Ted Kluszewski, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
Theodore Bernard Kluszewski (September 10, 1924 – March 29, 1988), also known as "Big Klu", was an American professional baseball player known for his bulging biceps and mammoth home runs in the 1950s decade. He played from 1947 through 1961 with four teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent 11 of his 15 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds as a first baseman.
Kluszewski was a four-time National League (NL) All-Star who hit at least .300 seven times and 40-or-more home runs in three consecutive seasons. He retired with a .298 lifetime batting average, 279 home runs and 1,028 RBI in 1,718 games.
Kluszewski ranks among the all-time Reds leaders in home runs (sixth), slugging percentage (sixth), on-base plus slugging percentage (eighth) and RBI (ninth). His .642 slugging percentage, 1.049 OPS and home run rate of one per 11.4 at-bats in the 1954 season have been team records for seven decades.
On August 25, 1959, Kluszewski returned to his South Side Chicago roots when the White Sox acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates in return for pitcher Robert Sagers and outfielder Harry Simpson. The veteran hit .297 in 31 games and helped the "Go-Go White Sox" clinch the American League pennant. In six games versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, Kluszewski hit .391 with three home runs and drove in 10 runs, which remain a record for a six-game series.In 1962, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
1924Sep, 10
Ted Kluszewski
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Events on 1924
- 12Feb
Rhapsody in Blue
George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled "An Experiment in Modern Music", in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano. - 25Mar
Second Hellenic Republic
On the anniversary of Greek Independence, Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic. - 8Apr
Atatürk's Reforms
Sharia courts are abolished in Turkey, as part of Atatürk's Reforms. - 4Aug
Soviet Union
Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Soviet Union are established. - 23Nov
Andromeda Galaxy
Edwin Hubble's discovery, that the Andromeda "nebula" is actually another island galaxy far outside of our own Milky Way, is first published in The New York Times.