Bob Kuzava, baseball player, 1946-1957

Bob Kuzava

Born: 5/28/1923 in Wyandotte, MI, USA

Died: 5/15/2017 in Wyandotte, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1946-09-21 | Final Game: 1957-09-29

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 202 lbs

Full name: Robert Leroy Kuzava

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Biography

Bob Kuzava was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1946 to 1957. Born in 1923, Kuzava made his mark in Major League Baseball during a time when the game was transitioning from the post-World War II era into the more competitive landscape of the late 1950s. He was known for his reliable performance on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 49 wins and 44 losses. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 4.05, reflecting the challenges faced by pitchers during a period characterized by a growing offensive approach in baseball. Over the course of his career, Kuzava accumulated 446 strikeouts and secured 13 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and come in as a relief pitcher. His contributions were particularly significant during a time when the role of the relief pitcher was evolving, as teams began to recognize the importance of specialized roles in their pitching staff. Kuzava's versatility and skill made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for, and he remains a notable figure in the history of baseball pitching from the mid-20th century.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
49 44 213 99 34 7 13 862.0 849 388 54 415 446 4.05 0

Career ERA 4.05 vs. league average 3.96 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
1946 CLE AL 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 12.0 9 4 11 4 3.00 3.59 (+16%) -399.7
1947 CLE AL 1 1 4 4 1 1 0 21.7 22 10 9 9 4.15 3.97 (-5%) 66.3
1949 CHW AL 10 6 29 18 9 1 0 156.7 139 70 91 83 4.02 4.12 (+2%) -
1950 CHW AL 1 3 10 7 1 0 0 44.3 43 28 27 21 5.68 4.36 (-30%) -
1950 WSN AL 8 7 22 22 8 1 0 155.0 156 68 75 84 3.95 4.36 (+9%) -
1951 WSN AL 3 3 8 8 3 0 0 52.3 57 32 28 22 5.50 4.04 (-36%) -
1951 NYY AL 8 4 23 8 4 1 5 82.3 76 22 27 50 2.40 4.04 (+40%) -
1952 NYY AL 8 8 28 12 6 1 3 133.0 115 51 63 67 3.45 3.70 (+7%) -
1953 NYY AL 6 5 33 6 2 2 4 92.3 92 34 34 48 3.31 4.14 (+20%) -
1954 NYY AL 1 3 20 3 0 0 1 39.7 46 24 18 22 5.45 3.90 (-40%) -
1954 BAL AL 1 3 4 4 0 0 0 23.7 30 11 11 15 4.18 3.90 (-7%) 816.2
1955 BAL AL 0 1 6 1 0 0 0 12.3 10 5 4 5 3.65 4.00 (+9%) 453.9
1955 PHI NL 1 0 17 4 0 0 0 32.3 47 26 12 13 7.24 4.00 (-81%) -561.0
1957 PIT NL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 2 3 1 9.00 — 0.0
1957 STL NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2.3 4 1 2 2 3.86 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
214 256 21 22 1 0 1 10 0 29 96 0.086 0.182 0.102 0.283 -1255.9

Career AVG .086 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 67.0% below league average.

Career OBP .182 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 45.6% below league average.

Career SLG .102 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 73.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.283 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 60.6% 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 CLE AL 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1947 CLE AL 4 9 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1949 CHW AL 29 56 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 19 0.036 .262 (-86%) .343 (-75%) .384 (-91%) .727 (-83%) -802.4
1950 CHW AL 10 12 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1950 WSN AL 22 50 5 5 0 0 1 4 0 5 23 0.100 .265 (-62%) .346 (-43%) .401 (-60%) .747 (-52%) 0.0
1951 WSN AL 8 17 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0.176 — — — — 0.0
1951 NYY AL 24 22 4 3 1 0 0 2 0 5 10 0.136 — — — — 0.0
1952 NYY AL 28 43 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 14 0.093 — — — — 0.0
1953 NYY AL 33 21 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 0.048 — — — — 0.0
1954 NYY AL 20 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1954 BAL AL 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 BAL AL 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 PHI NL 17 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1957 PIT NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 STL NL 3 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
3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1953 WS NYA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1952 WS NYA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1951 WS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 3 0 2 4.3 2 1 0 3 2.08

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1953 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 2 1 0 1 13.50
1952 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 1 2.7 0 0 0 2 0.00
1951 WS NYA 0 0 1 0 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 213 12 33 112 9 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 CLE P 2 0 0 4 1 0
1947 CLE P 4 0 0 8 0 0
1949 CHA P 29 0 8 17 3 1
1950 CHA P 10 0 3 7 0 1
1950 WS1 P 22 0 5 23 3 4
1951 WS1 P 8 0 3 9 0 0
1951 NYA P 23 0 6 8 2 0
1952 NYA P 28 0 4 16 0 2
1953 NYA P 33 0 1 8 0 0
1954 NYA P 20 3 0 3 0 1
1954 BAL P 4 4 0 2 0 0
1955 BAL P 6 1 0 0 0 0
1955 PHI P 17 4 3 6 0 0
1957 PIT P 4 0 0 0 0 0
1957 SLN P 3 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 213

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1949 Rookie of the Year AL 4th 1.0 24 1