Lou Kretlow, baseball player, 1946-1956

Lou Kretlow

Born: 6/27/1921 in Apache, OK, USA

Died: 9/12/2007 in Enid, OK, USA

MLB Debut: 1946-09-26 | Final Game: 1956-09-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Louis Henry Kretlow

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Biography

Lou Kretlow was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1956. Born in 1921, Kretlow made his mark in a post-World War II era that saw the sport begin to transition into a new phase, with an increasing focus on player development and the integration of baseball. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 27 wins and 47 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.87. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he recorded a total of 450 strikeouts throughout his time in the league, alongside securing one save. Kretlow's playing style was characterized by his competitive spirit and resilience, which were essential traits for pitchers of his era. Despite facing challenges in a league that was becoming increasingly competitive, he left a lasting impression on the teams he played for. While his win-loss record may not have reflected the impact he had on the mound, his contributions to the game during a transformative period in baseball history are remembered by fans and historians alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
27 47 199 104 22 3 1 785.3 781 425 62 522 450 4.87 0

Career ERA 4.87 vs. league average 3.99 across their career seasons — 22.2% 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
1946 DET AL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 7 3 2 4 3.00 3.59 (+16%) 0.0
1948 DET AL 2 1 5 2 1 0 0 23.3 21 12 11 9 4.63 4.10 (-13%) 76.0
1949 DET AL 3 2 25 10 1 0 0 76.0 85 52 69 40 6.16 4.12 (-50%) -1851.8
1950 SLA AL 0 2 9 2 0 0 0 14.3 25 19 18 10 11.93 4.36 (-174%) -1017.2
1950 CHW AL 0 0 11 1 0 0 0 21.3 17 9 27 14 3.80 4.36 (+13%) -
1951 CHW AL 6 9 26 18 7 1 0 137.0 129 64 74 89 4.20 4.04 (-4%) -
1952 CHW AL 4 4 19 11 4 2 1 79.0 52 26 56 63 2.96 3.70 (+20%) -
1953 CHW AL 0 0 9 3 0 0 0 20.7 12 8 30 15 3.48 4.14 (+16%) -
1953 SLA AL 1 5 22 11 0 0 0 81.0 93 46 52 37 5.11 4.14 (-24%) -553.6
1954 BAL AL 6 11 32 20 5 0 0 166.7 169 81 82 82 4.37 3.90 (-12%) 229.8
1955 BAL AL 0 4 15 5 0 0 0 38.3 50 35 27 26 8.22 4.00 (-105%) -214.3
1956 KC1 AL 4 9 25 20 3 0 0 118.7 121 70 74 61 5.31 3.96 (-34%) -3377.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
200 237 7 27 2 0 0 12 0 16 118 0.114 0.170 0.122 0.292 -968.8

Career AVG .114 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 56.3% below league average.

Career OBP .170 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 49.3% below league average.

Career SLG .122 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.292 vs. league average 0.721 across their career seasons — 59.4% 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
1946 DET AL 1 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1948 DET AL 5 8 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1949 DET AL 25 26 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 16 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1950 SLA AL 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1950 CHW AL 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1951 CHW AL 26 48 1 4 0 0 0 5 0 2 24 0.083 — — — — -580.9
1952 CHW AL 19 20 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 14 0.050 — — — — 0.0
1953 CHW AL 9 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1953 SLA AL 22 25 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 14 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1954 BAL AL 32 51 1 8 0 0 0 1 0 5 19 0.157 .261 (-40%) .333 (-30%) .390 (-60%) .723 (-46%) -388.0
1955 BAL AL 15 11 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1956 KC1 AL 25 33 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 19 0.061 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 199 45 24 133 11 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 DET P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1948 DET P 5 0 0 5 0 0
1949 DET P 25 0 2 23 2 1
1950 SLA P 9 0 0 2 0 0
1950 CHA P 11 0 0 1 0 0
1951 CHA P 26 0 5 22 3 2
1952 CHA P 19 0 1 9 0 2
1953 CHA P 9 0 3 6 1 1
1953 SLA P 22 0 3 7 3 0
1954 BAL P 32 20 4 30 0 2
1955 BAL P 15 5 1 11 0 0
1956 KC1 P 25 20 5 16 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 199