Sam Zoldak

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#cccccc
bgcolor2=#333366
textcolor1=black
textcolor2=white
name=Sam Zoldak
position=Pitcher
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=December 8, 1918
deathdate=death date and age|1966|8|25|1918|12|8
debutdate=May 13
debutyear=1944
debutteam=St. Louis Browns
finaldate=August 26
finalyear=1952
finalteam=Philadelphia Athletics
stat1label=ERA
stat1value=3.54
stat2label=W
stat2value=43
stat3label=K
stat3value=207
teams=
* St. Louis Browns (by|1944–by|1948)
* Cleveland Indians (by|1948–by|1950)
* Philadelphia Athletics (by|1951–by|1952)
highlights=
*World Series Champion: 1948

Samuel Walter Zoldak (December 8 1918–August 25 1966) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for nine seasons. He was nicknamed "Sad Sam". He played for the St. Louis Browns from 1944 to 1948, the Cleveland Indians from 1948 to 1950, and the Philadelphia Athletics from 1951 to 1952. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

He played college baseball at Fordham University, and was signed by Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics before the by|1941 season.cite web|url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/zoldasa01.php|title=Sam Zoldak - The Baseball Page|accessdate=2007-09-17] However, on February 17, 1944, before playing a game with Philadelphia, Zoldak was traded along with Barney Lutz to the St. Louis Browns for Frankie Hayes.cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/z/zoldasa01.shtml|title=Sam Zoldak Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=2007-09-17] Zoldak was used as a reliever his first season, pitching in 18 games and earning an ERA of 3.72. He played in 26 games during the by|1945 season, earning a 3-2 record with an ERA of 3.36. In the following two seasons, the Browns decided to use him as a starter. He started 21 and 19 games, respectively, in the by|1946 and by|1947 seasons, and finished with record of 9-11 and 9-10. He also continued to maintain a consistent ERA, finishing both seasons with ERAs of 3.43 and 3.47, respectively. After starting the 1948 season with the Browns, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, who were in the middle of a pennant race. Zoldak was traded on June 15, 1948 for Bill Kennedy and $100,000.

For the Cleveland Indians, he served both as a reliever and a fifth starting pitcher. During his season with the Indians, he went 9-6 with a 2.81 ERA in 23 games. That same season, he tossed a shutout against his former team, and won both games of a doubleheader while pitching in relief against the Detroit Tigers. His pitching effort led to the Indians winning the 1948 World Series. Zoldak spent the next two seasons in the bullpen, throwing 4 saves in 1950. During the 1949 season, Sam managed to hit his only career homer.cite web|url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Sam_Zoldak_1918&page=chronology|title=The Ballplayers - Sam Zoldak - BaseballLibrary.com|accessdate=2007-09-17] On July 27, 1949, the Indians played the New York Yankees. Zoldak hit a home run in the third inning off Ed Lopat. However, the game was rained out, and the only home run of Zoldak's career was erased.

Just before the 1951 season started, Zoldak was part of a three-way trade. On April 30, 1951, he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics along with Ray Murray in a trade that also involved the Chicago White Sox. Zoldak played the by|1951 season for the Athletics after having originally been signed by the team ten years ago by Connie Mack. Ironically, Mack retired from managing in by|1950, the year before Zoldak joined the Major League roster. Zoldak pitched for the Athletics for two seasons, and was used primarily as a starter, starting 28 of the 42 games he pitched for them. On July 13, 1951, Zoldak pitched a one-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. After being released by the Athletics on February 2, 1953, he retired.

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