The Cubs announced that former big league left-hander Ken Holtzman passed away recently. Per an obituary from Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Holtzman had been hospitalized for the past three weeks due to heart problems. He was 78 years old.
Holtzman was born in St. Louis in 1945. He attended the University of Illinois and was selected from there by the Cubs in the 1965 draft. It didn’t take him long to get to the big leagues, with the Cubs calling him up later that same year.
He only made three appearances in 1965 but got a more proper debut in 1966. He made 34 appearances for the Cubs, 33 starts, and tossed 220 2/3 innings with a 3.79 earned run average. In 1967, he was serving in the National Guard and only able to pitch on weekends, but he made the most of his time in that limited role. He made 12 starts and went 9-0 that year, posting a 2.53 ERA in 92 2/3 innings.
With his military obligations completed, he was able to return to a full-time role. 1968 was the first of nine straight seasons in which he made at least 30 appearances and tossed at least 195 innings. Those Cubs teams of the late ’60s and early ’70s were pretty decent, finishing above .500 each year from ’67 to ’72, but not making the playoffs in any of them. Holtzman was a key component of those clubs, taking the ball and posting generally solid results. That included a no-hitter that he tossed against the Braves in 1969 and another against the Reds in 1971.
Prior to the 1972 season, Holtzman was traded to the Athletics for fellow southpaw Rick Monday. The move to Oakland seemed to suit Holtzman. From 1972 to 1975, he tossed at least 255 1/3 innings in each season with his ERA never finishing higher than 3.14. He was selected to the All-Star team in ’72 and ’73 and the A’s won the World Series in three straight years from ’72 to ’74, with Holtzman playing a big part in those titles. Over those three years and in 1975, he pitched in 13 postseason games with a 2.30 ERA in 70 1/3 innings. He even hit a home run in the ’74 series, with the DH not being implemented in the World Series until 1976.
Holtzman was traded to the Orioles prior to the 1976 season and then to the Yankees in the middle of that campaign. He stayed with the Yanks for a while as his playing time faded, getting traded back to the Cubs midway through the ’78 campaign. He made 23 appearances in 1979 with a 4.59 ERA in what eventually proved to be his last season.
His entire big league career resulted in 451 appearances with a 174-150 record and a 3.49 ERA. He pitched two no-hitters, made a couple of All-Star teams and won three rings. Per Hochman, Holtzman has the most wins for a Jewish pitcher in MLB history, with his 174 just ahead of the 165 wins of Sandy Koufax.
MLBTR joins the rest of the baseball community in sending our condolences to the Holtzman family, as well as his many friends and fans around the game.
R.i.p.
Three straight seasons of over 255 innings? Most of today’s starters need to learn how to pitch. RIP and thanks for the memories even as an opponent.
What did Billy Martin have against Holtzman?
He buried Holtzman in the bullpen in New York. Terrible.
You are 100% right about Billy Martin having a problem with Holtzman. I can’t remember if there was a specific circumstance that caused it, but if you look at Holtzman’s Yankees record, you can see that before Martin buried him, he was in the rotation for a year & a half, and his numbers weren’t very good. I can remember always being unhappy when it was his turn in the rotation. His career was over one year after the Yankees sent him to the Cubs.
BTW, the best thing Holtzman did for the Yankees was to obtain Ron Davis in that Cubbie trade.
I remember his tenure with the Yankees. He was bad. He arrived in NY as his arm gave out.
At the time, I couldn’t believe what the Yankees were doing. They were assembling a super team. Ken Holtzman and Doyle Alexander were acquired from Baltimore and were immediately put in the 1976 Yankee rotation. The Yankees gave up a lot for what was considered one year rentals of Holtzman, Alexander and super reliever Grant Jackson for unknowns C Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez and the player I thought was the best player in the trade, Rudy May.
Holtzman started the last game of the season and didn’t pitch in the postseason. The other four starters, Catfish Hunter, Dock Ellis, Ed Figueroa and Alexander were better than Holtzman at that time.
It’s true Holtzman was in the doghouse of both Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner. Free agency was new and Holtzman signed a long contract. Martin wanted his pitchers to pitch deep into games but, Holtzman didn’t have his once overpowering stuff anymore and lost his control. It didn’t help that he was one of the first player union reps.
