Edward Lloyd Klepfer (March 17, 1888 – August 9, 1950) was an American spitball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians in a span of six seasons between 1911 and 1919.
| Ed Klepfer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: March 17, 1888 Summerville, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: August 9, 1950 (aged 62) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 11, 1911, for the New York Highlanders | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 5, 1919, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Earned run average | 2.81 |
| Win–loss record | 22–17 |
| Strikeouts | 165 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Klepfer, commonly known as "Big Ed", was born on March 17, 1888, in Summerville, Pennsylvania. He batted and threw right-handed and was also 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 180 pounds, and 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.
Major transaction
editOn August 21, 1915, the White Sox traded Klepfer along with Larry Chappell, Braggo Roth and cash for Shoeless Joe Jackson.
External links
edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Ed Klepfer at Find a Grave