| Ken Holtzman | |
|---|---|
 Holtzman in 1969 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1945-11-03)November 3, 1945 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: April 15, 2024(2024-04-15) (aged 78) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 4, 1965, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1979, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 174–150 |
| Earned run average | 3.49 |
| Strikeouts | 1,601 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Kenneth Dale Holtzman (November 3, 1945 – April 15, 2024) was an American professionalbaseball player andcoach.[1] He was a left-handedpitcher inMajor League Baseball from1965 through1979 for theChicago Cubs,Oakland Athletics,Baltimore Orioles, andNew York Yankees.
With the Cubs, Holtzman pitched twono-hitters. He played for the Athletics'dynasty that won three consecutiveWorld Series championships between 1972 and 1974. A two-timeAll-Star, Holtzman was a 20-game-winner for the Athletics in 1973. He is a member of theChicago Cubs Hall of Fame.
Holtzman was born inSt. Louis, Missouri, on November 3, 1945, to Henry and Jacqueline Holtzman. He was raised in an observantJewish family and graduated fromUniversity City High School in St. Louis in 1963.[2] He attended theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he playedcollege baseball for theIllinois Fighting Illini. He graduated with aBachelor of Arts in business administration andFrench.[2]
TheChicago Cubs selected Holtzman in the fourth round of the1965 Major League Baseball draft.[3][4][5] At age 19, Holtzman pitched 12 games in theminor leagues in 1965, four with theTreasure Valley Cubs in thePioneer League, and eight with theWenatchee Chiefs in theNorthwest League. He was 8–3 in the dozen starts, with a 1.99earned run average and 114 strikeouts in 86 innings.[6]
The Cubs promoted Holtzman to the major leagues in September1965.[7] After making three relief appearances in 1965, Holtzman joined the Cubs' starting rotation in1966, and had an 11–16 rookie campaign as the team finished in last place.[1][4]
As a promising Jewish left-hander, he was heralded as "the newSandy Koufax."[8] He pitched against Koufax in1966 on September 25, and took the win by a 2–1 score, becoming the last pitcher to beat Koufax during the regular season. Koufax would make his last regular-season appearance a week later, on October 2.[9] Holtzman served in theNational Guard in 1967 and was only available to play on weekends. He appeared in 12 games and had a 9–0 record.[10] After going 11–14 in1968, he posted consecutive 17-win seasons.[1] Holtzman was namedNL Player of the Month in May1969 with a 6–0 record, a 2.16 ERA, and 44 strikeouts.[1]
That August 19, Holtzman pitched ano-hitter atWrigley Field against the eventual Western Division championAtlanta Braves, winning 3–0 onRon Santo's three-runhome run and outdueling the Braves'Phil Niekro.[11][12] Holtzman had nostrikeouts and three walks in the game. This was the first no-hitter by a Cub left-hander at Wrigley Field[4] and the third no-hitter ever thrown without a strikeout (Earl Hamilton on August 30, 1912;Sad Sam Jones on September 4, 1923), a feat that has not been equaled since.[13][14] In the seventh inning,Hank Aaron crushed a drive to left field that appeared to be a home run, but the wind held up the ball, enablingBilly Williams to catch the long fly ball in the recessed "well" at the wall in left field. Holtzman faced Aaron again in the ninth, and got him to ground out to second base to complete the no-hitter. The Cubs led the Eastern Division for much of the season before finishing in second place, eight games behind theeventual world championNew York Mets.[2]
In1970, had a 17–11 record and a 3.38 ERA, and finished third in the NL in starts (38), fifth in both strikeouts (202) andinnings pitched (287+2⁄3), sixth in complete games (15) and ninth in wins.[1] Baseball historianBill James considers the Cubs' 1970 rotation of Holtzman,Ferguson Jenkins,Milt Pappas, andBill Hands was the best of the 1970s.[15]
On June 3,1971, Holtzman pitched his second career no-hitter — the first ever atRiverfront Stadium — against the defending league championCincinnati Reds, winning the game, 1–0.[16]
Holtzman asked to be traded at the end of the 1971 season, so he was dealt to theOakland Athletics in November in exchange for outfielderRick Monday.[17] Oakland had won the Western division in1971 but were swept by theBaltimore Orioles in theAmerican League Championship Series. This was just as Oakland began its run of three straightWorld Series titles.[10]
Joining a staff that featuredVida Blue andCatfish Hunter, he won 19 games in1972 (7th in the AL) and was named to theAll-Star team for the first time.[5] He lost Game 3 of the1972 American League Championship Series against theDetroit Tigers as opposing pitcherJoe Coleman set an ALCS record with 14 strikeouts. After Oakland won the ALCS in five games, Holtzman won Game 1 of theWorld Series against the Reds. He started Game 4, but left in the eighth inning with a 1–0 lead and a runner on third base. The Reds scored twice to take the lead, but Oakland scored twice in the ninth inning to win 3–2. He relieved Hunter in the eighth inning of Game 7 with a 3–1 lead but after surrendering adouble toJoe Morgan, he was replaced byRollie Fingers. The A's hung on for a 3–2 win to win the series.[18]
