Ed Klepfer
Encyclopedia
Edward Lloyd Klepfer, who was commonly known as "Big Ed", is a former Major League Baseball spitball
pitcher
who played for the New York Highlanders, Chicago White Sox
and Cleveland Indians
from 1911 to 1919.
He was born on March 17, 1888 in Summerville, Pennsylvania
. He batted and threw right-handed and was also 6'0", 180 pounds. Klepfer attended Penn State University.
Klepfer made his big league debut on July 4, 1911 with the Highlanders. His career was chopped up due to time spent fighting in World War I
, as part of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. At one time in his war fighting tenure, he was gassed.
Perhaps the most extraordinary part of his career was his second to last season-1917. He went 14-4 with a 2.37 ERA in 213 innings. He finished his career with a 22-17 record and a 2.98 ERA in 98 games.
Even though Klepfer was a fairly productive pitcher, he will still go down in history as one of the worst hitters (pitcher or otherwise) to ever step on the diamond. In 125 career at-bats, he collected 6 hits for a paltry .048 batting average
.
He played his last game on September 5, 1919.
After baseball, Klepfer became an independent oil operator and then in 1946 went to work for C.W. Titus, an oilman in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. Klepfer died on August 9, 1950 in a hospital in Tulsa. His body was laid to rest at Rose Hill Cemetery.
, Braggo Roth
and cash for Shoeless Joe Jackson
.
Spitball
A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of saliva, petroleum jelly, or some other foreign substance....
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe 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 a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played for the New York Highlanders, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
from 1911 to 1919.
He was born on March 17, 1888 in Summerville, Pennsylvania
Summerville, Pennsylvania
Summerville is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 525 at the 2000 census. It was named after Summers Baldwin, first settler in the area...
. He batted and threw right-handed and was also 6'0", 180 pounds. Klepfer attended Penn State University.
Klepfer made his big league debut on July 4, 1911 with the Highlanders. His career was chopped up due to time spent fighting in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, as part of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. At one time in his war fighting tenure, he was gassed.
Perhaps the most extraordinary part of his career was his second to last season-1917. He went 14-4 with a 2.37 ERA in 213 innings. He finished his career with a 22-17 record and a 2.98 ERA in 98 games.
Even though Klepfer was a fairly productive pitcher, he will still go down in history as one of the worst hitters (pitcher or otherwise) to ever step on the diamond. In 125 career at-bats, he collected 6 hits for a paltry .048 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
He played his last game on September 5, 1919.
After baseball, Klepfer became an independent oil operator and then in 1946 went to work for C.W. Titus, an oilman in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. Klepfer died on August 9, 1950 in a hospital in Tulsa. His body was laid to rest at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Major transaction
On August 21, 1915, the White Sox traded Klepfer along with Larry ChappellLarry Chappell
La Verne Ashford “Larry” Chappell was a professional baseball player who played from 1913 to 1917 for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Boston Braves....
, Braggo Roth
Braggo Roth
Robert Frank "Bobby" Roth , nicknamed Braggo, was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of 8 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and New York Yankees...
and cash for Shoeless Joe Jackson
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Joseph Jefferson Jackson , nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century...
.