Ken Raffensberger
Born: 8/8/1917 in York, PA, USA
Died: 11/10/2002 in York, PA, USA
MLB Debut: 1939-04-25 | Final Game: 1954-06-02
Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs
Full name: Kenneth David Raffensberger
Biography
Ken Raffensberger was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1939 to 1954. Born in 1917, Raffensberger made his mark in Major League Baseball during an era that saw the transition from the deadball era to more power-oriented play. He played for several teams, most notably the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds, and was recognized for his skill on the mound, earning one All-Star selection during his career.
Raffensberger concluded his time in the majors with a record of 119 wins and 154 losses, an earned run average of 3.6, and a total of 806 strikeouts. His resilience and ability to perform under pressure were exemplified by his 16 career saves, highlighting his versatility as both a starter and a relief pitcher. Despite the challenges of competing in a league that was becoming increasingly geared towards offense, Raffensberger's contributions to his teams and the game as a whole solidified his place in baseball history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119 | 154 | 396 | 282 | 133 | 31 | 16 | 2151.7 | 2257 | 860 | 192 | 449 | 806 | 3.60 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | STL | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | - |
| 1940 | CHC | NL | 7 | 9 | 43 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 114.7 | 120 | 43 | 29 | 55 | 3.38 | - |
| 1941 | CHC | NL | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4.50 | - |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1.12 | 0.0 |
| 1944 | PHI | NL | 13 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 258.7 | 257 | 88 | 45 | 136 | 3.06 | 7069.6 |
| 1945 | PHI | NL | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24.3 | 28 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 4.44 | -1095.9 |
| 1946 | PHI | NL | 8 | 15 | 39 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 196.0 | 203 | 79 | 39 | 73 | 3.63 | 2769.7 |
| 1947 | CIN | NL | 6 | 5 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 106.7 | 132 | 49 | 29 | 38 | 4.13 | -148.7 |
| 1947 | PHI | NL | 2 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 41.0 | 50 | 25 | 8 | 16 | 5.49 | 251.2 |
| 1948 | CIN | NL | 11 | 12 | 40 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 180.3 | 187 | 77 | 37 | 57 | 3.84 | 1782.0 |
| 1949 | CIN | NL | 18 | 17 | 41 | 38 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 284.0 | 289 | 107 | 80 | 103 | 3.39 | 3114.4 |
| 1950 | CIN | NL | 14 | 19 | 38 | 35 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 239.0 | 271 | 113 | 40 | 87 | 4.26 | 792.9 |
| 1951 | CIN | NL | 16 | 17 | 42 | 33 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 248.7 | 232 | 95 | 38 | 81 | 3.44 | 739.4 |
| 1952 | CIN | NL | 17 | 13 | 38 | 33 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 247.0 | 247 | 77 | 45 | 93 | 2.81 | 3557.3 |
| 1953 | CIN | NL | 7 | 14 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 174.0 | 200 | 76 | 33 | 47 | 3.93 | -907.1 |
| 1954 | CIN | NL | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 7.84 | -238.2 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | 688 | 38 | 97 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 20 | 280 | 0.141 | 0.166 | 0.182 | 0.348 | -5202.9 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | STL | NL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1940 | CHC | NL | 43 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1941 | CHC | NL | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1944 | PHI | NL | 38 | 80 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 0.138 | -719.2 |
| 1945 | PHI | NL | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1946 | PHI | NL | 39 | 60 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 0.167 | -413.2 |
| 1947 | CIN | NL | 19 | 37 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0.162 | 0.0 |
| 1947 | PHI | NL | 10 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.267 | 0.0 |
| 1948 | CIN | NL | 40 | 62 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 0.113 | -678.4 |
| 1949 | CIN | NL | 41 | 90 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 0.178 | -602.6 |
| 1950 | CIN | NL | 38 | 82 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 0.134 | -751.8 |
| 1951 | CIN | NL | 42 | 82 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 0.122 | -820.4 |
| 1952 | CIN | NL | 38 | 75 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 0.107 | -740.3 |
| 1953 | CIN | NL | 26 | 57 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0.140 | -477.0 |
| 1954 | CIN | NL | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.500 | 0.0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 396 | 1 | 71 | 335 | 17 | 17 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | SLN | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | CHN | P | 43 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 1941 | CHN | P | 10 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1943 | PHI | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944 | PHI | P | 37 | 0 | 10 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
| 1945 | PHI | P | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946 | PHI | P | 39 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947 | CIN | P | 19 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 2 |
| 1947 | PHI | P | 10 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 1948 | CIN | P | 40 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 3 | 0 |
| 1949 | CIN | P | 41 | 0 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 2 |
| 1950 | CIN | P | 38 | 0 | 7 | 36 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | CIN | P | 42 | 0 | 5 | 31 | 3 | 1 |
| 1952 | CIN | P | 38 | 0 | 9 | 38 | 1 | 2 |
| 1953 | CIN | P | 26 | 0 | 7 | 41 | 2 | 3 |
| 1954 | CIN | P | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 396 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 23th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |