Ed Farmer

Edward Joseph Farmer

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 210 lb.
• High School St. Rita of Cascia High School
• Debut June 9, 1971
• Final Game October 2, 1983
• Born October 18, 1949 in Evergreen Park, IL USA
• Died April 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Long-time White Sox commentator Ed Farmer pitched eleven years in the major leagues, primarily as a reliever. He had 75 saves, in a career where he played for eight big league teams. He made the All-Star team while with the Chicago White Sox in 1980, in a year when he had 30 saves, which was then a team record. He had kidney disease most of his life, and it affected part of his major league career.

Ed was born in a suburb near the South Side of Chicago, IL, went to St. Rita High School in Chicago and to Chicago State University. Both his mother and his father died around the age of 40. In 1976, Ed was for a time out of baseball, and he worked in a warehouse.

Although Ed was up in the majors at the early age of 21, he was already a veteran minor leaguer, having pitched in the minors from the age of 17. In all, he would have 13 seasons in the minors along with a couple of games in Mexico.

Farmer in the booth during a June 2012 game

After his playing career, Ed Farmer became a scout for the Baltimore Orioles in 1989. He was a radio broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox starting in 1992, teaming, through 2005, with John Rooney. From 2006 to 2008, his partner was former White Sox outfielder Chris Singleton. From 1992 through 2005, Farmer was primarily a color commentator, though he did add play-by-play duties over time. In 2006, he became the primary play-by-play voice. His final broadcasting partner was Darrin Jackson, who replaced Singleton in 2009.

He passed away from kidney disease at the age of 70 in 2020.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1980)
• 30 Saves Seasons: 1 (1980)

Further Reading

• Chris Bumbaca: "Longtime Chicago White Sox radio broadcaster Ed Farmer dies at 70", USA Today, April 2, 2020. [1]
• Phil Rosenthal: "Ed Farmer, the voice of the Chicago White Sox for almost 30 years, dies", Chicago Tribune, April 2, 2020. [2]