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| Willie Ramsdell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ramsdell, circa 1949 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1916-04-04)April 4, 1916 Williamsburg, Kansas, U.S. | |
| Died: October 8, 1969(1969-10-08) (aged 53) Wichita, Kansas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 24, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 15, 1952, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 24–39 |
| Earned run average | 3.83 |
| Strikeouts | 240 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
James Willard Ramsdell (April 4, 1916 – October 8, 1969) was an American professionalbaseballpitcher who appeared in 111 games inMajor League Baseball for theBrooklyn Dodgers (1947–1948, 1950),Cincinnati Reds (1950–1951) andChicago Cubs (1952). Known by his middle name, Ramsdell's reliance on hisknuckleball led to the nickname "Willie the Knuck."[1] He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 165 pounds (75 kg).
Born inWilliamsburg, Kansas, Ramsdell had a 13-season professional career that began in 1938. He joined the Brooklynfarm system in 1942, and then playedsemipro baseball for three years duringWorld War II. When the war ended, the Dodgers assigned him toDouble-AFort Worth, where he posted standout seasons in both 1947 and 1948, winning 38 of 50decisions, with 37complete games.[2]
The Dodgers brought him to the majors as a 31-year-oldrookie for his first taste of major-league action in September 1947, then sent him back to the minor leagues for part of 1948 and all of 1949 before he returned to Brooklyn in 1950. He worked mostly out of thebullpen as a Dodger, making only onestart, a losing effort on May 26, 1948, against the Cubs,[3] in 34appearances. Finally, on May 10, 1950, during the cutdown period that called for teams to trim their rosters from 28 to 25 men, the Dodgers sold Ramsdell's contract to thesecond-division Cincinnati Reds.
By May 23, he had earned a place in Cincinnati's starting rotation, and held it for two seasons. As a Red, he took the ball 53 times in 58 games pitched through the end of 1951, and notched 18 complete games and twoshutouts. However, hiswon–lost mark for the struggling team was only 16–29 (.356), and in 1951 he led theNational League in games lost (17) andwild pitches (nine). The Reds traded him to the Cubs in January 1952, and, though he pitched effectively in 19 games (with four starts), posting a strong 2.42earned run average through mid-July, Chicago sent him to theLos Angeles Angels of theOpen-Classification Pacific Coast League. He spent the remainder of his career in theminor leagues, retiring in 1954.
As a major-leaguer, Ramsdell won 24 games and lost 39 (.381), with an ERA of 3.83. His 111 games pitched included 58 starts; all of his complete games and each of his shutouts came as a Red. He also was credited with fivesaves among his 53relief appearances. In 4792⁄3 innings pitched, he allowed 246runs on 455hits and 215bases on balls; hestruck out 240.
Willie Ramsdell died inWichita on October 8, 1969, after a long illness, at the age of 53.[1]
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