Ken Sanders (baseball)
Ken Sanders | |
---|---|
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 6, 1964, for the Kansas City Athletics | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 27, 1976, for the Kansas City Royals | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 29–45 |
Earned run average | 2.97 |
Strikeouts | 360 |
Saves | 86 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
Kenneth George Sanders (born July 8, 1941) is an American former
Early years
Sanders attended
He went 19–10 with a 3.21 earned run average as a starting pitcher his first professional season with the Florida State League's Sanford Greyhounds. He split his time between starts and relief appearances until 1964, when he was converted to a full-time reliever with the Birmingham Barons. He made his major league debut against the New York Yankees later that season, pitching 1.2 innings without giving up a run.[1] For the season, Sanders went 0–2 with a 3.67 ERA and one save.
After spending all of
With the exception of a brief one month call-up in 1968 by the Oakland Athletics, Sanders spent the next three seasons in the minors. Just prior to Spring training 1970, he, Mike Hershberger, Lew Krausse Jr. and Phil Roof were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Don Mincher and Ron Clark.[4]
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers lost 97 games their first season in Milwaukee (after having spent one season in Seattle as the Pilots). One of the few bright spots on the team was Sanders' emergence as a legitimate major league closer. Sanders set a club record with 13 saves to go along with a 5–2 record and 1.75 ERA. His 1971 season was even more impressive as he led Major League Baseball with 83 appearances on the mound (his closest competitor was Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wayne Granger with 70), and set a major league record by finishing 77 of them.[5] He also led the major leagues with 31 saves. Coupled with his seven wins, Sanders figured in 38 of the Brewers' 69 wins.
He began the
Journeyman
Sanders earned eight saves for the Twins by the end of May
He soon signed a minor league deal with the California Angels, and was promoted to the big league club after 19 games at triple A. He appeared in nine games with the Angels, earning one save. During the off season, he was traded to the New York Mets for catcher Ike Hampton.
Though the Mets finished in third in the National League East in 1975, it was not out of a lack of pitching. Sanders, along with former Brewers teammate Skip Lockwood and Bob Apodaca, gave the Mets one of the more formidable bullpens in the division. For his part, Sanders went 1–1 with a 2.30 ERA and five saves. Toward the end of the 1976 season, his contract was sold to the Kansas City Royals. He started the 1977 season playing minor league ball for the Brewers before retiring,[10] and moving into real estate.[11]
Career stats
W
|
L | Pct. | ERA | G | GF
|
SV | IP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | K | WP | HBP | Avg. | Fld% |
29 | 45 | .392 | 2.97 | 408 | 285 | 86 | 656.2 | 564 | 217 | 240 | 50 | 258 | 360 | 9 | 17 | .115 | .958 |
As a reliever, Sanders only had 67 plate appearances. One of his two career
References
- ^ "New York Yankees 5, Kansas City A's 3". Baseball-Reference.com. August 6, 1964.
- ^ "After Cleveland Rainout Sox Ship Gosger, Grilli, Sanders to KC in Exchange for Sheldon, Wyatt, Tartabull". Nashua Telegraph. June 14, 1966.
- ^ "California Angels 6, Kansas City A's 5". Baseball-Reference.com. August 27, 1966.
- ^ "Pilots Send Don Mincher to A's in Six-Man Deal". Lewiston Morning Tribune. January 16, 1970.
- ^ Gary Bedingfield. "Ken Sanders". baseballbiography.com.
- ^ "Phillies Obtain Jim Lonborg In 7‐Man Deal With Brewers," United Press International (UPI), Tuesday, October 31, 1972. Retrieved April 13, 2020
- ^ Durso, Joseph. "A's Send Epstein to Rangers; Scheinblum, Nelson to Reds," The New York Times, Saturday, December 2, 1972. Retrieved April 13, 2020
- ^ "Boston Red Sox 6, Cleveland Indians 5". Baseball-Reference.com. April 21, 1974.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles 12, Cleveland Indians 1". Baseball-Reference.com. May 11, 1974.
- ^ "A Significant Addition". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 14, 1977.
- ^ Adam McCalvy (April 10, 2002). "Where have you gone, Ken Sanders?". MLB.com.
- ^ "Kansas City A's 4, Baltimore Orioles 3". Baseball-Reference.com. June 28, 1966.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Ken Sanders at Ultimate Mets Database
- Ken Sanders at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)