Dave Ford

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1981)

Dave Ford was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1981 for the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 4 seasons. Across 51 career appearances, he went 5-6 with a 4.02 ERA and 46 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 5–6
ERA 4.02
WHIP 1.24
SO 46
Pitcher PIV -874.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 190 lb
Born
12/29/1956 in Cleveland, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1978-09-02
Last Game
1981-09-09

Full name: David Alan Ford

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Career Pitching Statistics

Dave Ford — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
5 6 51 8 1 0 3 154.2 160 69 15 32 46 4.02 -874.7

Career ERA 4.02 vs. league average 3.80 across their career seasons — 5.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Ford — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1978 BAL AL 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 15.0 10 0 2 5 0.00 3.69 (+100%) 514.9
1979 BAL AL 2 1 9 2 0 0 2 30.0 23 7 7 7 2.10 4.00 (+48%) 128.2
1980 BAL AL 1 3 25 3 1 0 1 69.2 66 33 13 22 4.26 3.84 (-11%) -1702.5
1981 BAL AL 1 2 15 2 0 0 0 40.0 61 29 10 12 6.53 3.58 (-82%) 184.8
Career · 4 seasons 5 6 51 8 1 0 3 154.2 160 69 32 46 4.02 — -875

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Dave Ford — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Ford — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1978 BAL AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 BAL AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 BAL AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 BAL AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (102 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Dave Ford — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2600000—
Away2500000—

Pitching — Home / Away

Dave Ford — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2676.2793612224.23
Away2578.0813320243.81

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dave Ford — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1981-09-09 BALCLE — 2.2433100
1981-09-03 BALOAK — 3.0744031
1981-08-16 BALCHW L 0.1211000
1981-08-14 BALCHW — 0.2000000
1981-08-12 BALKCR — 0.2322000
1981-06-11 BALSEA — 4.2622020
1981-06-06 BALLAA — 0.1000000
1981-06-04 BALNYY L 3.1873200
1981-05-31 BALDET — 0.1000100
1981-05-24 BALDET — 4.0633301

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave Ford — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 51 8 8 21 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave Ford — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 BAL P 2 1 2 1 0 0
1979 BAL P 9 2 0 7 0 0
1980 BAL P 25 3 4 8 0 0
1981 BAL P 15 2 2 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave Ford — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 51

Dave Ford: the record in brief

According to the bio, Dave Ford debuted on September 2, 1978 and played a final game on September 9, 1981. Ford spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Baltimore Orioles. Ford played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 29, 1956, in Cleveland, OH, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 4 inches and 190 pounds. The given name on file is David Alan Ford.

Across 51 games (8 starts), Ford recorded 5 wins against 6 losses with a 4.02 ERA. Ford had 46 strikeouts. The league ERA over Ford's seasons was 3.80, so the 4.02 figure ran 5.8% worse than average. 1980 was Ford's sharpest full season, a 4.26 ERA against the league's 3.84.

Retrosheet box scores cover 102 of Ford's games, and the full game log is linked from the splits section.

Ford appears at one position only: pitcher, in 51 games. On the mound, the fielding record shows 0 errors alongside 8 putouts and 21 assists.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Ford

What years did Dave Ford play?
Dave Ford played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1981.
Was Dave Ford a pitcher?
Yes. Dave Ford pitched in the major leagues, recording 5 wins and 46 strikeouts.
What teams did Dave Ford play for?
Dave Ford played for one team, the Baltimore Orioles (1978–1981).
What were Dave Ford's career stats?
In 51 games, Dave Ford went 5-6 with a 4.02 ERA, 46 strikeouts, 154.2 innings pitched, and 3 saves.
What position did Dave Ford play?
Dave Ford played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dave Ford and how much did he weigh?
Dave Ford was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Dave Ford's career ERA?
Dave Ford finished with a 4.02 career ERA, going 5-6 with 46 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Dave Ford have?
Dave Ford recorded 46 career strikeouts.
Is Dave Ford in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dave Ford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.