Fred Klobedanz
Encyclopedia
Frederick Augustus "Duke" Klobedanz (June 13, 1871 - April 12, 1940) was a pitcher
in Major League Baseball
. He played for the Boston Beaneaters
in five seasons and had a lifetime major league win-loss record of 53-25.
for the next few years, mostly with the Fall River Indians.
During the 1895 season, Klobedanz married the former Annie L. Durfee of Fall River. If married life hurt his pitching, then it is not evident from the statistics because that season he won a career-high 28 games, batted a robust .377, and led the Indians to their third consecutive pennant. In 1896, Klobedanz had another good season, going 25-6 with a 2.38 earned run average
, leading the league in wins and batting .353. He was then purchased by the National League
's Beaneaters that August and pitched well in his first MLB action during the last several weeks of the season.
In 1897, Klobedanz went 26-7 to lead the majors in winning percentage
. At one point, he won 14 consecutive games. His ERA was mediocre, but he was aided by the powerful Boston offense which provided league-leading run support; Klobedanz himself batted .324 that season. The Beaneaters won the pennant by two games. In 2004, baseball analyst Bill James
wrote that Klobedanz had the second-luckiest pitcher season of all-time. According to James, Klobedanz actually "deserved" a win-loss record of 16-17.
In 1898, Klobedanz had a record of 19-10, helping the team to another championship. He started off slow in 1899, however, and was sold to the Eastern League
in May. Besides another short stint with Boston in 1902, he remained in the minor leagues from 1900 to 1908. In 1902, he went 26-10 with a 1.29 ERA for the New England League's Lawrence Colts. His last winning season was 1906, when he went 18-10.
Overall, Klobedanz won 234 games in the minor leagues to go along with his 53 major league victories. He died in 1940, in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut
.
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...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He played for the Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in five seasons and had a lifetime major league win-loss record of 53-25.
Career
Klobedanz, a "hard throwing, wild lefty," began playing semi-professional baseball in 1889, around the age of 17, and then started his professional baseball career in 1892. He played in the New England LeagueNew England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
for the next few years, mostly with the Fall River Indians.
During the 1895 season, Klobedanz married the former Annie L. Durfee of Fall River. If married life hurt his pitching, then it is not evident from the statistics because that season he won a career-high 28 games, batted a robust .377, and led the Indians to their third consecutive pennant. In 1896, Klobedanz had another good season, going 25-6 with a 2.38 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, leading the league in wins and batting .353. He was then purchased by the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
's Beaneaters that August and pitched well in his first MLB action during the last several weeks of the season.
In 1897, Klobedanz went 26-7 to lead the majors in winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
. At one point, he won 14 consecutive games. His ERA was mediocre, but he was aided by the powerful Boston offense which provided league-leading run support; Klobedanz himself batted .324 that season. The Beaneaters won the pennant by two games. In 2004, baseball analyst Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
wrote that Klobedanz had the second-luckiest pitcher season of all-time. According to James, Klobedanz actually "deserved" a win-loss record of 16-17.
In 1898, Klobedanz had a record of 19-10, helping the team to another championship. He started off slow in 1899, however, and was sold to the Eastern League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in May. Besides another short stint with Boston in 1902, he remained in the minor leagues from 1900 to 1908. In 1902, he went 26-10 with a 1.29 ERA for the New England League's Lawrence Colts. His last winning season was 1906, when he went 18-10.
Overall, Klobedanz won 234 games in the minor leagues to go along with his 53 major league victories. He died in 1940, in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
.