers traded Farmer to the Texas Rangers.
Farmer played 11 MLB games for the Rangers in early 1979. During this time, a famous rivalry started between Farmer and outfielder Al Cowens. Cowens was playing for the Kansas City Royals then. In a game on May 8, Farmer threw a pitch that hit Cowens. It broke Cowens' jaw and some teeth, making him miss 21 games. Farmer later said Cowens was trying to guess the pitch. He thought it would be a slow pitch away, but it was a fast pitch inside. In the same game, Farmer also hit another Royals player, Frank White, breaking his wrist.
His Time with the White Sox
The White Sox got Farmer from the Rangers on June 15, 1979. Farmer did great for the Sox, getting 14 saves. Thirteen of those saves came after the All-Star break.
The next season, on June 20, 1980, Farmer and Cowens met again. Farmer was with the White Sox, and Cowens was now with the Tigers. In a game at Comiskey Park, Farmer was pitching. Cowens hit a ground ball. Instead of running to first base, Cowens ran to the mound and tackled Farmer from behind! He threw several punches before players from both teams rushed in to separate them. The president of the American League suspended Cowens for seven games. Farmer later agreed to drop any charges if they shook hands. They did this before a game in Detroit on September 1. When Cowens played at Comiskey Park later, fans held up a "Coward Cowens" sign.
In 1980, Farmer was chosen to play in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. He pitched to three batters. He got Pete Rose to hit into a double play, ending the sixth inning. Farmer had 18 saves before the All-Star break. He finished the season with his best numbers: 30 saves and 7 wins.
After the 1981 season, Farmer became a free agent. This meant he could sign with any team. In his three seasons with the White Sox, Farmer played in 148 games. He had 54 saves and struck out 144 batters. His ERA was 3.31.
Later Years in Baseball
The Phillies signed Farmer again in January 1982. He played 47 MLB games for them in 1982 and 12 games in 1983. The club then released him in August 1983. Soon after, he signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played five games for them late in the 1983 season. These were his last MLB appearances. Oakland released Farmer in March 1984.
He finished his baseball career in the minor leagues. He played for Oakland's minor league team in 1984. Then he played for the Class A Miami Marlins in 1985. His very last games were with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A team in 1986.
Life After Playing Baseball
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Ed Farmer
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Farmer (left) in the broadcast booth in 2012.
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| Years active | 1991–2019 |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Chicago White Sox |
| Genre(s) | Color commentator (1991–2005) Play-by-play (2006–2019) |
| Sports | Major League Baseball |
After his playing career, Ed Farmer worked as a scout for the Orioles from 1988 to 1990. He also had a short job in the White Sox front office.
In 1991, Farmer started working part-time on White Sox radio broadcasts. From 1992 to 2005, he was a full-time color commentator. Fans knew him by his nickname, "Farmio." In 2006, he became the main play-by-play announcer. He stayed in that role until the 2019 season. His broadcast partners included Chris Singleton, Steve Stone, and Darrin Jackson. Farmer worked for the White Sox broadcasts for 29 seasons in total. Fourteen of those seasons were as the play-by-play announcer.
Ed Farmer passed away on April 1, 2020, at the age of 70. He died from kidney disease. His last broadcast was a spring training game for the White Sox in February 2020.
Images for kids
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Al Cowens with the Kansas City Royals
