Ken Raffensberger

Kenneth David Raffensberger
Born: August 8, 1917 in York, PA
Died: November 10, 2002 in York, PA
Debut: 1939 | Pos: P
H: 6'2" | W: 185 | B: R | T: L

Yrs	G	IP	W	L	Sv	SO	ERA
15	396	2151.2	119	154	16	806	3.60

>> Visit the Ken Raffensberger biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Ken Raffensberger, who won 119 games in a 15-year pitching career, died Sunday, Nov. 10, 2002, at the age of 85. No cause of death was given.

Raffensberger was 119-154 with a 3.60 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds.

He made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1939, appearing in a single game. In 1940, he finished with a 7-9 record, mostly as a relief pitcher, with the Chicago Cubs.

He was the only representative for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1944 All-Star game and he is credited as the winning pitcher. That year, he was 13-20 with a 3.06 ERA for a last-place team.

He served in the Navy during the 1945 season and returned to lead the NL in saves in 1946 with 6.

In 1947, baseball's color barrier was broken with Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Raffensberger, as published in wire reports, later claimed that Philadelphia manager Ben Chapman told his pitchers to throw at Robinson if they had two strikes in the count.

"I didn't go along with it. I never believed in throwing at a guy," Raffensberger said, as quoted in wire reports.

That season, he was traded to the Reds along with catcher Hugh Poland for catcher Al Lakeman. Lakeman struggled at the plate for the Phillies while Raffensberger won 89 games for the Reds.

In 1949, he finished 18-17 and led the NL with 5 shutouts and, in 1952, he was 17-13 and led the NL with 6 shutouts.

One NL player gave Raffensberger one of his biggest moments. Hall of Famer Stan Musial said, on an "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance, that Raffensberger was the toughest pitcher he had faced.

Following his major league career, he played briefly in Cuba and then returned home to pitch for the minor league York White Roses.

Additional Sources: Associated Press, Baseball Encyclopedia