William Gorman Kennedy (December 22, 1918 – August 20, 1995) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. A left-hander and native of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, he appeared in 31 games over parts of three seasons (, –) with the Washington Senators of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. Kennedy was listed as tall and . Kennedy signed with his hometown Senators' organization in 1939. In his first two pro seasons, spent in the Class D

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, he lost 19 games in 1939, then won 19 contests the following year. He led the Class A1

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 1942 (2.43). That same year, he debuted with the Senators in May, working in eight games (six in

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, losing his only decision and posting a poor 9.00 ERA; he was credited with two saves. He spent 1943 through 1945 in the

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, where he served in the

European Theater of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

. In 1946, the first full postwar season, Kennedy spent the entire year on the Senators'

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

roster, working in 21 games and gaining his only big-league victory, with three more saves. But the following year he was ineffective in two more relief appearances. He spent most of 1947 and the remainder of his 12-year career in minor league baseball, leaving the game in 1953. During his MLB tenure, he compiled a 1–3 won–lost record, five saves, one

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

in four starting assignments, and a 6.79

. He allowed 71

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

and 44

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

, with 23

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s, in 63⅔ innings pitched. His victory came on June 3 at

Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW. The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Bounda ...

when he threw 4⅔ shutout innings in relief of Dutch Leonard against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

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br>(3 June 1946): "Washington Senators 7, Detroit Tigers 4"
/ref> Kennedy died in Alexandria at the age of 76 on August 20, 1995.

References

External links

1918 births 1995 deaths Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Alexandria, Virginia Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Orlando Senators players United States Army personnel of World War II Washington Senators (1901–1960) players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub