Floyd Wooldridge

Floyd Lewis Wooldridge

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut May 1, 1955
• Final Game August 15, 1955
• Born August 25, 1928 in Jerico Springs, MO USA
• Died May 14, 2008 in Springfield, MO USA

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Biographical Information

Right-hander Floyd Wooldridge was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1950 season and was assigned to the Albany Cardinals of the class D Georgia-Florida League. Floyd had a solid year, going 14-12 with a 3.36 ERA while pitching 201 innings in his first season in pro baseball. This strong showing got him upped to the Columbus Cardinals of the class A South Atlantic League where he had his second fine year in a row in 1951 by winning 12 and losing only 6 with a 3.81 ERA.

Floyd was with the Houston Buffaloes of the AA Texas League the following year and in 1952 that was not the place to be. The Buffaloes finished dead last with a 66-95 record, 26 games back, and Wooldridge was in the same boat with a 7-18 record, although he did have a good 2.34 ERA and pitched 215 innings. The right-hander was with Houston again in 1953 and the Buffaloes improved a couple of notches to a sixth-place finish. Floyd finished out with a 17-13 record and led the Texas League with a 2.20 ERA while pitching 246 innings.

As we all know there are bumps in the road and Floyd hit one, or something similar, as he was involved in an automobile accident after the 1953 season, breaking his leg and ankle. The injury kept him out for the entire 1954 season. Below is an article that was written about Wooldridge by sportswriter Robert L. Burnes and appeared in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in August, 1955:

Floyd Wooldridge, who has carried the uninspiring nickname of "Goat" for many years, may find himself carrying another one soon. Something like the "Rainmaker" or the "Jinx." Wooldridge was out of all of 1954 with a broken ankle and leg. This spring he showed that he had made remarkable strides in his recovery when he was one of the St. Louis Cardinals best hurlers.

Then the season opened and Wooldridge's troubles began anew. Every time he was named to pitch, it rained. At least four times he was billed to work and the Cardinals were weathered out . . . and the next day, a turn of Harvey Haddix or Brooks Lawrence had rolled around. He finally got a chance in Pittsburgh and did well for four innings before running out of gas . . . an obvious development after a long rest.

The Cardinals sent him to Houston, patently for his own good. He would get more work there and might be ready for full duty when an opening developed on the roster. Wooldridge, a bit unhappy about it all, went down to Houston. Manager Mike Ryba gave him a day or two to get his bearings . . . and then named him to pitch.

You know what happened? It rained in Houston, and if you don't think that's unusual, a story the next day started by saying . . . "Torrential rains drenched the dust bowl area of the Southwest."

The clouds finally rolled away for Wooldridge and he made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on May 1, 1955 and stayed with the big league team until August 15th, going 2-4 with a 4.84 ERA, appearing in 18 games. That was the sum-total of Floyd's major league career. He appeared in 57 games for the Rochester Red Wings in 1956, going 6-9 with a 4.50 ERA and called it a career in 1957 after 4 appearances with the Buffalo Bisons.

Floyd had spent seven seasons in the minors with a 59-62 record and a 3.00 ERA while pitching 954 innings. He also recalls, as one of his fondest memories of his years in baseball, pitching for the Texas League All-Stars against the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to the contest he found himself sitting between and having a conversation with legendary pitchers Dizzy Dean and Satchel Paige.

After baseball Wooldridge resided in southwest Missouri, near Springfield, MO in Greenfield, MO, where he owned a construction company until his death on May 14, 2008 in Springfield.

Sources

• Baseball Players of the 1950s
  

Related Sites

• BR Minors page