Ken Forsch, baseball player, 1970-1986

Ken Forsch

Born: 9/8/1946 in Sacramento, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1970-09-07 | Final Game: 1986-05-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Kenneth Roth Forsch

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Biography

Ken Forsch was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1986. Born in 1946, he made a significant impact on the game during an era characterized by a transition towards more powerful offensive play. Over his 16-year career, Forsch compiled a record of 114-113 with a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.37, showcasing his ability to keep runs off the board in a competitive environment. He recorded 1,047 strikeouts and notched 51 saves, demonstrating his versatility as both a starter and a relief pitcher. Forsch was selected as an All-Star twice during his career, reflecting his status among the elite players of his time. Known for his sharp pitching and competitive spirit, he contributed to several teams, notably the Houston Astros, where he became a fan favorite. His performances were critical in helping his teams contend during the 1970s and 1980s, a period marked by significant changes in baseball dynamics. Ken Forsch's legacy in the sport is defined by his consistent performance and his role in shaping the pitching landscape of his era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
114 113 521 241 70 18 51 2127.3 2071 796 155 586 1047 3.37 0

Career ERA 3.37 vs. league average 3.75 across their career seasons — 10.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1970 HOU NL 1 2 4 4 1 0 0 24.0 28 15 5 13 5.62 3.89 (-45%) 701.9
1971 HOU NL 8 8 33 23 7 2 0 188.3 162 53 53 131 2.53 3.47 (+27%) 4639.1
1972 HOU NL 6 8 30 24 1 0 0 156.3 163 68 62 113 3.91 3.26 (-20%) -1852.1
1973 HOU NL 9 12 46 26 5 0 4 201.3 197 94 74 149 4.20 3.75 (-12%) 1761.2
1974 HOU NL 8 7 70 0 0 0 10 103.3 98 32 37 48 2.79 3.63 (+23%) 1082.7
1975 HOU NL 4 8 34 9 2 0 2 109.0 114 39 30 54 3.22 3.71 (+13%) 446.6
1976 HOU NL 4 3 52 0 0 0 19 92.0 76 22 26 49 2.15 3.51 (+39%) 766.9
1977 HOU NL 5 8 42 5 0 0 8 86.0 80 26 28 45 2.72 4.00 (+32%) 2096.5
1978 HOU NL 10 6 52 6 4 2 7 133.3 136 40 37 71 2.70 3.69 (+27%) 3825.9
1979 HOU NL 11 6 26 24 10 2 0 177.7 155 60 35 58 3.04 4.00 (+24%) 1415.2
1980 HOU NL 12 13 32 32 6 3 0 222.3 230 79 41 84 3.20 3.84 (+17%) 1862.0
1981 LAA AL 11 7 20 20 10 4 0 153.0 143 49 27 55 2.88 3.58 (+20%) -
1982 LAA AL 13 11 37 35 12 4 0 228.0 225 98 57 73 3.87 3.86 (avg) -
1983 LAA AL 11 12 31 31 11 1 0 219.3 226 99 61 81 4.06 3.87 (-5%) -
1984 LAA AL 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 16.3 14 4 3 10 2.20 3.81 (+42%) -
1986 LAA AL 0 1 10 0 0 0 1 17.0 24 18 10 13 9.53 3.97 (-140%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
521 383 16 52 6 0 0 17 1 16 163 0.136 0.170 0.151 0.322 -2183.2

Career AVG .136 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 47.3% below league average.

Career OBP .170 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 47.4% below league average.

Career SLG .151 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — 60.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.322 vs. league average 0.704 across their career seasons — 54.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1970 HOU NL 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1971 HOU NL 33 59 2 8 1 0 0 1 0 1 30 0.136 .249 (-46%) .316 (-53%) .365 (-58%) .682 (-56%) -529.6
1972 HOU NL 30 41 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 21 0.146 — — — — 0.0
1973 HOU NL 46 62 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 2 26 0.065 .256 (-75%) .325 (-71%) .378 (-79%) .703 (-75%) -791.4
1974 HOU NL 70 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1975 HOU NL 34 22 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 0.045 — — — — 0.0
1976 HOU NL 52 11 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1977 HOU NL 42 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1978 HOU NL 52 27 1 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 9 0.185 — — — — 0.0
1979 HOU NL 26 58 4 8 1 0 0 3 0 4 22 0.138 .265 (-48%) .329 (-41%) .397 (-61%) .727 (-52%) -501.9
1980 HOU NL 32 77 3 18 3 0 0 8 1 1 33 0.234 .264 (-12%) .326 (-25%) .387 (-30%) .714 (-28%) -360.3
1981 LAA AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 LAA AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 LAA AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 LAA AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 LAA AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1980 NLCS HOU 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 1 0 8.7 10 4 1 6 4.15

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1980 NLCS HOU 0 1 2 1 0 8.7 10 4 1 6 4.15

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 521 241 134 305 26 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 HOU P 4 4 2 2 0 1
1971 HOU P 33 23 8 19 2 1
1972 HOU P 30 24 9 9 2 1
1973 HOU P 46 26 15 16 0 1
1974 HOU P 70 0 9 14 2 1
1975 HOU P 34 9 6 14 2 3
1976 HOU P 52 0 4 17 0 0
1977 HOU P 42 5 10 15 1 1
1978 HOU P 52 6 9 24 2 0
1979 HOU P 26 24 10 37 1 5
1980 HOU P 32 32 11 45 3 2
1981 CAL P 20 20 18 24 2 2
1982 CAL P 37 35 13 29 5 2
1983 CAL P 31 31 9 31 3 2
1984 CAL P 2 2 1 6 0 1
1986 CAL P 10 0 0 3 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 521

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1979 Pitcher of the Month April
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-04-06

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 CAL AL $100,000
1985 CAL AL $633,333
Total Career Earnings $733,333

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Sacramento City College Sacramento CA 1965, 1966
Oregon State University Corvallis OR 1967, 1968