| Ken Burkhart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1916-11-18)November 18, 1916 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Died: December 29, 2004(2004-12-29) (aged 88) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 21, 1945, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 25, 1949, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 27–20 |
| Earned run average | 3.84 |
| Strikeouts | 181 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Kenneth William Burkhart (bornBurkhardt) (November 18, 1916 – December 29, 2004) was an American right-handedpitcher andumpire inMajor League Baseball. From1945 through1949 he played with theSt. Louis Cardinals (1945–48) andCincinnati Reds (1948–49), and served as aNational League umpire from 1957 to 1973.
TheKnoxville, Tennessee native posted a 27–20record with 181strikeouts and a 3.84earned run average in 5192⁄3innings pitched. He posted an 18–8 mark as a Cardinals rookie in 1945, with 22 starts and 20 relief appearances; his 18 victories and .692 winning percentage each tied him for third in the National League, while his 2.90 ERA ranked him seventh, but an ailing throwing arm ended his season prematurely, and he increasingly worked from the bullpen afterwards. As a pitcher, since he lacked a speedy fastball, he relied on an "oddly breaking knuckleball"[1] for much of his success. On July 26,1948, Burkhart was traded by St. Louis to the Reds in exchange for first basemanBabe Young. He appeared in 11 games for the Reds in 1949 and retired at the end of the season.
Following his playing career, Burkhart developed as a well-regarded umpire. He worked in threeWorld Series (1962,1964 and1970), serving as crew chief in 1970, and in the1972 National League Championship Series. He umpired in fourAll-Star Games (second1959 game, second 1962 game, 1967 and 1973), and also umpired inno-hitters on consecutive days in1968 forGaylord Perry (September 17)[2] andRay Washburn (September 18).[3] On May 11,1963 he was umpiring at second base whenSandy Koufax pitched his second no-hitter,[4] and on June 21,1964 he was at third base whenJim Bunning of thePhiladelphia Phillies pitched a 6–0perfect game against theNew York Mets.[5] Burkhart officiated in eight no-hitters overall, then one short of the record for NL umpires, but did not work behind the plate for any of them. He was, however, behind the plate on July 12,1962 when brothersTommie andHank Aaron both hithome runs in the ninth inning to propel theMilwaukee Braves to an 8–6 win, with Hank'sgrand slam winning the contest.[6]
Burkhart was involved in the most controversial play of the1970 World Series when theCincinnati Reds were batting against theBaltimore Orioles with one out and the score tied at three in the sixthinning of Game 1. With runnersTommy Helms at first base andBernie Carbo at third,pinch hitterTy Cline hit aBaltimore chop offJim Palmer who, while running towards home plate, immediately signaled to catcherElrod Hendricks that Carbo was trying to score from third. Hendricks fielded the ball barehanded, spun around to his left and lunged at an oncoming Carbo in an attempt to tag him out, but collided with Burkhart who, while positioning himself to judge whether the batted ball was fair, accidentally blocked the runner's path to the plate. Carbo slid around Burkhart on the outside but missed touching home plate. With his back to the play and after being knocked down, Burkhart ruled Carbo out even though Hendricks made the tag with his mitt while holding the ball in his bare hand.[7] Having not been properly tagged out, Carbo unknowingly stepped on the plate as he was arguing, but the play was dead once Burkhart made his call.
Burkhart was an inductee into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.
He died in 2004, as a result ofemphysema in Knoxville,[8] at age 88, and was interred in that city's Woodlawn Cemetery. He was the last surviving major league umpire who had also played in the major leagues.[9]
· Baseball Almanac