[2] 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.

[2] 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.

After being traded to the Giants for the 1959 season, Sanford went 15-12 with a 3.16 ERA in 2221⁄3 innings pitched and completed 10 games.

[1] The Giants would face the New York Yankees in the World Series in the only post-season appearance of Sanford's career.

[2] However, Sanford remained in the major leagues for two more seasons as the pitching coach of the 1968–1969 Cleveland Indians.

When he was with the Giants in 1961, Dark and Larry Jansen had him practice throwing a curveball or slider on the first pitch to every batter.

[13] In a twelve-year major league career, Sanford played in 388 games, accumulating a 137-101 win–loss record along with a 3.69 earned run average in 2,0491⁄3 innings pitched.

[2] He finished second in the league in wins twice, losing in 1957 to only Warren Spahn and in 1962 to Cy Young Award winner Don Drysdale.