Karl Spooner
Karl Spooner | |
---|---|
![]() Spooner in 1955. | |
Pitcher | |
Born: Oriskany Falls, New York, U.S. | June 23, 1931|
Died: April 10, 1984 Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 52)|
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
September 22, 1954, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 17, 1955, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 10–6 |
Earned run average | 3.09 |
Strikeouts | 105 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Karl Benjamin Spooner (June 23, 1931 – April 10, 1984) was an American professional baseball player.[1] He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers.[2] After a meteoric rise during which he set a Major League Baseball record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in his major league debut in 1954, his promising athletic career was ended prematurely by an injury to his pitching arm.[1]
Baseball career
Early years
Spooner was born in Oriskany Falls, New York, where he graduated from high school. The 6 ft (1.8 m), 185 lb (84 kg) southpaw was signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1951.[2]
Spooner's early
Spooner had a breakout year in 1954 when he won 21 games with 262 strikeouts in 238
Record-setting debut
Spooner made his major league debut with the Dodgers on September 22, 1954 at the age of 23.
Four days later, Spooner beat the
Career-altering injury
During spring training prior to the 1955 season, Spooner entered a game without warming up properly and injured his arm. He came back on May 15, appearing in 29 games with the Dodgers that year, but with only fairly mild success. Initially used as a spot starter, he was moved to the bullpen after two poor starts. He was added back into the rotation in late June, removed from it at the end of July, and was then given some spot starts in August and September, finishing the season at 8–6 as the Dodgers won the National League pennant.
Despite his winning record, Spooner was deemed only marginally effective. Prior to the injury, Spooner threw a fastball which ranged in the mid to high 90s;[7] post-injury, that was not the case. In his final appearance with the Dodgers, Game 6 of the 1955 World Series, he was shellacked, giving up five runs in one-third of an inning against the New York Yankees and taking the 5–1 loss.[8] Brooklyn, however, would win the Series' decisive Game 7 for its first, and only, world championship before the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
Return to the minors
Spooner never again played in the majors after 1955. Still hampered by injuries, he pitched in only four games in
The Dodgers left Spooner unprotected in the 1957 minor league draft, and he was claimed by the
MLB statistics
Spooner's lifetime major-league statistics line included a 10–6
Later life
As his baseball career wound down, Spooner moved to Vero Beach, Florida and found work as a manager in the citrus industry.[1] He worked at this job for the rest of his life, raising five children with his wife Carol.
Karl Spooner died of liver cancer in 1984, aged 52.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Karl Spooner New York Times Obituary". The New York Times. April 12, 1984. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Karl Spooner Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Karl Spooner minor league statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ "Brooklyn Dodgers 3, New York Giants 0". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet. September 22, 1954. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Cohen, Richard. "The Baseball Biography Project: Karl Spooner". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Stephen Strasburg's Debut". billjamesonline.com. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ Baseball Digest Sep-Oct 2009. United States: Lakeside Publishing Company. p. 6. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- ^ "New York Yankees 5, Brooklyn Dodgers 1". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet. October 2, 1955. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)