Kenneth David Raffensberger (August 8, 1917 – November 10, 2002) was an American starting pitcher 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), ...

(MLB). From 1939 through 1954, he played for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

(1939), Chicago Cubs (1940–41), Philadelphia Phillies (1943–47), and Cincinnati Reds/

Redlegs Redleg is a term used to refer to poor whites that live or at one time lived on Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and a few other Caribbean islands. Their forebears were sent from Ireland, Scotland and Continental Europe as indentured servants, forc ...

(1947–54). Raffensberger batted right-handed and threw left-handed.

Career

In a 15-season big league career, Raffensberger posted a win–loss record of 119–154 with 806 strikeouts and a 3.60

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) in innings pitched. His career winning percentage was .463, despite being an all-star and having an above average career ERA (3.60). Raffensberger started his career as a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

pitcher, particularly gaining success with his rising fastball. However, further along in his career (beginning in the early 1940s), he developed an arsenal of additional pitches to complement his fastball: a dependable

forkball The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-finger fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard, snapping the wrist. The forkball differs from the split-fingered fastball, however, in th ...

, a slow curveball, and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. Raffensberger had one of the widest ranges of deliveries in the major leagues, ranging from underhand to overhand and a variety of sidearm and three-quarter deliveries in between.The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Bill James and Rob Neyer. 2004. Stan Musial said in 1964 of Raffensberger: :''Raffy had nothing except slow stuff, and a forkball, but, with changing speeds and control, he made those pitches seem so fat when they weren't... I stubbornly tried to slug with him and didn't have much success." On November 10, 2002, Raffensberger died in his native York, Pennsylvania, at the age of 85.

Achievements

*Made National League All-Star team (1944) *Twice led NL in

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 (1949, five – 1952, six) *Led NL in

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is li ...

(1949, 38) *Led NL in saves (1946, six) *Led NL in WHIP (1951, 1.086) *Led NL in SO to Walk (1944, 3.02) *3-time appeared in

National League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

vote (1949, 1951–52) *Twice led NL in losses (1944, 20 – 1951, 17) *Led NL in

home runs allowed In baseball statistics, home runs allowed (HRA) signifies the total number of home runs a pitcher allowed. The Major League Baseball record for the most home runs allowed by any pitcher belongs to Jamie Moyer (522 in his career). He gave up home r ...

(1950, 34) *Led NL in

hits allowed In Baseball statistics, hits allowed (HA) signifies the total number of hits allowed by a pitcher. See also *Baseball statistics Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team. Since the flow of a bas ...

(1949, 289)

Quotations

*''I didn't go along with it... I never believed in throwing at a guy'', Raffensberger said, after Phillies

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Ben Chapman had instructed his pitchers to throw the ball at Jackie Robinson when there was a 3–0 count. *St. Louis Cardinals

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Stan Musial said on an appearance on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'' that Raffensberger was the toughest left-handed pitcher he had ever faced and dubbed him "Crafty Raffy."

References

Sources

Baseball AlmanacKen Raffensberger
- Baseballbiography.com * *
York Wiki

External links

Ken Raffensberger
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raffensberger, Ken 1917 births 2002 deaths Baseball players from Pennsylvania Burlington Bees players Cambridge Cardinals players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Redlegs players Cincinnati Reds players Havana Sugar Kings players Lafayette Oilers players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball managers National League All-Stars Philadelphia Phillies players Rochester Red Wings players St. Louis Cardinals players Sportspeople from York, Pennsylvania York White Roses players American expatriate baseball players in Cuba