Ken Burkhart

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1945-1949)

Ken Burkhart was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1949 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 5 seasons. Across 148 career appearances, he went 27-20 with a 3.84 ERA and 181 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 27–20
ERA 3.84
WHIP 1.37
SO 181
Pitcher PIV -1114.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 190 lb
Born
11/18/1916 in Knoxville, TN, USA
Died
12/29/2004 in Knoxville, TN, USA
MLB Debut
1945-04-21
Last Game
1949-09-25

Full name: Kenneth William Burkhart

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Ken Burkhart — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
27 20 148 41 18 6 7 519.2 546 222 35 165 181 3.84 -1114.4

Career ERA 3.84 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Burkhart — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1945 SLN NL 18 8 42 22 12 4 2 217.1 206 70 66 67 2.90 3.67 (+21%) 429.5
1946 SLN NL 6 3 25 13 5 2 2 100.0 111 32 36 32 2.88 3.59 (+20%) -38.7
1947 SLN NL 3 6 34 6 1 0 1 95.0 108 55 23 44 5.21 3.97 (-31%) -1020.5
1948 SLN NL 0 0 20 0 0 0 1 37.1 50 23 14 16 5.54 4.10 (-35%) -458.9
1948 CIN NL 0 3 16 0 0 0 0 41.2 42 32 16 14 6.91 4.10 (-68%) -164.9
1949 CIN NL 0 0 11 0 0 0 1 28.1 29 10 10 8 3.18 4.12 (+23%) 139.1
Career · 6 seasons 27 20 148 41 18 6 7 519.2 546 222 165 181 3.84 — -1,114

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Ken Burkhart — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
149 150 11 27 4 1 1 11 0 6 31 .180 .222 .240 .462 -366

Career AVG .180 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 31.1% below league average.

Career OBP .222 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 34.0% below league average.

Career SLG .240 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career OPS .462 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — 34.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Burkhart — 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
1945 SLN NL 42 72 5 13 2 0 0 5 0 4 14 .181 .260 (-31%) .328 (-26%) .354 (-41%) .683 (-34%) -365.9
1946 SLN NL 25 34 2 5 1 1 0 3 0 1 8 .147 — — — — 0.0
1947 SLN NL 34 24 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 .125 — — — — 0.0
1948 SLN NL 21 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1948 CIN NL 16 9 1 3 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 .333 — — — — 0.0
1949 CIN NL 11 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 149 150 11 27 4 1 1 11 0 6 31 .180 — — — — -366

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (297 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Burkhart — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home777261406.194
Away727951315.165

Pitching — Home / Away

Ken Burkhart — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home76271.029811487993.79
Away72248.024910878833.92

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Burkhart — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1949-09-25 CINPITL 000000000
1949-09-04 CINSTLL 101000000
1949-08-08 CINSTLL 100000000
1949-07-31 CINNY1L 300000000
1949-07-23 CINPHIL 000000000
1949-05-18 CINBSNW 000000000
1949-05-15 CINCHCW 000000000
1949-05-08 CINPHIL 000000000
1949-05-04 CINBROL 000000000
1949-04-30 CINPITW 201000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ken Burkhart — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1949-09-25 CINPIT — 2.0100000
1949-09-04 CINSTL — 5.0422300
1949-08-08 CINSTL — 1.2122221
1949-07-31 CINNY1 — 8.0911210
1949-07-23 CINPHI — 2.0100010
1949-05-18 CINBSN — 0.1322100
1949-05-15 CINCHC — 1.0111001
1949-05-08 CINPHI — 2.0211000
1949-05-04 CINBRO — 1.0100110
1949-04-30 CINPIT SV 3.1200130

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Burkhart — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 148 0 21 96 5 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Burkhart — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1945 SLN P 42 0 6 41 2 0
1946 SLN P 25 0 1 15 2 1
1947 SLN P 34 0 6 20 0 0
1948 SLN P 20 0 3 8 0 1
1948 CIN P 16 0 4 6 1 0
1949 CIN P 11 0 1 6 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Burkhart — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 148

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Ken Burkhart (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jim Gardner
    25-22, 3.85 ERA
  2. 97
    Rasty Wright
    24-19, 4.05 ERA
  3. 97
    Bud Byerly
    22-22, 3.70 ERA
  4. 95
    Bob Bowman
    26-17, 3.82 ERA
  5. 90
    Hersh Freeman
    30-16, 3.74 ERA
  6. 90
    Bill Harris
    24-22, 3.92 ERA

Ken Burkhart: the record in brief

According to the bio, Ken Burkhart debuted on April 21, 1945 and played a final game on September 25, 1949. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Cardinals (1945 through 1948) and the Cincinnati Reds (1948 to 1949). Born on November 18, 1916, in Knoxville, TN, USA, Burkhart is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 1 inch and 190 pounds. Burkhart died on December 29, 2004, in Knoxville, TN, USA. Burkhart's full given name, per the bio, is Kenneth William Burkhart.

Burkhart pitched in 148 games, starting 41, and finished with a 27-20 record and 3.84 ERA. The totals include 181 strikeouts, 18 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Burkhart's 3.84 ERA was close to the 3.88 league figure for those seasons. 1945 brought Burkhart a season-high 18 wins. 1945 was Burkhart's sharpest full season, a 2.90 ERA against the league's 3.67.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Burkhart

What years did Ken Burkhart play?
Ken Burkhart played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1949.
Was Ken Burkhart a pitcher?
Yes. Ken Burkhart pitched in the major leagues, recording 27 wins and 181 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ken Burkhart hit?
Ken Burkhart hit 1 career home run with 27 hits.
What teams did Ken Burkhart play for?
Ken Burkhart played for 2 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1945–1948) and the Cincinnati Reds (1948–1949).
What were Ken Burkhart's career stats?
In 148 games, Ken Burkhart went 27-20 with a 3.84 ERA, 181 strikeouts, 519.2 innings pitched, and 7 saves.
What position did Ken Burkhart play?
Ken Burkhart played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ken Burkhart and how much did he weigh?
Ken Burkhart was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
What was Ken Burkhart's career ERA?
Ken Burkhart finished with a 3.84 career ERA, going 27-20 with 181 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Ken Burkhart have?
Ken Burkhart recorded 181 career strikeouts.
Is Ken Burkhart in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ken Burkhart has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.