Pete Ward Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Peter Thomas Ward was born on July 26, 1937, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and was a Canadian professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager who spent nine seasons in Major League Baseball.

Pete was the son of NHL player Jimmy Ward and moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, during childhood. Ward attended Jefferson High School and Lewis & Clark College in Portland before signing with the Baltimore Orioles organization in 1958. He made his major league debut with Baltimore in September 1962. That offseason, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in a six-player transaction that sent shortstop Luis Aparicio to Baltimore.

Ward became Chicago’s regular third baseman in 1963 and batted .295 with 22 home runs and 84 runs batted in. He finished second to teammate Gary Peters in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. His production declined after he suffered a neck injury in an automobile accident early in the 1965 season. He remained with the White Sox through 1969, playing third base, first base and the outfield.

Ward spent his final major league season with the New York Yankees in 1970. Over 973 games, he recorded a .254 batting average, 98 home runs and 427 RBIs. He later managed in the Yankees’ minor league system from 1972 through 1977 and served on the Atlanta Braves’ coaching staff in 1978.