Cal Koonce

Born: 11/18/1940 in Fayetteville, NC, USA

Died: 10/28/1993 in Winston-Salem, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1962-04-14 | Final Game: 1971-08-08

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Calvin Lee Koonce

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Biography

Cal Koonce was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 until his retirement in 1971. Born in 1940, Koonce made his debut during an era marked by a transition in the game, as teams began to rely more heavily on specialized relief pitching and the role of the closer started to take shape. Over the course of his career, Koonce played for several teams and established himself as a reliable arm in the bullpen as well as a capable starter. Koonce finished his career with a record of 47-49 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.78, showcasing his ability to keep runs to a minimum in a competitive pitching landscape. He recorded 504 strikeouts and secured 24 saves, demonstrating his versatility and effectiveness in high-pressure situations. His contributions to the teams he played for have solidified his place in baseball history, reflecting the evolving strategies of pitching during the 1960s and early 1970s. Koonce's career remains a testament to the skill and adaptability required of pitchers in an ever-changing sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
47	49	334	90	9	3	24	971.3	972	408	85	368	504	3.78	0

Career ERA 3.78 vs. league average 3.53 across their career seasons — 7.0% worse 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
1962	CHC	NL	10	10	35	30	3	1	0	190.7	200	84	86	84	3.97	3.96 (avg)	-
1963	CHC	NL	2	6	21	13	0	0	0	72.7	75	37	32	44	4.58	3.46 (-32%)	-
1964	CHC	NL	3	0	6	2	0	0	0	31.0	30	7	7	17	2.03	3.58 (+43%)	-
1965	CHC	NL	7	9	38	23	3	1	0	173.0	181	71	52	88	3.69	3.50 (-6%)	-
1966	CHC	NL	5	5	45	5	0	0	2	108.7	113	46	35	65	3.81	3.52 (-8%)	-
1967	CHC	NL	2	2	34	0	0	0	2	51.0	52	26	21	28	4.59	3.30 (-39%)	-
1967	NYN	NL	3	3	11	6	2	1	0	45.0	45	14	7	24	2.80	3.30 (+15%)	893.2
1968	NYN	NL	6	4	55	2	0	0	11	97.0	80	26	32	50	2.41	2.98 (+19%)	176.0
1969	NYN	NL	6	3	40	0	0	0	7	83.0	85	46	42	48	4.99	3.61 (-38%)	-1305.6
1970	NYN	NL	0	2	13	0	0	0	0	22.0	25	8	14	10	3.27	3.89 (+16%)	-591.6
1970	BOS	AL	3	4	23	8	1	0	2	76.3	64	30	29	37	3.54	3.89 (+9%)	-451.4
1971	BOS	AL	0	1	13	1	0	0	0	21.0	22	13	11	9	5.57	3.47 (-61%)	-819.3

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
336	239	20	24	3	0	0	8	0	17	99	0.100	0.166	0.113	0.279	-1162.0

Career AVG .100 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 59.5% below league average.

Career OBP .166 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 47.1% below league average.

Career SLG .113 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 69.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.279 vs. league average 0.685 across their career seasons — 59.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1962	CHC	NL	35	64	7	6	1	2	1	25	0.094	.257 (-64%)	.326 (-67%)	.393 (-72%)	.719 (-70%)	-755.5
1963	CHC	NL	21	19	1	2	0	0	1	8	0.105	—	—	—	—	0.0
1964	CHC	NL	6	10	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CHC	NL	38	49	2	5	1	1	5	21	0.102	—	—	—	—	-406.5
1966	CHC	NL	45	23	2	3	1	1	3	9	0.130	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	CHC	NL	34	7	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	NYN	NL	13	13	1	2	0	0	0	4	0.154	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	NYN	NL	55	14	0	0	0	0	2	8	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	NYN	NL	40	17	1	4	0	1	0	7	0.235	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	NYN	NL	13	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	BOS	AL	23	21	5	2	0	3	4	8	0.095	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	BOS	AL	13	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	334	90	81	195	5	16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1962	CHN	P	35	30	17	29	3	1
1963	CHN	P	21	13	2	18	0	1
1964	CHN	P	6	2	0	14	0	2
1965	CHN	P	38	23	8	31	0	3
1966	CHN	P	45	5	6	25	1	1
1967	CHN	P	34	0	5	11	0	2
1967	NYN	P	11	6	8	10	0	1
1968	NYN	P	55	2	13	11	0	0
1969	NYN	P	40	0	7	18	0	2
1970	NYN	P	13	0	0	5	0	0
1970	BOS	P	23	8	10	19	1	2
1971	BOS	P	13	1	5	4	0	1