Pete Ward (Jul. 26, 1937 – Mar. 16, 2022) earned his way into Oregon sports lore as a player in the Major Leagues for nine seasons, mostly with the Chicago White Sox, then ran the Pete Ward baseball clinic in Oregon for many years.

Born in Canada in 1937, Ward graduated from Portland’s Jefferson High and played baseball for Lewis and Clark College before signing with the Baltimore Orioles in 1958 at age 20. He spent five years in the minors, the final one in Rochester of the International League, where he hit .328 with 22 homers and 90 RBIs and was called up to the big leagues late in the year.

Baltimore traded him to the Chicago White Sox prior to the 1963 season and he spent seven years with the club. In 1963, he hit .295 with 22 home runs, 84 RBIs, seven stolen bases and was named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News, although he finished second in the official balloting.

In ’64, he hit .282 with 94 RBIs and 23 homers, helping him develop a reputation as one of the American League’s premiere power hitters. Sports Illustrated had him set to appear on the cover of its June 7 issue in 1965, but bumped him in favor of coverage of Muhammad Ali’s fight with Sonny Liston. Ward didn’t finish with a batting average higher than .247 for the remainder of his career, due in part to an off-field injury in 1965. In nine seasons as an outfielder, third or first baseman, he had 776 hits, 427 RBIs, 98 home runs and a collective .254 batting average.

He worked as a coach with the Atlanta Braves and in the Yankees’ farm system in the ’70s.
In 1971, Ward began the Pete Ward Baseball Clinic, which brought active and former Major League players, including Mickey Mantle, to the state as guest speakers. Ward was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.