Vern Bickford
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Vernon Edgell (Vern) Bickford (August 17, 1920 - May 6, 1960) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Braves in Boston (1948-52) and Milwaukee (1953), and for the Baltimore Orioles (1954). Born in Hellier, Kentucky and raised in Berwind, McDowell County, West Virginia, he batted and threw right handed.
In a seven-season career, Bickford posted a 66-57 record with 450 strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA in 1076.1 innings pitched.
Bickford reached the major leagues with the Boston Braves in 1948 and played on their pennant-winning team. He finished with an 11-5 mark and a 3.27 ERA but lost to the Cleveland Indians in his only World Series appearance.
In 1949, Bickford went 16-11 and made the National League All-Star team. His most productive season came in 1950, when he went 19-14 and led the NL in games started (39), complete games (27), innings pitched (311.2) and batters faced (1,325). The high point of his career was his no-hitter game against the Brooklyn Dodgers on August 11. He struck out slugger Duke Snider for the final out of the game, with what Brickford later described as "the prettiest curveball I ever threw".
Bickford broke a finger in 1951 and never regained all of his prior form. He played for the Braves when the team moved to Milwaukee before the 1953 season. In 1954 he was sold to the Baltimore Orioles, but a pinched nerve in his throwing arm and an eventual elbow surgery shortened his career. In 1955, he unsuccessfully tried a brief comeback with the Triple-A Richmond Virginians in the International League.
Following his playing career, Bickford worked as an automobile dealer, a travelling salesman and a carpenter. He died of cancer in Concord, Virginia, at age of 39.
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Categories: National League All-Stars | Baltimore Orioles players | Boston Braves players | Milwaukee Braves players | Major league pitchers | Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter | People from Kentucky | Major league players from Kentucky | People from West Virginia | 1920 births | 1960 deaths
