Ken Heintzelman

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1952)

Ken Heintzelman was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1952 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 16 seasons. Across 319 career appearances, he went 77-98 with a 3.93 ERA and 564 strikeouts. He also batted .127 with 0 home runs.

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 77–98
ERA 3.93
WHIP 1.45
SO 564
Pitcher PIV -2143.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 185 lb
Born
10/14/1915 in Peruque, MO, USA
Died
8/14/2000 in St. Peters, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1937-10-03
Last Game
1952-08-13

Full name: Kenneth Alphonse Heintzelman

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Ken Heintzelman — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
77 98 319 183 66 18 10 1501.2 1,540 656 100 630 564 3.93 -2143.7

Career ERA 3.93 vs. league average 4.04 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Heintzelman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1937 PIT NL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 6 2 3 4 2.00 4.34 (+54%) 0.0
1938 PIT NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 2 3 1 9.00 — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 1 1 17 2 1 1 0 35.2 35 20 18 18 5.05 4.28 (-18%) -16.1
1940 PIT NL 8 8 39 16 5 2 3 165.0 193 82 65 71 4.47 4.21 (-6%) 1129.8
1941 PIT NL 11 11 35 24 13 2 0 196.0 206 75 83 81 3.44 3.94 (+12%) 723.5
1942 PIT NL 8 11 27 18 5 3 0 130.0 143 66 63 39 4.57 3.57 (-28%) -2477.6
1946 PIT NL 8 12 32 24 6 2 1 157.2 165 66 86 57 3.77 3.59 (-5%) -1915.5
1947 PIT NL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4.0 9 9 6 2 20.25 — 0.0
1947 PHI NL 7 10 24 19 8 0 1 136.0 144 61 46 55 4.04 3.97 (-2%) -413.0
1948 PHI NL 6 11 27 16 5 2 2 130.0 117 62 45 57 4.29 4.10 (-5%) 484.8
1949 PHI NL 17 10 33 32 15 5 0 250.0 239 84 93 65 3.02 4.12 (+27%) 71.8
1950 PHI NL 3 9 23 17 4 1 0 125.1 122 57 54 39 4.09 4.36 (+6%) 216.5
1951 PHI NL 6 12 35 12 3 0 2 118.1 119 55 53 55 4.18 4.04 (-4%) -1133.3
1952 PHI NL 1 3 23 1 0 0 1 42.2 41 15 12 20 3.16 3.70 (+15%) 1185.3
Career · 14 seasons 77 98 319 183 66 18 10 1,501.2 1,540 656 630 564 3.93 — -2,144

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 Heintzelman — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
321 440 25 56 5 0 0 33 0 22 113 .127 .169 .139 .307 -1,620

Career AVG .127 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 51.8% below league average.

Career OBP .169 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 49.8% below league average.

Career SLG .139 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 63.6% below league average.

Career OPS .307 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 57.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Heintzelman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1937 PIT NL 1 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1938 PIT NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 17 9 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 .222 — — — — 0.0
1940 PIT NL 41 54 4 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 .167 .267 (-38%) .335 (-41%) .387 (-57%) .722 (-50%) -426.4
1941 PIT NL 35 63 4 8 1 0 0 8 0 3 19 .127 .262 (-52%) .332 (-50%) .373 (-62%) .705 (-56%) -556.1
1942 PIT NL 27 35 1 3 1 0 0 4 0 2 8 .086 — — — — 0.0
1946 PIT NL 32 44 4 6 0 0 0 3 0 5 12 .136 — — — — 0.0
1947 PIT NL 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1947 PHI NL 24 43 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 11 .116 — — — — 0.0
1948 PHI NL 27 37 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 8 .135 — — — — 0.0
1949 PHI NL 33 83 3 13 1 0 0 6 0 6 25 .157 .262 (-40%) .343 (-38%) .384 (-56%) .727 (-47%) -637.6
1950 PHI NL 23 38 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1 13 .053 — — — — 0.0
1951 PHI NL 35 28 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 6 .107 — — — — 0.0
1952 PHI NL 23 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 321 440 25 56 5 0 0 33 0 22 113 .127 — — — — -1,620

