John Stanley Sanford (May 18, 1929 – March 7, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through . Sanford was notable for the meteoric start to his career when, he led the National League with 188 strikeouts as a 28-year-old rookie for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1957. He later became a 20-game-winner and made his only World Series appearance as a member of the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the California Angels and the Kansas City Athletics. Baseball career Sanford was born in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. After playing in the minor leagues for seven seasons, he made his major league debut with the Phillies on September 16, 1956 at the age of 27. Sanford made an immediate impact the following season when, he began the year with a 10–2 win–loss record to earn a spot on the National League team in the 1957 All-Star Game on July 9, 1957. He ended the season with a 19–8 win–loss record and a 3.08 earned run average along with a league-leading 188 strikeouts. His 19 victories were second only to the 21 wins by Warren Spahn. He also had 15 complete games on the season, including three shutouts. For his impressive performance, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year in . His next seven years would be extremely solid, but never quite as impressive as his rookie season; or according to some, he never improved much after it. After being traded to the Giants for the season, Sanford went 15-12 with a 3.16 ERA in 222 innings pitched and completed 10 games. That year, he started 31 games and made 36 appearances, 5 out of the bullpen. Sanford led the Giants to the 1962 National League pennant with 24 victories, second only to the 25 victories by Don Drysdale. He won 16 consecutive decisions from mid-June to mid-September and was named Player of the Month in August for his second straight 6-0 month (he also posted a 3.55 ERA, and 31 SO). Only Rube Marquard, who won 19 straight games for the 1912 New York Giants, and Roy Face, who won 17 straight for the 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates have won more consecutive games in a single season during the modern era. Six pitchers have matched Sanford's 16-game streak. The Giants would face the New York Yankees in