Roger McKee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roger McKee |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: September 16, 1926 Shelby, North Carolina |
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| Died: September 1, 2014 (aged 87) Shelby, North Carolina |
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| debut | |||
| August 18, 1943, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 26, 1944, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 1–0 | ||
| Earned run average | 5.87 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1 | ||
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Roger Hornsby McKee (born September 16, 1926 – died September 1, 2014) was a talented baseball player. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball, which is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada. Roger played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943 and 1944.
Contents
Roger McKee's Time in the Big Leagues
A Young Star's Debut
Roger McKee was very young when he started playing professional baseball. In 1943, he was just 16 years old. This made him the youngest player in the National League that season. Many players like Roger joined the Major Leagues during World War II. This was because many older players were serving in the military.
He played his first big league game on August 18, 1943. It was a home game for the Phillies against the St. Louis Cardinals.
A Special Game
Roger's best game happened on October 3, 1943. This was the very last day of the baseball season. He started a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and pitched the entire game. This is called a complete game.
He helped his team win 11–3. At just 17 years old, Roger became the youngest pitcher in the 20th century to win a nine-inning complete game on the final day of the season. No one has done that since!
After the Major Leagues
Roger McKee played his last game for the Phillies on September 26, 1944. In total, he played five games in the Major Leagues. He had one win and zero losses. His earned run average (ERA) was 5.87. This number shows how many runs a pitcher gives up on average per nine innings. He also had one strikeout.
After his time as a pitcher in the Major Leagues, Roger changed positions. He became an outfielder. He then played in the minor leagues for nine seasons, from 1944 to 1957. In the minor leagues, he had a batting average of .287. This means he got a hit almost 29% of the time he was at bat. He also hit 115 home runs.
Roger McKee passed away in his hometown of Shelby, North Carolina, on September 1, 2014. He was almost 88 years old.
