| Paul Splittorff | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Splittorff in 1980 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born:(1946-10-08)October 8, 1946 Evansville, Indiana, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
| Died: May 25, 2011(2011-05-25) (aged 64) Blue Springs, Missouri, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| September 23, 1970, for the Kansas City Royals | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| June 26, 1984, for the Kansas City Royals | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 166–143 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.81 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,057 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Paul William Splittorff Jr. (/ˈsplɪtɔːrf/; October 8, 1946 – May 25, 2011)[1] was anAmerican professionalbaseball player and televisionsports commentator. He played his entire career inMajor League Baseball as a left-handedpitcher for theKansas City Royals from1970 to1984. After his playing career, Splittorff became a televisioncolor commentator for the Royals. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in1987.[2]
Splittorff was born inEvansville, Indiana and grew up mostly inArlington Heights, Illinois.[1] Arlington High School produced several major league baseball players, includingFritz Peterson,Dick Bokelmann, andGeorge Vukovich.[3]
Peterson and Splittorff pitched against each other twice during their careers, with Peterson winning both matchups. On August 17, 1971, the Yankees beat theKansas City Royals 2–0 at Yankee Stadium (in the days before thedesignated hitter, both pitchers went 0–2 at the plate),[4] and on August 22, 1975, at the oldRoyals Stadium, the Indians beat the Royals, 9–5.[5]
He was drafted by the Royals in the 25th round of the1968 Major League Baseball Draft out ofMorningside College inSioux City, Iowa, where he was a member ofDelta Sigma Phi fraternity and also played basketball.[1] He pitched for the Corning Royals in 1968 (a year before the major league club existed), and has the distinction of throwing the first pitch in Royals organization history. He went 28–27 with a 4.01earned run average in three seasons in the Royals' farm system before receiving his first call to the majors in September1970. He took the loss in his major league debut, pitching seven innings and giving up threeearned runs against theChicago White Sox.[6]
Splittorff began the1971 season with theOmaha Royals, but after going 5–2 with a 1.48 ERA in eight starts for Omaha, he earned a second promotion to the majors. He stayed with Kansas City for the rest of the season, going 8–9 with a 2.68 ERA.
From there, he became a fixture in the Kansas City rotation. He enjoyed his only 20-win season in1973, when he went 20–11 with a 3.98 ERA. Splittorff was the starting pitcher in the inaugural game atKauffman Stadium (known at the time as Royals Stadium) on April 10, 1973; Splittorff earned the victory that evening in a 12–1 rout of theTexas Rangers. After finishing second to theOakland Athletics three of his first five seasons in the majors, Splittorff and the Royals emerged asAmerican League West champions in1976.
Kansas City faced theNew York Yankees in everyAmerican League Championship Series from 1976 to1978, with the Yankees emerging victorious in all three. For his part, Splittorff was 2–0 with a 2.84 ERA against the Yankees in the five appearances he made against them in the ALCS. After both teams missed the playoffs in1979, the Royals and Yankees resumed their postseason rivalry in the1980 American League Championship Series. Kansas City swept the series, with Splittorff starting the third and deciding game, and receiving a no-decision.[7] The Royals lost theWorld Series in six games to thePhiladelphia Phillies with Splittorff making his only appearance in game six.[8]
Never an All-Star and usually overshadowed by teammatesSteve Busby,Dennis Leonard andLarry Gura, Splittorff's consistency and longevity resulted in his winning more games than any of them. Splittorff accumulated 166 career victories over a 15-year career with the Royals. Primarily a starter, Splittorff did pick up one save during his career. On July 22, 1975, in the first game of a doubleheader, he saved a 3–2 Royals victory over the Brewers. Splittorff pitched1+2⁄3 scoreless innings to hold down the victory for Steve Busby.[9]
Splittorff retired when his effectiveness faded. At the same time, the Royals had numerous young pitchers coming through the ranks. His final game was on June 26,1984.
After his retirement, Splittorff became a televisioncolor commentator for the Royals. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in1987.[2] He also worked as an analyst forBig Eight andBig 12college basketball telecasts.
On May 16, 2011, Splittorff's battle with oral cancer and melanoma became public.[10] Nine days later, on the morning of May 25, he died in hisBlue Springs, Missouri, home at the age of 64.[11]
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