Tom Jordan (baseball)

Thomas Jefferson Jordan (September 5, 1919 – August 26, 2019) was an American professional baseball player, a catcher who appeared in 39 major league games over three seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1944; 1946), Cleveland Indians (1946), and the St. Louis Browns (1948). Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Jordan stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). He threw and batted right-handed.

Tom Jordan
Catcher
Born: September 5, 1919 Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died: August 26, 2019(2019-08-26) (aged 99) Roswell, New Mexico, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1944, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
April 28, 1948, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average	.240
Home runs	1
Runs batted in	6
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Chicago White Sox (1944; 1946) Cleveland Indians (1946) St. Louis Browns (1948)

Biography

Jordan's professional career took place over a twenty-year period, beginning in the minor leagues in 1938 and ending in 1957 after he was a playing manager for a number of unaffiliated teams in the low minors in the Southwestern United States. He spent the entire 1946 campaign in the major leagues, starting with the White Sox before being traded to Cleveland for fellow catcher Frankie Hayes on July 5. As a member of the Indians, on August 25, he hit his only major league home run, a solo shot at Fenway Park off 20-game-winner Boo Ferriss in a 2–1 Boston Red Sox win.^[1]

During his big-league career, Jordan collected 23 hits in 96 at bats, including four doubles and two triples. A son, Tom Jr., was winning pitcher of the championship game of the 1956 Little League World Series.^[2] After retiring from baseball, Jordan owned a farm in Roswell, New Mexico. Following the death of Fred Caligiuri, Jordan was recognized as the oldest living major league ballplayer at the time of his death, which occurred just 10 days before his 100th birthday.^[3]

References

1. "Boston Red Sox 2, Cleveland Indians 1 (1)". retrosheet.org. August 25, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
2. Hoenig, Dick (August 25, 1956). "Roswell Defeats Delaware Twp. In Little League Final". Standard-Sentinel. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. AP. p. 20. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
3. Diunte, Nick. "Tom Jordan, Oldest Living Ex-MLB Player, Dies At 99". Forbes. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

Further reading

• "Tom Jordan Live in St. Louis! And a Rogers Hornsby story". St. Louis Browns Fanclub. July 16, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet

Records
Preceded by Fred Caligiuri	Oldest recognized verified living baseball player November 30, 2018 – August 26, 2019	Succeeded by Val Heim