Ted Kluszewski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ted Kluszewski |
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Kluszewski in 1954
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: September 10, 1924 Argo, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Died: March 29, 1988 (aged 63) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 18, 1947, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 1961, for the Los Angeles Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .298 | ||
| Home runs | 279 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,028 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Theodore Bernard Kluszewski (September 10, 1924 – March 29, 1988) was an American professional baseball player. He was often called "Big Klu" because of his strong build. Ted was famous for being a powerful first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1950s. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1947 to 1961. He spent 11 of those 15 seasons with the Reds. People knew him for his huge arm muscles and hitting massive home runs.
Kluszewski was chosen for the All-Star team four times in the National League (NL). He hit for a batting average of .300 or higher seven times. He also hit 40 or more home runs in three years in a row. When he retired, his career batting average was .298. He had 279 home runs and 1,028 runs batted in (RBI) in 1,718 games.
On August 25, 1959, the Chicago White Sox got Kluszewski from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ted hit .297 in 31 games for the White Sox. He helped them win the American League pennant. In the 1959 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kluszewski was amazing. He hit .391 with three home runs and drove in 10 runs. This is still a record for a six-game World Series.
Ted Kluszewski is one of the top Reds players in team history. He ranks high in home runs, slugging percentage, and RBIs. In 1962, he was added to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Talent
Ted Kluszewski was born in Summit, Illinois. His family was of Polish descent. He grew up about 14 miles west of Comiskey Park in Chicago. Later, he would play there for the White Sox.
In high school, Ted was a star in both football and baseball. He then went to Indiana University. There, he continued to play both sports. In 1945, his college football team had a great season, finishing with 9 wins and 1 tie. In the same year, he hit an amazing .443 for the baseball team.
Starting in Minor League Baseball
Because of travel rules during World War II, the Cincinnati Reds held their spring training at Indiana University. This was from 1943 to 1945. As a student-athlete there, Kluszewski caught the eye of the Reds' groundskeeper. He saw Ted hit baseballs over 500 feet, a distance no Reds player could reach. Team scouts were also very impressed.
Kluszewski didn't want to sign a professional contract right away. He wanted to keep his college eligibility. So, he waited until he graduated in 1946. After college, he played two seasons in Minor League Baseball. He hit .325 and then .377, showing he was ready for the big leagues.
His Famous Look
Ted Kluszewski was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 225 pounds. Early in the 1948 season, he became a regular player for the Reds. His incredible strength was already a big topic in baseball.
Ted made a bold fashion statement that surprised his team. He cut off both sleeves of his jersey! He did this because his huge arm and shoulder muscles felt too tight in the regular sleeves. This made it hard for him to swing the bat freely. He explained, "They got pretty upset, but it was either that or change my swing — and I wasn't about to change my swing."
Playing in the Major Leagues
Cincinnati Reds (1947-1957)
In 1947, Kluszewski made the Reds' Opening Day team. After playing some time in a lower league, he returned to the Reds in September. He got his first hit on September 23 at Crosley Field. It was an RBI single. A year later, he became the team's starting first baseman, a job he held for nine seasons.
Ted quickly became known as a unique hitter. He had huge power but also rarely struck out. In 10 of his 15 major league seasons, he had more walks (492) than strikeouts (365). In 1953, he hit 40 home runs and only struck out 34 times. The next year, he hit 49 homers and struck out just 35 times. In 1955, he hit 47 home runs and struck out 40 times. This was the last time a major league player hit 40 homers and struck out 40 or fewer times in the same season.
Kluszewski was at his best from 1953 to 1956. He was named to the National League All-Star team in each of those four years. During this time, he hit 171 home runs, more than any other player in MLB. He also drove in over 100 runs each season. In 1954, he led the league with 141 RBIs.
He also became the only player in MLB history to hit 35 or more home runs in four seasons where he had fewer strikeouts than homers. Only three other Hall of Fame players did this even twice.
Even though he wasn't the fastest player, Kluszewski was a good defender. He had sure hands and quick footwork. He led National League first basemen in fielding percentage for five years in a row (1951–1955). This is a major league record. His career fielding percentage was .993, which is very good.
His best season was in 1954. He finished second for the NL Most Valuable Player award. He was even close to winning the Triple Crown for much of the season. He led the league in home runs (49) and RBIs (141). He also finished fifth in batting average (.326).
In 1956, Ted was on track for another 40-home run season. But a back injury in September slowed him down. He struggled the next season with the same injury. He decided not to have surgery. He returned to play but mostly as a pinch-hitter. After the season, he was traded. Many considered him the best left-handed hitter and one of the best fielding first basemen in Reds history. The Reds retired his uniform number 18 in 1998 at Cinergy Field.
