Lynn Richard Lovenguth (November 29, 1922 – September 29, 2000) 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 ...

player. The right-handed

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 ...

played for 16 seasons (1946–61) in minor league baseball, with two Major League trials for the 1955

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and the 1957

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 hav ...

. He batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Lynn attended Camden High School (Camden, New York) and was signed by the

in 1946 as a free agent. Lovenguth

won Won may refer to: *The Korean won from 1902–1910 *South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea *North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea * Won (Korean surname) * Won (Korean given name) * Won Buddhis ...

193 games during his minor league career (losing 174), including two 20-win seasons. In 1956, he was named the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

's pitcher of the year after he posted a 24–12 record and a 2.68

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 39 games and 279

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

. The native of

Camden, New York Camden is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,934 at the 2010 census. The town of Camden contains a village also called Camden. The town is in the northwestern part of Oneida County and is northwest of the Ci ...

, played in nine Major League organizations. In the Majors, Lovenguth appeared in 16 games, going winless in two decisions and 20

strikeouts 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 ...

in 27 innings. He issued 16

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 ...

and gave up 23

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 ...

for a 1.444

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

. He was given his only starting assignment in what would be his last big-league game, on September 27, 1957, against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. He went into the eighth inning with the Cardinals holding a 2–1 lead; Lovenguth had surrendered only three hits and one

unearned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

. But the Cubs rallied in the eighth and scored twice on three hits to pin Lovenguth with the 3–2 defeat. Lynn Lovenguth died at age 77 in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

References

External links

1922 births 2000 deaths Baseball players from New York (state) Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Jets players Lincoln A's players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Camden, New York Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Rochester Red Wings players Rome Colonels players St. Louis Cardinals players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Schenectady Blue Jays players Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Giants players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Utica Blue Sox players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1920s-stub