| Ted Kluszewski | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| First base | ||
| Born: September 10, 1924 Argo, Illinois | ||
| Died: March 29, 1988 (aged 63) Cincinnati, Ohio | ||
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 18, 1947 for the Cincinnati Reds | ||
| Final game | ||
| October 1, 1961 for the Los Angeles Angels | ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | . First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Summit is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10637 at the 2000 census The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively 298 | |
| Home runs | 279 | |
| Runs batted in | 1028 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Theodore Bernard (Big Klu) Kluszewski (born September 10, 1924 — died March 29, 1988), was a Major League first baseman from 1947 to 1961. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Champions World Series: Washington Senators over New York Giants (4-3 First Negro League World Series: Kansas Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King See also 1988 Major League Baseball season Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 All-Star Game Headline Event of the Year Roger Maris hits 61 home runs breaking Babe Ruth 's record He batted and threw left-handed.
Contents |
Career
Ted Kluszewski, who was born in Argo, Illinois and attended Argo Community High School. Summit is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10637 at the 2000 census The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Argo Community High School District 217 is a school located in Summit Illinois, United States He was discovered at Indiana University, where he played football as well as baseball. Indiana University is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Due to wartime travel restrictions, the Cincinnati Reds, who normally held spring training in Tampa, Florida, were forced to train at the university from 1943 to 1945. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the Regular season. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over St Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers over Chicago Cubs (4-3 All-Star Game Kluszewski drew the attention of Reds' groundskeeper Matty Schwab. Schwab saw Kluszewski blasting balls over an embankment near the baseball diamond that none of the other Reds players were able to get near. Reds scouts were sufficiently impressed, but Kluszewski, who was also a standout tight end on the Hoosiers' football squad, did not immediately sign, because he didn't want to endanger his collegiate football eligibility. The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. Instead, he signed after he graduated in 1946. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3 All-Star Game After batting . Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively 325 and . 377 in two minor league seasons, he was called up to Cincinnati and became the Reds' starting first baseman at the end of 1948. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4-2 All-Star Game
Soon after the 6'-2" (1. 89 m), 240-pound (108. 8 kg) Ted Kluszewski joined the Reds, he cut off the sleeves of his uniform, much to the chagrin of the Reds front office. He did it because the tight sleeves constricted his large biceps and shoulders and interfered with his swing. "They got pretty upset, but it was either that or change my swing — and I wasn't about to change my swing", said Kluszewski.
Ted Kluszewski also became notorious for his strength. When Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher was once asked by a writer to name five of the strongest players in baseball, he complied. Leo Ernest Durocher ( July 27, 1905 – October 7, 1991) nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American Infielder and However, when the writer pointed out that he'd left Ted Kluszewski off the list, Durocher huffed and said: "Kluszewski? I'm talking about human beings!"
Ted Kluszewski was selected as an All-Star in four seasons, and was a career . The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League 298 hitter with 279 home runs and 1028 RBI in 1718 games. In ten of his fifteen seasons, Kluszewski walked (492) more often than he struck out (365). A base on balls ( BB) is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in Baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes In 1955, he hit 47 homers while striking out only 40 times. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) No player since him has hit 40 homers and struck out 40 or fewer times in the same season (Barry Bonds missed duplicating this feat by one strikeout in 2004). Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24 1964 is a Major League Baseball Outfielder who is currently a Free agent. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
"Big Klu" enjoyed his most productive years from 1953 through 1956, with home run totals of 40, 49, 47 and 35 while driving in over 100 baserunners in each, including a league-leading 141 RBIs in 1954. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-2 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 Don Larsen, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Giants over Cleveland Indians (4-0 All-Star Game He also hit . 300 or better eight times. Kluszewski also led National League first basemen in fielding percentage five straight years, a major league record. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball In Baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly
However, injuries began taking their toll; Kluszewski was limited to playing just four full seasons in his fifteen-year career. He spent his last four seasons switching teams. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1958 season, and in August 1959 he was sent to the Chicago White Sox to give the team added punch. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Milwaukee Braves (4-3 Bob Turley, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox (4-2 Larry Sherry, MVP The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They eventually won the American League pennant and faced the National League champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the World Series. The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, In the first game at Chicago's Comiskey Park, Kluszewski slugged two home runs and drove in five in an 11-0 rout of the Dodgers. Comiskey Park (35th Street & Shields Avenue Chicago, Illinois) was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990 However, the Dodgers would win the next four out of five games and take the series with strong pitching that neutralized the White Sox' hitters — except for Kluszewski, who hit . 391 with three home runs and ten RBIs, which tied Gil Hodges' mark set in the same series. Gilbert Raymond Hodges ( April 4 1924 – April 2 1972) was an American First baseman and manager in Major About that time, Sox owner Bill Veeck introduced uniforms with players' names on the backs, above the numbers. William Louis Veeck Jr (ˈvɛk rhymes with "wreck" February 9 1914 &ndash January 2 1986) also known as " Sport Shirt A uniform is a set of standard Clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity Veeck deliberately spelled Ted's last name wrong.
When Major League Baseball decided to expand in 1960, Kluszewski was one of the players left unprotected. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees (4-3 Bobby Richardson, He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. Although hampered by back and leg problems, Kluszewski was the undisputed star of the Angels' first game ever, on April 11, 1961 against the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium, belting two home runs off the Orioles' Milt Pappas. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Headline Event of the Year Roger Maris hits 61 home runs breaking Babe Ruth 's record The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. Memorial Stadium was a Sports Stadium in Baltimore Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street Milton Stephen (Milt Pappas (original name (Miltiades Stergios Papastergios (born May 11, 1939 in Detroit Michigan) is a former Professional baseball Behind right-hander Eli Grba, the Angels defeated the Orioles 7-2. During his final season, Kluszewski hit . 243 with 15 home runs and 39 RBIs in 107 games.
