BASEBALL: PNG grad Ford, 41, Atlantic League player of month
Published 7:54 pm Saturday, August 4, 2018
Six years after last playing in the major leagues, Lew Ford is still making pitchers’ lives a living nightmare.
At 41, the 1994 Port Neches-Groves graduate was named the Atlantic League player of the month for July on Friday. Ford batted .380 in 24 games for the Long Island (New York) Ducks with six home runs, 35 hits (six hits and triple), 28 RBI, 20 runs scored, a .663 slugging percentage and a 1.083 on-base plus slugging average.
Maybe as impressive, Ford has overcome a balky hamstring among other injuries over the past few seasons, according to New York newspaper Newsday.
After earning All-American honors at Dallas Baptist with a .507 average in 1999, Ford, who will turn 42 on Aug. 12, broke into the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins in 2003 and played with the club for five seasons.
Ford also spent part of the 2012 season with the Baltimore Orioles.
Right-hander Matt Sergey of the Sugar Land Skeeters was named Atlantic League pitcher of the month.