- Ray Sadecki
Raymond Michael Sadecki (born on
December 26 ,1940 inKansas City, Kansas ) is a formerMajor League Baseball pitcher .Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#c41e3a
bgcolor2=#c41e3a
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Ray Sadecki
width=200
position=Starting pitcher
birthdate=birth date and age|1940|12|26
bats=Left
throws=Left
debutdate=May 19
debutyear=by|1960
debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals
finaldate=April 23
finalyear=by|1977
finalteam=New York Mets
stat1label=Record
stat1value=135-131
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=3.78
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1614
teams=
*St. Louis Cardinals (1960-66, 1975)
*San Francisco Giants (1966-69)
*New York Mets (1970-74, 1977)
*Atlanta Braves (1975)
*Kansas City Royals (1975-76)
*Milwaukee Brewers (1976)
highlights=
*World Series champions: 1964
*National League pennant: by|1964, by|1973A left-hander, Sadecki pitched for the
St. Louis Cardinals (1960-66, 1975),San Francisco Giants (1966-69),New York Mets (1970-74, 1977),Atlanta Braves (1975),Kansas City Royals (1975-76) andMilwaukee Brewers (1976).Early career
A “
bonus baby ,” Sadecki, as a 19-year-old in by|1960, won Cardinal Rookie of the Year honors after posting a 9-9 record. He became a full-time starter in by|1961, posting a 14-10 record. However, he exhibited periods of wildness during his first two seasons, walking 86 batters in his rookie season (in 157 1/3innings pitched ) and 102 in 1961.The 1964 Season
Sadecki’s best season was by|1964; he posted a 20-11 record and, along with
Bob Gibson andCurt Simmons , helped pitch the Cardinals to theNational League pennant, their first since by|1946, with thePhiladelphia Phillies andCincinnati Reds finishing tied for second, one game behind the Redbirds. The Phillies had held a 6 1/2-game lead over the Reds and Cardinals onSeptember 20 with 12 games to play, only to squander the pennant by losing ten consecutive games, while the Cardinals and Reds recorded winning streaks of eight and nine games respectively. Sadecki won his 20th game onSeptember 29 against the Phillies for Philadelphia’s ninth consecutive loss and St. Louis’ seventh consecutive win. The win also pulled the Cardinals even with the Reds who, after taking over first place on September 27, had their nine-game winning streak snapped by thePittsburgh Pirates onBob Friend ’s 2-0 shutout earlier in the day. The next day, the Cardinals took over first place by defeating the Phillies while the Reds were again shut out by the Pirates.The Cardinals, ahead by a half-game over the Reds entering the final weekend, now appeared to have the pennant put away: their final three games were at home against the lowly
New York Mets , while the Phillies and Reds were to play a two-game series atCrosley Field . However, the Cardinals lost the first two games of the series, first with Al Jackson outduelling Gibson 1-0 (that same day, the Phillies spotted the Reds a 3-0 lead, then scored four runs in the eighth inning to win 4-3 and finally snap their 10-game losing streak), then Sadecki getting battered in one inning, giving up five runs in a 15-5 loss. The Cardinals won the pennant on the final day, defeating the Mets 11-5 while the Phillies hammered the Reds 10-0.After unexpectedly winning the pennant, the Cardinals defeated the
New York Yankees in the World Series. Sadecki started Game One and gave up three runs in the second inning, but settled down after that and defeated the Yankees 9-5, in what would beWhitey Ford ’s final World Series game. Starting Game Four, Sadecki was again battered early, this time being pulled after giving up three runs in one-third of an inning. The Cardinals, however, came back to win 4-3, the runs coming onKen Boyer ’s sixth-inning grand slam. The Cardinals went on to win the Series, with Gibson winning Games Five and Seven.Later years
In by|1965 Sadecki’s record plummeted to 6-15, and his
earned run average skyrocketed to 5.21. OnMay 8 , by|1966 he was traded to the San Francisco Giants forOrlando Cepeda . In by|1967 he went 12-6 with a career-best 2.78 ERA; in by|1968 he again posted an ERA under 3 (2.91), but also led the National League in losses (18, against 12 victories). After a 5-8 record as a spot starter in by|1969 Sadecki was again traded, this time to the New York Mets.In by|1973 Sadecki pitched for the Mets’ National League champions who, like the 1964 Cardinals before them, unexpectedly won the pennant, trailing by as many as nine games behind the
Chicago Cubs and winning theNational League East title on the final weekend. (Coincidentally, four years earlier the Mets, prior to unexpectedly winning the World Series, had also won the division title by jumping past the Cubs.) Sadecki pitched as a “swingman”—relief pitcher and spot starter in a rotation withTom Seaver ,Jerry Koosman andJon Matlack —in helping the Mets win the division. He pitched four of the seven games of the World Series, which the Mets lost to theOakland Athletics , gaining the save in Game Four.In his 18-year career, Sadecki won 135 games against 131 losses, with a 3.78 ERA and 1614 strikeouts in 2500 2/3 innings pitched.
When
Catholic Charities of Kansas City and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund renovated a baseball field in 2002, it was dedicated and renamed Ray Sadecki Field in honor of the neighborhood native. It stands at 9th and Homer Streets inKansas City, Kansas .On June 14, 2007 Sadecki was inducted into The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/UPDATE/704110454]
External links
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sadecra01.shtml Sadecki's career stats and analysis]
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