Edward Joseph Farmer (October 18, 1949 – April 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight different teams, predominantly in the American League, between 1971 and 1983. The team he played the most games for was the Chicago White Sox, including one All-Star Game appearance. After his retirement as a player, he spent nearly 30 years as a White Sox radio broadcaster.
Baseball career
Farmer had limited success during the first part of his career; however, his fortunes changed dramatically following a mid-career injury. He re-invented himself while toiling for three-plus years, spent mostly in the minor leagues. This led to his best seasons, 1979 to 1981 with the Chicago White Sox, during which he recorded 54 of his 75 career saves. Farmer started only 21 games in his career; his other 349 appearances were out of the bullpen. In 370 total MLB games, his career statistics include a 30–43 record, with a 4.30 earned run average (ERA), 395 strikeouts, and 624 innings pitched.
Early career
Farmer was a 1967 graduate of St. Rita High School on the southwest side of Chicago. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 1967 MLB draft, and played in their farm system from 1967 into the 1973 season, while making 105 major league appearances with the Indians during parts of the 1971–1973 seasons. He also briefly played for Chicago State University after high school.
In June 1973, Farmer was traded to the Detroit Tigers, in exchange for pitcher Tom Timmermann and infielder Kevin Collins. He made 24 appearances for Detroit through the end of the 1973 season.
In March 1974, Farmer was part of a multi-team trade that sent him to the New York Yankees; they then sold his contract to the Philadelphia Phillies, before he played a game for them. Farmer later stated it was because he had refused a minor league assignment with the Yankees. He appeared in 14 games for Philadelphia through the end of the 1974 season. After the season, the Phillies traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers. During the 1975 season, Farmer was limited to 14 appearances for the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, then was released by the team in April 1976. He did not play professionally during the 1976 season, due to surgery to remove a bone spur in his right shoulder.
To this point in his career, Farmer had appeared in 143 MLB games, registering a 12–12 record, with a 5.05 ERA, 14 saves, and 139 strikeouts, in innings pitched.
Farmer was with the Baltimore Orioles from March 1977 to March 1978, making just one MLB appearance for the team while otherwise pitching in Triple-A. The Brewers signed Farmer in April 1978 for his second stint with the franchise. Making just three MLB appearance for them during the 1978 season, he again mainly pitched in Triple-A. After the season, the Brewers traded Farmer and first baseman Gary Holle to the Texas Rangers in exchange for pitcher Reggie Cleveland.
Farmer made 11 MLB appearances for the Rangers during the first half of the 1979 season. A notable feud started between Farmer and outfielder Al Cowens — then with the Kansas City Royals — early in the season. On May 8, a Farmer pitch thrown in the top of the fifth inning fractured Cowens' jaw and broke several teeth, causing him to miss 21 games. Farmer later said that Cowens had attempted to steal signs from the catcher and thought the pitch would be a breaking ball away, but it was actually an inside fastball. At the start of the same game, Farmer had also hit Royals second baseman Frank White and broke his wrist, which kept him sidelined for a month.
White Sox years
The White Sox acquired Farmer and Holle from the Rangers on June 15, 1979, in exchange for third baseman Eric Soderholm. Farmer responded by recording 14 saves for the Sox, 13 of them coming after the All-Star break.