I was majorly astounded the Yankees left Grant Jackson unprotected for the expansion draft after he was so good for them in 1976. The Mariners flipped him to the Pirates for Craig Reynolds & he continued to have several productive years for them. Alexander was good for the Yankees briefly, but meanwhile all the players the Yankees gave away to the O’s had very productive careers, serving as constant reminders.
I also loved Rudy May– when he was on, he was virtually unhittable. But he also frequently lost the strike zone.
After the 76 World Series beat down, George Steinbrenner became the GM in all but name. He never looked past marquis names.
What I remember about the 1976 American League Mariners/Blue Jays expansion draft is that the Mariners chose Ruppert Jones #1 overall. Many thought Al Fitzmorris would be selected first. At that time, Fitzmorris was a good pitcher but Whitey Herzog left him off the post season roster. Fitzmorris was surprised and very angry and let Herzog know it. Fitzmorris was a soft tosser and worked very slow. He was left unprotected. Fitzmorris was selected by the Royals during the 1968 American League Royals/Pilots expansion draft and again made available for the 76 expansion draft.
RIP Ken. Remember you from your A’s years.
1st time remember hearing the term “fastball can’t break a pane of glass” was in reference to his FB from A’s owner Charlie O, but Holtzie could dazzle with his junk with the best of them for many years.
Never a main guy on any rotation over his career, but always a stud. Just a solid guy and long forgotten by anyone who wasn’t a big fan back then.
I don’t remember Ken Holtzman being a junk ball pitcher. He was known to throw pretty hard and had a great curve. Randy Jones was famous for being a junk ball pitcher. Charley O, said a lot of things during negotiations. I remember him cutting the entire team’s pay by the maximum allowable after losing the playoffs to the underdog Red Sox.
At least he earned a WS ring with the A’s, he would have never had a shot with the Cubs
I remember Holtzman vividly when he would pitch against the Pirates
Good pitcher and good person
RIP Mr. Holtzman
Quite the career. RIP
ברוך דיין האמת – Baroukh Dayan HaEmet (Blessed be [God,] the Judge of Truth).
May his memory be a blessing.
3 WS rings, 2 no hitters, 1 WS dinger. Wow!
RIP. Condolences to family.
and pitching while simultaneously serving in the National Guard. A most impressive life lived.
I think they were made out of a different material at that time, just unbelievable.
Shame he never got to the playoffs w the Cubs. Damn shame one of the best clubs to not sniff the playoffs. ’69 SMH.
He was a great Pitcher and always took the ball. Some people probably also say this but I was at his no hitter and sitting in the 3B grandstand and had a front row seat for Billy Williams catching the fly ball in the well in LF. I’m pretty sure the basket wasn’t there then because if it had been it probably would have landed in it. RIP Big guy, Many thrills for me in my youth.
I believe he had five World Series rings.
I remember the closeup on Kenny’s 1968 Topps card and his glittering 9-0 1967 season on the back.
Terrific career.
I don’t remember much about it but I do remember Kenny pitching for the Cubs at old Forbes Field here in Pittsburgh. Doubleheader, I believe. And I was there. Even if I can’t remember much
RIP
Jeez, forgot to mention—the last games ever played there
Damn good one! Old school ballplayer.RIP
Quite a solid starter and won multiple rings. Part of the Oakland Circus of 1972-1974.
2 no-hitters is an incredible achievement! Enjoy a peaceful sleep.
He’d get $80Million contract producing his #s in today’s game. Look @all those innings yr after yr w/o breaking dwn. Rmbr em w/cubbies RIP
part of the greatest generation of starting pitchers since at least the 1910s, and, maybe, ever.
That includes both the Niekros, Seaver & Ryan, and nearly two dozen others.
And don’t forget Fergie Jenkins, who was an iron man as well during the same years on the same Cub’s teams.
remember him well. 74 series he was unhittable against the Dodgers. as a kid i hated him but of course that was because he was so good. RIP
One of the better pitchers of his era.