Pittsburgh Pirates (1958–1959)
On December 28, 1957, Kluszewski was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hoped his back problems were gone. He hit .292 in 100 games, but his power was limited. He only hit four home runs. In 1959, he played 60 games for the Pirates before being traded again.
Chicago White Sox (1959–1960)
When Kluszewski joined the Chicago White Sox, they were trying to win the AL pennant. They needed a powerful left-handed hitter. Ted was seen as the solution. White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce said they were "very glad to have him."
Ted didn't hit a home run right away for his new team. But on September 7, he hit two home runs in one game. He finished the season with a .297 batting average. The White Sox won their first pennant in 40 years!
In the 1959 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kluszewski was amazing. He hit .391 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. This 10-RBI record in a six-game series still stands today. In his first World Series at-bat, he singled. Later, he hit a huge three-run homer. In the fourth inning, he hit another two-run homer. The Dodgers won the series, but Ted hit another homer in the final game.
A local car dealer offered a free car to any White Sox player who hit a home run. Ted received three new 1960 Ford Falcon cars! In 1960, Ted was the Opening Day first baseman. But his back and leg problems returned. He mostly played as a pinch-hitter.
The White Sox owner, Bill Veeck, put players' names on the back of jerseys. On one road trip, Kluszewski's jersey had a misspelled name. It had a backwards "z" and an "x" instead of the second "k". This was a funny moment in baseball history.
Los Angeles Angels (1961)
In 1960, Major League Baseball added new teams. The Los Angeles Angels chose Kluszewski in the expansion draft. They thought he would be a good fit for their new home field, Wrigley Field, which had short power alleys.
In 1961, Kluszewski was still slowed by back and leg issues. But he made history for the Angels. On April 11, he hit a home run against Milt Pappas. This was the first home run in Angels franchise history! He hit another homer later in the same game. He finished his last season with a .243 batting average, 15 home runs, and 39 RBIs in 107 games.
Career Statistics
| Games played | At bats | Runs | Hits | Doubles | Triples | Home runs | Runs batted in | Walks | Batting average | On-base percentage | Slugging average | On-base plus slugging | Total bases | Fielding percentage | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1718 | 5929 | 848 | 1766 | 290 | 29 | 279 | 1028 | 492 | .298 | .353 | .498 | .850 | 2951 | .993 |
Life After Baseball
In 1958, Kluszewski became a partner in Ted Kluszewski's Steak House in Cincinnati. This restaurant business lasted for 21 years and had five locations.
After he stopped playing, Ted returned to the Cincinnati Reds as a batting coach in 1970. He coached for nine seasons. He helped the famous "Big Red Machine" team become one of the best offenses ever. They won two World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.
Pete Rose, a famous player Kluszewski coached, said, "He was just a prince. I never heard a bad word said about him. He was a nice man, a gentle man."
In 1979, because of health reasons, Kluszewski took a less demanding job. He became the Reds' minor league hitting instructor. He worked in this role until 1986. That year, he had a serious heart attack and needed bypass surgery. This made him leave baseball for good. On March 29, 1988, Ted Kluszewski had a second heart attack and passed away at age 63.
Baseball Highlights and Records
Highlights
- NL All-Star (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956)
- NL leader in home runs (1954)
- NL leader in RBIs (1954)
- NL leader in hits (1955)
- NL leader in putouts as first baseman (1951, 1955)
- NL leader in fielding average as first baseman (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955)
- AL pennant team (1959)
- First home run in Los Angeles Angels history (1961)
Records
- MLB: three home runs by four team members in single game in same season: 1950 Dodgers, 1956 Reds (Gus Bell, Ted Kluszewski, Ed Bailey, and Bob Thurman), and 2001 Brewers
- NL: five-time leader in fielding average as a first baseman (1951–1955)
- NL: 17 consecutive games scoring runs (1955)
Other Honors and Recognitions
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| Ted Kluszewski's number 18 was retired by the Cincinnati Reds in 1998. |
- 1962: Ted Kluszewski was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.
- 1974: Ted Kluszewski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
- 1981: "Ted Kluszewski" is mentioned in the song "Talkin' Baseball" by Terry Cashman.
- 1998: On July 18, the Cincinnati Reds retired his number 18 jersey. His widow, Elenor Guckel, threw out the first pitch.
- 2003: A bronze statue of Kluszewski was placed outside Great American Ball Park, the Reds' new home. Statues of other Reds stars were added later.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
