Samuel H. Ewing was an American professional baseball player who played pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889. Though his MLB career was relatively short, Ewing made an impact both on the field as well as in the collectible card industry as one of the earliest players to be featured in baseball cards during the late 1880s.
Ewing was born in 1858 in Elkton, Maryland and began his professional baseball career in 1883 with the Oakland Greenhoods of the California League. He quickly developed a reputation as a talented knuckleball pitcher with excellent control. In 1884, Ewing was signed by the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League.
His rookie season in Pittsburgh was impressive. In 38 games pitched (31 starts), Ewing compiled a win-loss record of 22-9 with an earned run average of 2.95. His 22 wins led the National League that season and helped propel the Alleghenys to a third place finish. Ewing’s breakout rookie campaign caught the attention of tobacco card companies who were among the earliest to include baseball players on cards included in their products.
In 1887, Ewing was featured prominently in the Goodwin & Company set, being included in at least two different baseball portraits from that 50-card series. Though crude by today’s standards, these Sam Ewing baseball cards were groundbreaking as among the first to depict individual ballplayers. Goodwin’s cards from 1887 are now extremely rare and valuable, with graded high-quality Sam Ewing specimens easily worth over $10,000 in today’s market.
After his stellar rookie season, Ewing continued his success over the next few years with Pittsburgh. In 1885, he led the National League with a 1.98 ERA while compiling a 16-13 record for a fourth place Alleghenys club. The 1886 season saw Ewing post a 13-12 record and 2.75 ERA as Pittsburgh finished sixth. His performance established Ewing as an accomplished hurler and helped him maintain status as one of baseball’s early stars featured in tobacco cards.
During his five seasons pitching full-time for Pittsburgh from 1884-1888, Ewing compiled a remarkable 92-61 record with four consecutive years pitching over 200 innings each season. His career ERA of 2.56 is also impressive considering the hitter-friendly era in which he played. Unfortunately, arm injuries began affecting Ewing in 1887 which limited his effectiveness going forward. He was released by Pittsburgh during the 1889 season after a subpar start.
In 1890, Ewing signed with the Cleveland Spiders of the Player’s League, a short-lived rival major league to the National League. Arm problems continued to plague him and he managed just a 2-6 record over 14 games (8 starts) before retiring from the game at age 32. In a playing career spanning seven seasons between 1884-1890, Ewing amassed a career record of 94-67 with an ERA of 2.56 in over 1,500 innings pitched, all accomplished during a time before the widespread use of gloves or specialty pitching motions.
Though his career was relatively brief, Ewing made a huge impact as one of the early stars of the game to be included in tobacco era baseball cards during the 1880s. His accomplishments on the field like leading the National League in wins and ERA multiple times helped establish Ewing as one of the more dominant pitchers of his era. Today, the rarity of Sam Ewing specimens from 1887 Goodwin & Co. sets have elevated their desirability tremendously among enthusiasts and collectors. Some highly graded Ewing cards have even reached the $20,000+ price range at auction in modern times, a true testament to both Ewing’s baseball achievements as well as his importance as one of the pioneering baseball stars collectible in early tobacco cards.
While Samuel Ewing had a short Major League Baseball career spanning just seven seasons from 1884-1890, he left an indelible mark both on the field and in the collectible card industry as one of the earliest stars to be featured prominently in tobacco era baseball cards of the late 1880s. As a highly capable knuckleball pitcher for Pittsburgh during their formative years in the National League, Ewing’s stats and accolades established him as an elite hurler of his time. His baseball card rarity and importance to the growth of cards as collectibles also grants Ewing legendary status more than a century later among modern-day collectors. As one of the pioneering players included on some of the very first baseball cards produced, Samuel Ewing’s place in both baseball history as well as the collectible industry is forever secured.