As a Cincinnati reds fan I can honestly say that Kenny Holtzman was a giant pain in our butts. Really good and underrated pitcher, no- hit the Reds in ’71. Big game pitcher,he started game 1 of the world series in each of Oaklands world champions 72,73,74.
R.I.P Mr. Ken Holtzman. Wonderful MLB career and fine accomplishments. Thank you for your military service.
With Holtzman and some without, they were the last dynasty W. S. team!
He had 174 wins, nine more than Sandy Koufax.
RIP to a favorite Cub. We shared a birthday, a college and a faith. My family was obligated to be at Wrigley Field on 9/25/1966 to witness Kenny Holtzman outduel Sandy Koufax. It was Kenny’s first full season and Sandy’s last
Despite an 11-16 record on a 10th place Cubs team, Holtzman also managed to beat eventual NL Champ Dodgers HOF aces Don Drysdale and Don Sutton in 1966. The Cubs had a young team that year and became much more competitive with that core from 1967-1972.
But they famously and royally choked against the Mets in 1969.
They had some great players but weren’t a great team.
I went to that game on 9/25/66. The two Jewish lefties game. The Cubs got to Koufax for 2 runs (1 unearned) in the 1st and he was unhittable after that. Holtzman went to the 9th with a no-no but the Dodgers got a run. The game ended with Kessinger making an unassisted double play. The whole game was under 2 hours. You can look it up.
RIP
R.I.P Mr. Holtzman
I remember him, one of the very first baseball card to cross my hands, in the A’s uniform. RIP.
Rick Monday wasn’t a pitcher so I have no idea why they are calling him a southpaw. I know southpaw means left-handed but when referring to baseball if your talking about a southpaw it’s a pitcher not an outfielder who throws left-handed.,They should have looked Rick Monday up before they posted. It’s not like Rick Monday is an obscure player just ask any Expo fan about him.
Booooo…
@Chris: I don’t think it’s worth getting worked up about.
Nobody is worked up. Just pointing out a fact.
RIP. I remember him well, big game guy, helluva career. In the no-hitter against the Braves, struck out nobody. Let the defense work behind him.
Another player of my youth passes.
This sucks, but it obviously is going to keep happening.
He’d be making 30M per season in today’s game. Damn fine career – Hall of the Very Good. RIP.
P.S. By saying “fellow southpaw “, Darragh makes it sound like Monday was also a pitcher.
@rememberthecoop: Perfect example of players being exploited and underpaid due to the reserve clause.
Good point BB.
Rest in Paradise Ken.
Bummer one of my mom and dad’s favorites
Lately these are reading like a Who’s who of players of my youth.
Remember Ken well with the A’s and Cubs. One of those pain in the butt pitchers if he was pitching against you. Got you out and you wondered why.
RIP. Ready for the next league on your journey.
Yea I remember him when I was young. He seemed always to be good and in the middle of a Penney race or playoffs. RIP Mr Holtzman
a Penney race….maybe you meant pene or oh wait pennant. freaking spell check lol.
Or running around JC Penney stores, lol.
Saw him pitch many a game. Darn good hitting pitcher too.
Only 33 when he hung ’em up. Surprising
RIP Mr. Holtzman
Watched him, the Cubbies and Jack Brickhouse while growing up in Chicago. RIP
One has to wonder how many more World Series he could have won had much of his career not been lost to military service.
I watched that ‘71 no hitter on local TV, as we were living in a suburb of Chicago and my dad worked in the city. Those cubbies teams were fun with Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Don Kessinger, Glen Beckert, Jim Hickman, Randy Hundley, and a couple of decent players named Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins. How the didn’t win a world series or two with all that talent is baffling.
On the night of the ’71 no hitter, my dad was driving me to The Mill Run Theater to see Bill Cosby at my request. We listened to the start of the game on the radio, then we arrived and went in. The opening act was singer Nancy Wilson. She seemed to go on and on and on. Finally she went off and soon Cosby came on. The first thing he said was “Ken Holtzman just pitched a no hitter, by the way.” So that explained Nancy Wilson’s extra long set. Cosby was watching the game on WGN. He then went into his routine and I never saw my dad laugh so hard. The good old days.