Kenneth Leo Retzer (April 30, 1934 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1964, appearing in 237

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. Retzer batted left-handed, threw right-handed and was listed as tall and . Born in Wood River, Illinois, Retzer attended Jefferson City Community College and the University of Central Missouri. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians before the 1954 season, but played his entire major league career for the Senators after Washington acquired him in a September 1961 trade. He was the Senators' most-used catcher in both (starting 91 games and platooning with right-handed-batting Bob Schmidt) and (72 starts in a three-way platoon with

Don Leppert Donald George Leppert (born October 19, 1931) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A catcher, he appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1964 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators. Leppert th ...

and

Hobie Landrith Hobart Neal Landrith (born March 16, 1930) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1950 through 1963 for the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francis ...

). In 1962, Retzer batted a career-best .285 with 97

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 eight

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, and was a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. On

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

in 1963, Retzer caught the ceremonial first pitch thrown by President John F. Kennedy. Retzer was also known for catching the first pitch of MLB's 100,000th game on September 6, 1963; the ball was presented to and preserved in the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

. He finished his career with a lifetime batting mark of .264, 182 hits, 14 homers, 72 runs batted in and 65 runs scored. He had a lifetime

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

of .983 and threw out 48 of 126 baserunners making

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

attempts, a rate of 38.1 percent. Retzer's 13-season pro career ended in 1967. Retzer died at his home on May 17, 2020.

References

External links

Baseball Almanac
1934 births 2020 deaths Denver Bears players Fargo-Moorhead Twins players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball catchers Mobile Bears players Oklahoma City 89ers players People from Wood River, Illinois Baseball players from Madison County, Illinois Portland Beavers players Reading Indians players Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Tifton Indians players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Washington Senators (1961–1971) players American expatriate baseball players in Colombia {{US-baseball-catcher-1930s-stub