Sam Langford
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1926-1928)
Sam Langford was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1926 to 1928 for the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 3 seasons. In 131 career games, he hit .275 with 136 hits, 5 home runs, and 57 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 7/31/1993 in Plainview, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1926-04-13
- Last Game
- 1928-09-21
Full name: Elton Langford
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | 495 | 61 | 136 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 57 | 3 | 26 | 42 | .275 | .316 | .382 | .698 | -493 |
Career AVG .275 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .316 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.
Career SLG .382 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .698 vs. league average .737 across their career seasons — 5.3% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | CLE | AL | 20 | 67 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .269 | .282 (-5%) | .344 (+1%) | .392 (-1%) | .736 (avg) | 8.2 |
| 1928 | CLE | AL | 110 | 427 | 50 | 118 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 50 | 3 | 21 | 35 | .276 | .280 (-2%) | .342 (-9%) | .395 (-3%) | .737 (-6%) | -500.8 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 131 | 495 | 61 | 136 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 57 | 3 | 26 | 42 | .275 | — | — | — | — | -493 | ||
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 (131 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 63 | 246 | 32 | 62 | 2 | 29 | .252 |
| Away | 68 | 249 | 29 | 74 | 3 | 28 | .297 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928-09-21 | CLE | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1928-09-16 | CLE | PHA | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-15 | CLE | PHA | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-08-25 | CLE | MIN | W | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1928-08-24 | CLE | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1928-08-23 | CLE | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1928-08-22 | CLE | PHA | L | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-08-21 | CLE | PHA | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-08-19 | CLE | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-08-19 | CLE | NYY | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 33 |
| Center Field | 95 |
Sam Langford: the record in brief
The profile opens with Sam Langford's first major league game on April 13, 1926; the last one listed came on September 21, 1928. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Red Sox (1926) and the Cleveland Indians (1927 to 1928). Langford, an outfielder by primary position, hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 0 inches and 180 pounds. Langford was born on May 21, 1900, in Briggs, TX, USA. The bio records the death on July 31, 1993, in Plainview, TX, USA. Sam Langford was the playing name; the full given name is Elton.
Langford collected 136 hits in 495 at bats across 131 games, good for a .275 batting average, along with 5 homers and 57 RBI. Reaching base at a .316 clip and slugging .382, Langford finished with a .698 OPS. Langford hit .275 while the league hit .281 over the same span, a figure close to average. By OPS the gap is 5.3% below league average (.698 against .737). 1928 produced Langford's most hits, 118 of them for the Cleveland Indians.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Langford
- What years did Sam Langford play?
- Sam Langford played in Major League Baseball from 1926 to 1928.
- Was Sam Langford a pitcher?
- No. Sam Langford was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Sam Langford hit?
- Sam Langford hit 5 career home runs with 136 hits.
- What was Sam Langford's career batting average?
- Sam Langford batted .275 over his career, with 136 hits in 495 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sam Langford have?
- Sam Langford drove in 57 runs in his career.
- Is Sam Langford in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sam Langford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.