Ken Raffensberger

Kenneth David Raffensberger (August 8, 1917 – November 10, 2002) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1939 through 1954, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1939), Chicago Cubs (1940–41), Philadelphia Phillies (1943–47), and Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs (1947–54). Raffensberger batted right-handed and threw left-handed.

Ken Raffensberger
Raffensberger in about 1953
Pitcher
Born: (1917-08-08)August 8, 1917
York, Pennsylvania
Died: November 10, 2002(2002-11-10) (aged 85)
York, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 25, 1939, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
June 2, 1954, for the Cincinnati Redlegs
MLB statistics
Win–loss record119–154
Earned run average3.60
Strikeouts806
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Career

In a 15-season big league career, Raffensberger posted a win-loss record of 119–154 with 806 strikeouts and a 3.60 earned run average (ERA) in ​2,151 2⁄3 innings pitched. His career winning percentage was .463, despite being an all-star and having an above average career ERA (3.60).

Raffensberger started his career as a fastball pitcher, particularly gaining success with his rising fastball. However, further along in his career (beginning in the early 1940s), he developed an arsenal of additional pitches to complement his fastball: a dependable forkball, a slow curveball, and a changeup. Raffensberger had one of the widest ranges of deliveries in the major leagues, ranging from underhand to overhand and a variety of sidearm and three-quarter deliveries in between.[1] Stan Musial said in 1964 of Raffensberger:

Raffy had nothing except slow stuff, and a forkball, but, with changing speeds and control, he made those pitches seem so fat when they weren't... I stubbornly tried to slug with him and didn't have much success."

On November 10, 2002, Raffensberger died in his native York, Pennsylvania, at the age of 85.

Achievements

Quotations
  • I didn't go along with it... I never believed in throwing at a guy, Raffensberger said, after Phillies manager Ben Chapman had instructed his pitchers to throw the ball at Jackie Robinson when there was a 3–0 count.
  • St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial said on an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that Raffensberger was the toughest left-handed pitcher he had ever faced and dubbed him "Crafty Raffy."

See also

References
  1. The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Bill James and Rob Neyer. 2004.

Sources
  • Baseball Almanac
  • Baseball Library
  • Baseball Spot at the Wayback Machine (archived January 16, 2005)
  • "Former Reds' pitcher dies at 85". The Cincinnati Post. November 11, 2002. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005.
  • The Deadball Era
  • Historic Baseball
  • York Wiki
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