Post-retirement, Kluszewski was a hitting coach, most notably under Sparky Anderson with the Cincinnati Reds during their outstanding teams in the early and mid 1970's, which saw them win World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (born February 22, 1934 in Bridgewater South Dakota) is fifth on the all-time list for manager career wins The 1975 World Series was between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds. The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League In 1979, he became the Reds' minor league hitting instructor, a position he held until 1986, when he suffered a massive heart attack and underwent emergency bypass surgery. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles (4-3 Willie Stargell, Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Mets over Boston Red Sox (4-3 Ray Knight, MVP Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure He retired afterward.
Ted Kluszewski died on March 29, 1988 in Cincinnati at age 63. See also 1988 Major League Baseball season Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers His #18 was retired by the Reds on July 18, 1998 before a game against the visiting San Diego Padres at Cinergy Field. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Headline events of the year Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego California since their founding in 1969 Riverfront Stadium, later known as Cinergy Field, (2002 was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League Baseball team and the His widow, the former Eleanor Guckel, a 5'-2" (1. 58 m) former softball pitcher (and, like her late husband, a southpaw), threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Softball is a team Sport popular especially in the United States. The Reds lost 2-1.
Highlights
- 4-time All-Star (1953-56)
- 3-time Top 10 MVP (7th, 1953; 2nd, 1954; 6th, 1955)
- 7-time Top 10 in batting average (1949-50, 1952-56)
- Led league in home runs (49, 1954)
- Led league in RBI (141, 1954)
- 5-time led first basemen in fielding percentage (1951-55), a major league record
- Set a National League record scoring runs in consecutive games (17, 1955)
- Kluszewski, Gus Bell and Bob Thurman became the second trio of teammates with a three-home run game in the same season (1956), sharing a major league single season record with Duke Snider, Roy Campanella and Tommy Brown of the 1950 Brooklyn Dodgers and Cory Snyder, Joe Carter and Brook Jacoby of the 1987 Cleveland Indians. The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball In Baseball, a run is scored when a player advances safely around first second and third base and returns safely to Home plate, touching David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr ( November 15 1928 - May 7 1995) was an American center and Right fielder For the Buddhist scholar see Robert Thurman; for the novelist see Rob Thurman Robert Burns Thurman ( May 14, 1917 Athletics Marathon December 9 &mdash Fukuoka Marathon, Japan Men's Winner Keizo Yamada (JPN 22515 Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider (born September 19, 1926 in Los Angeles California) Nicknamed "The Silver Fox" Roy Campanella ( November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993) nicknamed " Campy " was an American Baseball Thomas Michael "Buckshot" Brown (born December 6, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York) was a Major League Baseball Utility Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Philadelphia Phillies (4-0 All-Star James Cory Snyder (born November 11, 1962 in Inglewood California) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Indians Joseph Christopher Carter (born March 7 1960 in Oklahoma City Oklahoma) is a former Right fielder in Major League Baseball who played Brook Wallace Jacoby (born November 23, 1959 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball Third baseman. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Minnesota Twins over St The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Honors
- Kluszewski was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum in 1962. The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is an entity established by Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise that pays homage to the team's past through The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40-120 record of the New York Mets, which has been a continuing source of humor among baseball fans as well as comedians such as
- Great American Ball Park, the new home of the Cincinnati Reds, opened its doors on March 31, 2003. Great American Ball Park is the home of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Headline event of the year The Florida Marlins become World Series champions holding off a dynastic New York Yankees team 4 games to Before the inaugural game, the Reds dedicated a bronze statue of Kluszewski on the Crosley Terrace area outside the main gate. Statues of Crosley Field era stars Ernie Lombardi, Joe Nuxhall, and Frank Robinson were erected later. Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ernesto Natali (Ernie Lombardi ( April 6, 1908 in Oakland California – September 26, 1977 in Santa Cruz California) Joseph Henry Nuxhall ( July 30 1928 &ndash November 15 2007) was an American left-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935 in Beaumont Texas) is a Hall of Fame former Major League Baseball player The statues were sculpted by Cincinnati artist Thomas Tsuchiya. Thomas Tsuchiya' also known as Norikazu (born August 3, 1972) is an American Artist who creates public Sculpture.
- Ted Kluszewski is prominently mentioned in the first line of the chorus to Terry Cashman's 1981 song "Talkin' Baseball," a musical tribute to baseball. Terry Cashman (born Dennis Minogue 5 July 1941, in New York) is a Record producer and Singer-songwriter, best known for his 1981 See also Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 List of 'years in music'
- In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Esquire (abbreviated Esq) is a term of British origin originally used to denote social status Kluszewski was the first baseman on Stein's Polish team. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland.
See also
- Batters with two 3-home run games in a season
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
- National Polish-American Hall of Fame
- List of Polish Americans
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
- Chicago White Sox all-time roster
Sources
- Baseball Library
- Baseball Reference
- Reds All-Time Team
- Cincinnati's Crosley Field: The Illustrated History of a Classic Ballpark by Greg Rhodes and John Erardi, 1995, Road West Publishing
| Preceded by Eddie Mathews | National League Home Run Champion 1954 | Succeeded by Willie Mays |
| Preceded by Roy Campanella | National League RBI Champion 1954 | Succeeded by Duke Snider |
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