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Ken Heintzelman — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Ken Heintzelman — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1950 WS PHI 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Ken Heintzelman — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 1 0 7.2 4 1 6 3 1.17

Playoff Pitching by Year

Ken Heintzelman — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1950 WS PHI 0 0 1 1 0 7.2 4 1 6 3 1.17

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (640 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Heintzelman — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1682311535019.152
Away1532091021013.100

Pitching — Home / Away

Ken Heintzelman — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home166809.27893043072863.38
Away153690.27503533182774.60

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Heintzelman — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1952-08-13 PHIBSNL 000000000
1952-08-11 PHIBROL 000000000
1952-08-09 PHIBROL 000000000
1952-08-01 PHISTLL 000000000
1952-07-25 PHICHCL 000000000
1952-07-10 PHISTLL 000000000
1952-07-04 PHIBSNL 100000000
1952-06-19 PHISTLL 000000000
1952-06-18 PHISTLL 000000000
1952-06-17 PHISTLL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ken Heintzelman — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1952-08-13 PHIBSN — 1.0100000
1952-08-11 PHIBRO — 1.0000020
1952-08-09 PHIBRO — 1.0000000
1952-08-01 PHISTL — 0.0333000
1952-07-25 PHICHC — 2.0100010
1952-07-10 PHISTL — 2.0300010
1952-07-04 PHIBSN L 6.0422410
1952-06-19 PHISTL — 2.0300000
1952-06-18 PHISTL — 3.0322000
1952-06-17 PHISTL — 2.0210220

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Heintzelman — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 319 0 37 267 7 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Heintzelman — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 PIT P 1 0 0 0 1 0
1938 PIT P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1939 PIT P 17 0 2 5 0 0
1940 PIT P 39 0 4 45 1 4
1941 PIT P 35 0 8 44 2 4
1942 PIT P 27 0 1 23 0 1
1946 PIT P 32 0 7 39 0 3
1947 PIT P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1947 PHI P 24 0 2 14 2 1
1948 PHI P 27 0 2 22 0 1
1949 PHI P 33 0 4 38 1 4
1950 PHI P 23 0 1 16 0 1
1951 PHI P 35 0 4 17 0 3
1952 PHI P 23 0 2 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Heintzelman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 319

Award Voting History

Ken Heintzelman — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 48.0 336 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Ray Scarborough
    80-85, 4.13 ERA
  2. 92
    Al Hollingsworth
    70-104, 3.99 ERA
  3. 84
    Eddie Smith
    73-113, 3.82 ERA
  4. 81
    Rick Waits
    79-92, 4.25 ERA
  5. 78
    Bill Wight
    77-99, 3.95 ERA
  6. 76
    Rip Collins
    108-82, 3.99 ERA

Ken Heintzelman: the record in brief

Ken Heintzelman's major league career runs from a debut on October 3, 1937 to a final game on August 13, 1952. The team column moves through the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937 through 1947) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1947 to 1952). The bio lists Heintzelman as a pitcher who threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Heintzelman is listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 185 pounds. Heintzelman was born on October 14, 1915, in Peruque, MO, USA. Heintzelman died on August 14, 2000, in St. Peters, MO, USA. Ken Heintzelman was the playing name; the full given name is Kenneth Alphonse.

Heintzelman pitched in 319 games, starting 183, and finished with a 77-98 record and 3.93 ERA. Also on Heintzelman's record: 564 strikeouts, 66 complete games, 18 shutouts, and 10 saves. Heintzelman's 3.93 ERA was close to the 4.04 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 17, in 1949. The strikeout high was 81 in 1941.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Heintzelman

What years did Ken Heintzelman play?
Ken Heintzelman played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1952.
Was Ken Heintzelman a pitcher?
Yes. Ken Heintzelman pitched in the major leagues, recording 77 wins and 564 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ken Heintzelman hit?
Ken Heintzelman hit 0 career home runs with 56 hits.
What was Ken Heintzelman's career batting average?
Ken Heintzelman batted .127 over his career, with 56 hits in 440 at bats.
How many RBI did Ken Heintzelman have?
Ken Heintzelman drove in 33 runs in his career.
What was Ken Heintzelman's career ERA?
Ken Heintzelman finished with a 3.93 career ERA, going 77-98 with 564 strikeouts.