Baseball player
| Bob Kuzava | |
|---|---|
 Kuzava with the New York Yankees in 1953 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1923-05-28)May 28, 1923 Wyandotte, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Died: May 15, 2017(2017-05-15) (aged 93) Wyandotte, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Batted: SwitchThrew: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 21, 1946, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1957, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 49–44 |
| Earned run average | 4.05 |
| Strikeouts | 446 |
Stats at Baseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Leroy "Sarge" Kuzava (May 28, 1923 – May 15, 2017) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (1946–1947), Chicago White Sox (1949–1950), Washington Senators (1950–1951), New York Yankees (1951–1954), Baltimore Orioles (1954–1955), Philadelphia Phillies (1955), Pittsburgh Pirates (1957) and St. Louis Cardinals (1957). He was born in Wyandotte, Michigan and attended St. Patrick High School. In 2003, Kuzava was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Career
Born and raised in the Detroit area, Kuzava made his Major League debut against the Detroit Tigers. He was the Indians' starting pitcher for a late-season 1946 game in Cleveland, and over eight innings he gave up just four hits and one earned run. He got no decision, the game lasting 11 innings, with Detroit's Dizzy Trout pitching all 11 for the victory. He spent most of the 1947 and 1948 seasons in the minor leagues before his breakout season with the White Sox in 1949.
Kuzava, whose nickname was "Sarge" or "The White Rat," finished fourth in voting for the 1949 American League Rookie of the Year for having a 10–6 record for the Chicago White Sox, with nine complete games. He had served as a military policeman in India and Burma during World War II.
Kuzava helped the Yankees win three consecutive World Series from 1951–53. He gained saves in the final games of both the 1951 World Series against the New York Giants (Game 6) and 1952 against the Brooklyn Dodgers (Game 7). He pitched in the ninth inning of a 1953 World Series Game 5 victory for the Yankees as well.
Although his success in the World Series came in relief, Kuzava was a starting pitcher for the Yankees for three seasons, throwing 12 complete games. He joined them on June 15, 1951, with the Washington Senators trading him to New York for three players, and proceeded to earn three championship rings as a Yankee.
In a ten-season career, Kuzava had a 49–44 win–loss record, 13 saves, 446 strikeouts and a 4.05 earned run average (ERA).
Death
Kuzava died on May 15, 2017, 13 days short of his 94th birthday.
References
- "Bob Kuzava at Polish Sports Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on September 28, 2013.
- O'Neill, Dan (July 18, 2010). "Whitey Herzog: The pride of New Athens". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- "Living Major League Veterans of World War II" (PDF). baseballinwartime.com. Gary Bedingfield's Baseball in Wartime. p. 9. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- "Major League Baseball Players Who Died in 2017". Baseball Almanac, Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
Further reading
- Van Blair, Rick (1994). Dugout to Foxhole: Interviews with Baseball Players Whose Careers Were Affected by World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Publishers.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
| New York Yankees 1951 World Series champions | |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| New York Yankees 1952 World Series champions | |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| New York Yankees 1953 World Series champions | |
|---|---|
| |
| |
- 1923 births
- 2017 deaths
- American people of Polish descent
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Baltimore Orioles (International League) players
- Charleston Senators players
- Charleston White Sox players
- Chicago White Sox players
- Cleveland Indians players
- Columbus Jets players
- Indianapolis Indians players
- Kansas City Athletics scouts
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Mansfield Braves players
- Milwaukee Braves scouts
- New York Yankees players
- Oakland Athletics scouts
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Rochester Red Wings players
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- San Diego Padres (minor league) players
- Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
- Wilkes-Barre Barons players
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- American military police officers
- People from Wyandotte, Michigan
- Baseball players from Wayne County, Michigan