In1973, Holtzman led the A's with a 2.97 ERA (6th best in the league) as each of their three top starters won 20 or more games.[1] He was again an All-Star, going 21–13 in 40 starts (his 21 wins 4th-best in the AL) with 157 strikeouts.[1] Over the next 33 years only two other left-handers had as many starts in a season. In the1973 ALCS against theBaltimore Orioles, he won an 11-inning 2–1 duel againstMike Cuellar in Game 3 whenBert Campaneris homered to lead off the last inning. He started three times in the1973 World Series against the Mets, winning Game 1 2–1. He lasted only1⁄3 of an inning in Game 4, departing after a 3-run homer byRusty Staub, which was followed by two more base runners. He recovered to win Game 7, leaving in the 6th inning with a 5–1 lead as the A's won the game 5–2 and their second straight title. In both his victories, he doubled and also scored the firstrun for the A's after not having batted all season due to the American League using the designated hitter for the first time in the 1973 season.[6]
Holtzman again won 19 games in1974, but this time endured 17 losses despite his 3.07 ERA, which ranked 11th in the League.[1] Facing the Orioles in the1974 ALCS, he pitched a 5–0shutout in Game 2, taking a one-hitter into the eighth inning and allowing only five singles. Against theLos Angeles Dodgers in theWorld Series, he started Game 1 but was pulled in the fifth inning with a 2–1 lead; the A's went on to win 3–2. He won Game 4 5–2, hitting a home run offAndy Messersmith in the third inning for a 1–0 lead.[19][20]
After losing in salary arbitration in February,[21] Holtzman had an 18–14 record for the1975 A's as they won their fifth straightAmerican League Western Division title. On June 8, against theDetroit Tigers, he had what would have been his third career no-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth by aTom Veryzer double.[22] He would have become the third pitcher (afterCy Young andJim Bunning) to pitch no-hitters in both leagues. Holtzman lost Games 1 and 3 of theALCS to theBoston Red Sox as the A's were swept. He was fourth in the AL in games started (38), sixth in hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (7.33), and seventh in wins.[1]
Paid $93,000 in 1975 and one of nine Oakland players refusing to sign 1976 contracts,[23] Holtzman sought a three-year $460,000 pact.[24] Withfree agency imminent after the season and the expectations of higher salaries for which Athletics owner Finley was unwilling to pay, he was acquired along withReggie Jackson and minor-league right-handed pitcher Bill Van Bommel by theOrioles forDon Baylor,Mike Torrez, andPaul Mitchell on April 2, 1976.[25] When Jackson received a $60,000 raise to end his season-opening holdout, Holtzman accused Orioles general managerHank Peters of a "double standard" for continuing to impose an automatic 20% pay cut on him and eight other unsigned teammates.[26] A proposed trade that would've sent him andBobby Grich to theKansas City Royals but was dependent on him signing a contract failed to materialize on June 13.[27]
Holtzman was dealt along withDoyle Alexander,Elrod Hendricks,Grant Jackson, andJimmy Freeman from the Orioles to theNew York Yankees forRick Dempsey,Scott McGregor,Tippy Martinez,Rudy May, andDave Pagan just before the non-waivertrade deadline on June 15, 1976.[28] He posted a 12–10 record for the Yankees over three years, but his playing time was increasingly limited.[1] He did not appear in the 1976 or 1977 postseasons with New York.[1] In June 1978, after making five appearances for the Yankees, they traded him to the Cubs forRon Davis.[1][29] He ended his career with Chicago in1979, going 6–9 with a 4.59 ERA.[1]
Over 15 years, he had a 174–150 record with a 3.49 ERA, 1,601 strikeouts, and 31 shutouts in 451 games and2,867+1⁄3 innings.[1] He held batters to a .220 batting average with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. His 80 victories with Chicago were the fourth most by a left-hander, behindHippo Vaughn (151),Larry French (95), andDick Ellsworth (84). He received four votes inBaseball Hall of Fame voting in 1985, and five in 1986.[1]
Amongst Jewish pitchers, Holtzman's 174 careervictories are the most in the major league baseball, nine more thanSandy Koufax's 165. As of 2010, Holtzman's 1,601 strikeouts were second (behind Koufax), and his 451 games were second (behindScott Schoeneweis) amongst Jewish pitchers. He held the record for most pitching appearances by a Jewish pitcher until 1998, whenScott Radinsky passed him to become the major league leader in appearances. His 3.49 ERA was fifth (behind Koufax, Radinsky,Barney Pelty, andErskine Mayer).[30]
Holtzman went on to attempt a career as aninsurance salesman.[2] He also worked for the St. Louis Jewish Community Center.[31] He coached the St. Louis baseball team for theMaccabiah Games for a few years and is a member of theChicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame.[32]
Holtzman managed thePetach Tikva Pioneers in the inaugural 2007 season of theIsrael Baseball League, but left in the middle of the season, unhappy with the way the league was run.[33]
Holtzman had three daughters with his ex-wife Michelle.[34][35]
Ken Holtzman died in St. Louis on April 15, 2024, after battling heart issues. He was 78, and had been hospitalized for three weeks prior to his death.[32][36] After a funeral service on April 17, his body was interred at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery inChesterfield, Missouri.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month May 1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher August 19, 1969 June 3, 1971 | Succeeded by |