Ken Holtzman, baseball player, 1965-1979

Ken Holtzman

Born: 11/3/1945 in St. Louis, MO, USA

Died: 4/14/2024 in St. Louis, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-09-04 | Final Game: 1979-09-19

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Kenneth Dale Holtzman

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Biography

Ken Holtzman was a prominent left-handed pitcher whose Major League Baseball career spanned from 1965 to 1979. Born in 1945, Holtzman made a significant impact on the game during an era characterized by a transition from the deadball style of play to a more offensive approach. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 174 wins and 150 losses, with an earned run average of 3.49. He showcased his durability and skill on the mound, striking out 1,601 batters and earning three saves. Holtzman's contributions to the game were recognized with two All-Star selections, underscoring his status as one of the leading pitchers of his time. Known for his ability to mix pitches and maintain composure under pressure, he played a crucial role for teams such as the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics. Holtzman's career not only reflected personal achievement but also highlighted the evolving nature of pitching in the late 20th century, as he navigated through various changes in the sport and left a lasting legacy in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
174 150 451 410 127 31 3 2867.3 2787 1111 249 910 1601 3.49 0

Career ERA 3.49 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — near 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
1965 CHC NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4.0 2 1 3 3 2.25 — -
1966 CHC NL 11 16 34 33 9 0 0 220.7 194 93 68 171 3.79 3.52 (-8%) -
1967 CHC NL 9 0 12 12 3 0 0 92.7 76 26 44 62 2.53 3.30 (+24%) -
1968 CHC NL 11 14 34 32 6 3 1 215.0 201 80 76 151 3.35 2.98 (-12%) -
1969 CHC NL 17 13 39 39 12 6 0 261.3 248 104 93 176 3.58 3.61 (+1%) -
1970 CHC NL 17 11 39 38 15 1 0 287.7 271 108 94 202 3.38 3.89 (+13%) -
1971 CHC NL 9 15 30 29 9 3 0 195.0 213 97 64 143 4.48 3.47 (-29%) -
1972 OAK AL 19 11 39 37 16 4 0 265.3 232 74 52 134 2.51 3.26 (+23%) 804.4
1973 OAK AL 21 13 40 40 16 4 0 297.3 275 98 66 157 2.97 3.75 (+21%) 4482.4
1974 OAK AL 19 17 39 38 9 3 0 255.3 273 87 51 117 3.07 3.63 (+15%) 4154.1
1975 OAK AL 18 14 39 38 13 2 0 266.3 217 93 108 122 3.14 3.71 (+15%) -257.0
1976 BAL AL 5 4 13 13 6 1 0 97.7 100 31 35 25 2.86 3.51 (+19%) -609.5
1976 NYY AL 9 7 21 21 10 2 0 149.0 165 69 35 41 4.17 3.51 (-19%) -
1977 NYY AL 2 3 18 11 0 0 0 71.7 105 46 24 14 5.78 4.00 (-44%) -
1978 NYY AL 1 0 5 3 0 0 0 17.7 21 8 9 3 4.08 3.69 (-11%) -
1978 CHC NL 0 3 23 6 0 0 2 53.0 61 36 35 36 6.11 3.69 (-66%) -
1979 CHC NL 6 9 23 20 3 2 0 117.7 133 60 53 44 4.59 4.00 (-15%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
456 607 35 99 19 1 2 34 0 17 170 0.163 0.186 0.208 0.393 -3840.9

Career AVG .163 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Career OBP .186 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 41.9% below league average.

Career SLG .208 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 44.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.393 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 43.2% 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
1965 CHC NL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 CHC NL 34 73 2 9 1 0 0 2 0 1 25 0.123 .248 (-50%) .309 (-56%) .376 (-64%) .685 (-60%) -707.6
1967 CHC NL 12 35 4 7 1 0 0 2 0 0 11 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1968 CHC NL 35 80 4 10 1 0 0 5 0 1 26 0.125 .236 (-47%) .298 (-55%) .340 (-60%) .638 (-57%) -696.0
1969 CHC NL 39 100 5 15 1 1 1 7 0 2 32 0.150 .248 (-40%) .320 (-48%) .369 (-43%) .689 (-45%) -764.2
1970 CHC NL 40 105 6 21 5 0 0 6 0 5 22 0.200 .253 (-21%) .325 (-27%) .385 (-36%) .711 (-32%) -574.6
1971 CHC NL 30 69 4 9 2 0 1 5 0 3 15 0.130 .249 (-48%) .316 (-48%) .365 (-44%) .682 (-46%) -531.9
1972 OAK AL 40 90 6 16 4 0 0 6 0 1 25 0.178 .243 (-27%) .310 (-40%) .353 (-37%) .664 (-38%) -566.6
1973 OAK AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 OAK AL 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 OAK AL 39 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BAL AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 NYY AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 NYY AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 NYY AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 CHC NL 23 10 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1979 CHC NL 24 43 2 10 3 0 0 1 0 2 9 0.233 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 13 4 4 3 0 1 1 1 2 0.308

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1975 ALCS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1974 ALCS OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1974 WS OAK 2 4 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 0.500
1973 ALCS OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 WS OAK 3 3 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.667
1972 ALCS OAK 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1972 WS OAK 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
6 4 13 12 0 70.3 61 18 18 39 2.30

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1975 ALCS OAK 0 2 2 2 0 11.0 12 5 1 7 4.09
1974 ALCS OAK 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 5 0 2 3 0.00
1974 WS OAK 1 0 2 2 0 12.0 13 2 4 10 1.50
1973 ALCS OAK 1 0 1 1 0 11.0 3 1 1 7 0.82
1973 WS OAK 2 1 3 3 0 10.7 13 5 5 6 4.22
1972 ALCS OAK 0 1 1 1 0 4.0 4 2 2 2 4.50
1972 WS OAK 1 0 3 2 0 12.7 11 3 3 4 2.13

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 451 410 117 471 26 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 CHN P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1966 CHN P 34 33 12 24 4 2
1967 CHN P 12 12 4 17 0 0
1968 CHN P 34 32 2 42 1 3
1969 CHN P 39 39 6 40 3 2
1970 CHN P 39 38 11 44 2 1
1971 CHN P 30 29 6 28 3 2
1972 OAK P 39 37 7 47 1 4
1973 OAK P 40 40 15 42 5 2
1974 OAK P 39 38 5 43 1 2
1975 OAK P 39 38 11 58 1 3
1976 BAL P 13 13 8 21 1 1
1976 NYA P 21 21 11 21 2 3
1977 NYA P 18 11 8 21 1 1
1978 NYA P 5 3 0 6 0 0
1978 CHN P 23 6 3 5 0 1
1979 CHN P 23 20 8 11 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 451

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1973 TSN All-Star LHP

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign IL 1965