| Karl Spooner | |
|---|---|
 Spooner in 1955. | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1931-06-23)June 23, 1931 Oriskany Falls, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: April 10, 1984(1984-04-10) (aged 52) Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 22, 1954, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 17, 1955, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 10–6 |
| Earned run average | 3.09 |
| Strikeouts | 105 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Karl Benjamin Spooner (June 23, 1931 – April 10, 1984) was anAmerican professionalbaseball player.[1] He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handedpitcher for theBrooklyn Dodgers.[2] After a meteoric rise during which he set a Major League Baseball record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in his major league debut in1954, his promising athletic career was ended prematurely by an injury to his pitching arm.[1]
Spooner was born inOriskany Falls, New York, where he graduated from high school. The 6 ft (1.8 m), 185 lb (84 kg) southpaw was signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in1951.[2]
Spooner's earlyminor-league career was promising, but erratic. He made his way through the Dodgers' minor league system, compiling a fairly unimpressive 26–34 record during his first three seasons.[3]Walks were frequently a problem, as Spooner averaged a walk per inning in his first two minor league seasons.[3] However, he threw hard, led two leagues instrikeouts — thePennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (1951) andWestern League (1953) — and showed flashes of brilliance.
Spooner had a breakout year in 1954 when he won 21 games with 262 strikeouts in 238innings for theFort Worth Cats of theTexas League.[3] His successful performance earned him a promotion to the Dodgers with one week left in the1954 season.[1]
Spooner made his major league debut with the Dodgers on September 22, 1954 at the age of 23.[2] Heshut out thepennant-boundNew York Giants 3–0, allowed only threehits, allsingles, and struck out 15 batters, setting an MLB record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in his debut.[4][5] In the process, he broke the record of 13 strikeouts set by the Giants’Cliff Melton on April 25,1937.[5]J. R. Richard tied the record in his major league debut in1971.[6] Spooner also set another record for pitching debuts by recording six consecutive strikeouts, striking out the side in both the seventh and eighth innings.[5]Pete Richert (1962) is the only other pitcher to strike out six consecutive batters in his big-league debut.
Four days later, Spooner beat thePittsburgh Pirates, 1–0, striking out 12 and surrendering four hits.[1] In his two starts for the 1954 Dodgers, Spooner threw twocomplete gameshutouts; in 18innings, he gave up seven total hits and no runs. His 27 strikeouts in two successive games was aNational League record (not just for rookies) and was second only toBob Feller’s 28 on the major league list.[5]
Duringspring training prior to the 1955 season, Spooner entered a game without warming up properly and injured his arm. He came back on May 15, appearing in 29 games with the Dodgers that year, but with only fairly mild success. Initially used as a spot starter, he was moved to the bullpen after two poor starts. He was added back into the rotation in late June, removed from it at the end of July, and was then given some spot starts in August and September, finishing the season at 8–6 as the Dodgers won the National League pennant.
Despite his winning record, Spooner was deemed only marginally effective. Prior to the injury, Spooner threw afastball which ranged in the mid to high 90s;[7] post-injury, that was not the case. In his final appearance with the Dodgers, Game 6 of the1955 World Series, he was shellacked, giving up five runs in one-third of an inning against theNew York Yankees and taking the 5–1 loss.[8] Brooklyn, however, would win the Series' decisive Game 7 for its first, and only, world championship before the franchise moved toLos Angeles in1958.
Spooner never again played in the majors after 1955. Still hampered by injuries, he pitched in only four games inTriple-A in1956. Although he was called up to the Dodgers in September, he did not get into any games. In1957, Spooner was demoted two more levels, toClass A; in 13 games with nine starts, he was 2–4.
The Dodgers left Spooner unprotected in the 1957 minor league draft, and he was claimed by theSt. Louis Cardinals. In1958, St. Louis sent Spooner to the lowest rung of minor league ball, playing forDothan in theClass DAlabama–Florida League, appearing in nine games. He also played two games forHouston at theDouble-A level that same season, his last in professional baseball. Spooner attendedspring training in1959, but retired before the season started.
Spooner's lifetime major-league statistics line included a 10–6won–lost record in 31 games pitched; in 1162⁄3innings pitched, he allowed 86 hits, 47 bases on balls, and 40earned runs, compiling a 3.09ERA. He struck out 105, threw three careershutouts and fourcomplete games in 16starting pitcher assignments, and was credited with threesaves in his 15 games as arelief pitcher. In his two 1955 World Series appearances, including his Game 6 start, Spooner posted a 0–1 record and 13.50 ERA; he allowed five earned runs on four hits (including a three-runhome run toBill Skowron) and three walks, recording six strikeouts, in 31⁄3 innings of work.
As his baseball career wound down, Spooner moved toVero Beach, Florida and found work as a manager in the citrus industry.[1] He worked at this job for the rest of his life, raising five children with his wife Carol.
Karl Spooner died of liver cancer in 1984, aged 52.[1]