Kenneth Eugene Holloway (August 8, 1897 – September 25, 1968) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

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 native of

Barwick, Georgia Barwick is a city divided by the county line between Brooks and Thomas counties, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 363. History Barwick ...

, he played college baseball at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. He then played 11 years in professional baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1922 to 1932, including nine years in

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), ...

for the Detroit Tigers (1920–1928),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

(1929–1930), and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(1930).

Early years

Holloway was born in

, in 1897. He attended the

. In May 1918, he was picked by the Auburn baseball coach in ''

The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' as a pitcher on the all-star nine of college baseball. Listed at , 185 lb., Holloway batted and threw right-handed.

Professional baseball

A curveball specialist, Holloway entered the majors in 1922 with the Detroit Tigers, remaining with the club for seven years from 1922 to 1928. He appeared in 237 games for the Tigers, 97 of them as a starter and the rest as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He compiled 57–46

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

and a 4.41

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 ...

(ERA) with the Tigers. His best seasons were 1924 and 1925 when he compiled a combined 27–10 record with a 4.33 ERA. His .700 winning percentage in 1924 was second only to

Walter Johnson Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-ha ...

, and his .765 winning percentage in 1924 was second only to

Stan Coveleski Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between and , primarily the Cleveland Indians. ...

. His nine relief victories led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in 1924. In December 1928, Holloway and Jackie Tavener were traded to the

in exchange for pitcher

George Uhle George Ernest Uhle (September 18, 1898 – February 26, 1985) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he began his playing career with his hometown Cleveland Indians. After ten seasons, during which time he led the American L ...

. Holloway appeared in 25 games for the 1928 Indians, 11 as a starter, and compiled a 6–5 record with a career low 3.03 ERA. In 1930, he began the season with Cleveland, appearing in 28 games and compiling a 1–1 record with a career high 8.40 ERA. On June 30, 1930, Holloway was claimed by the

on waivers from the Indians. He appeared in 16 games for the 1930 Yankees, all in relief, had no decision, and compiled a 5.24 ERA in innings pitched. In nine major league seasons, Holloway posted a 64–52 win–loss record with 293 strikeouts and a 4.40 ERA in 285 appearances, including 110 starts, 43 complete games, four

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s, 18 saves, and 1,160 innings pitched. In November 1930, Holloway was traded by the Yankees to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

of the International League. He compiled a 15–8 record with a 4.34 ERA in 1931 and a 13–13 record with a 5.29 ERA in 1932.

Later years

Holloway died in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" an ...

, at age 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, Ken Cleveland Indians players Detroit Tigers players New York Yankees players Major League Baseball pitchers University of Georgia alumni Georgia Bulldogs baseball players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) 1897 births 1968 deaths Dothan (minor league baseball) players