Current:Home > reviewsFormer All-Star, World Series champion pitcher Ken Holtzman dies -Quantum Capital Pro
Former All-Star, World Series champion pitcher Ken Holtzman dies
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:01:50
Left-handed pitcher Ken Holtzman, a two-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion with the Oakland Athletics, has died at the age of 78.
Holtzman's death was confirmed Monday by the Chicago Cubs in a post on social media.
Holtzman's brother, Bob, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Holtzman, a St. Louis native, was battling heart issues and was hospitalized for three weeks before dying Sunday night.
Holtzman played 15 seasons in the major leagues from 1965-1979, beginning and ending his career with the Chicago Cubs. Selected in the fourth round of the 1965 amateur draft, he made his MLB debut later that year at age 19, making three relief appearances as a September call-up.
Holtzman joined the starting rotation the following year, teaming with Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins to turn the Cubs from a 103-loss last-place squad in 1966 to playoff contenders over the next five seasons.
MLB SALARIES: Baseball's top 25 highest-paid players in 2024
During that span, Holtzman threw a pair of no-hitters − one against the Atlanta Braves on August, 19, 1969, and the second against the Cincinnati Reds on June 3, 1971.
At the conclusion of the 1971 season, Holtzman was traded to Oakland for outfielder Rick Monday, giving him an opportunity to play in the postseason that never enjoyed in Chicago.
He made the American League All-Star team in each of his first two seasons with the A's, and helped lead them to three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-74. On teams that also included Cy Young award winners Catfish Hunter and Vida Blue, Holtzman started Game 1 of the World Series in all three of those seasons.
He won at least 18 games in all four seasons in Oakland with an ERA of 3.14 or lower in each. He also compiled a 6-4 record and 2.30 ERA in 13 playoff appearances.
Holtzman earned a fourth World Series ring as a member of the 1977 New York Yankees, but he did not appear in any games that postseason.
He also played part of one season with the Baltimore Orioles, finishing his career with a 174-150 overall record (.537) and a 3.49 ERA. His 174 career victories is the most in major league history by a Jewish pitcher, ahead of Sandy Koufax's 165.
veryGood! (975)
Related
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Attacks on referees could kill soccer, top FIFA official Pierluigi Collina says
- Millions infected with dengue this year in new record as hotter temperatures cause virus to flare
- Cardinals, Anheuser-Busch agree to marketing extension, including stadium naming rights
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Why do some of sports' greatest of all time cheat?
- Noah Gragson to get 2nd chance in NASCAR after personal growth journey following suspension
- Friends and teammates at every stage, Spanish players support each other again at Cal
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Mysterious shipwreck measuring over 200 feet long found at bottom of Baltic Sea
Ranking
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Oprah Winfrey Reveals She's Using a Weight-Loss Medication
- From bugs to reptiles, climate change is changing land and the species that inhabit it
- Off-duty police officer indicted in death of man he allegedly pushed at a shooting scene
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Execution date set for Missouri man who killed his cousin and her husband in 2006
- Take the Lead this Holiday Season with Jenna Dewan's Super Gift Ideas
- Young Thug's racketeering trial delayed to 2024 after co-defendant stabbed in Atlanta jail
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Holiday classic 'Home Alone' among 25 movies added to the National Film Registry this year
The AP names its five Breakthrough Entertainers of 2023
Trump’s lawyers tell an appeals court that federal prosecutors are trying to rush his election case
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Many top Russian athletes faced minimal drug testing in 2023 ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics
Harry Potter first edition found in bargain bin sells for $69,000 at auction
A military court convicts Tunisian opposition activist Chaima Issa of undermining security