Jump to content

Kent Tekulve

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kent Tekulve
Tekulve in 2007
Pitcher
Born:(1947-03-05)March 5, 1947(age 77)
Cincinnati, Ohio,U.S.
Batted:Right
Threw:Right
MLB debut
May 20, 1974, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
July 16, 1989, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record94–90
Earned run average2.85
Strikeouts779
Saves184
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Kenton Charles Tekulve(/təˈkʌlˌviː/tə-KUL-vee;born March 5, 1947), nicknamed "Teke",is an American formerprofessional baseballright-handedrelief pitcherwho played 16 seasons inMajor League Baseball(MLB), primarily for thePittsburgh Pirates.He also played for thePhiladelphia PhilliesandCincinnati Reds.Pitching with an unusualsubmarinedelivery, Tekulve was known as a workhorse relief pitcher who holds several records for number ofgames pitchedandinnings pitched.

Career

[edit]

Tekulve is a 1969 graduate ofMarietta CollegeinMarietta, Ohio.[1]He signed that year as a free agent with thePittsburgh Piratesand remained with that organization until 1985. He made his major league debut against theMontreal Exposon May 20, 1974. He pitched an inning of relief and allowed one hit in the 4–2 loss.[2]

His best seasons came in1978and1979,in both of which he saved 31 games and postedERAsof 2.33 and 2.75, respectively.[3][4]He won National League Pitcher of the Month for August 1978.[5]He saved three games in the1979 World Series,including the winner, as the Pirates defeated theBaltimore Orioles4 games to 3.[6]He was selected as anAll-Starin 1980.[7]

He was traded from thePiratesto thePhilliesforAl Hollandand minor-league left-handed pitcher Frankie Griffin on April 20, 1985.[8]He continued to be an effective reliever into his 40s. Only in his first season (1974) and his last season (1989) did he post anERAabove 4. While with the Phillies, he led the NL ingames pitchedfor the fourth time, with 90 in 1987 at the age of 40.[9]

Tekulve signed with theCincinnati Redsbefore the 1989 season and pitched in 37 games before retiring in July.[10][11]

Records

[edit]

Tekulve led the National League ingames pitchedfour times, appearing in 90 or more games three times.[12][13][14][15]He andMike Marshallare the only pitchers in baseball history to appear in 90 or more games more than once, having each done the feat three times. Tekulve is also the oldest pitcher ever to appear in 90 games, when he did so in 1987 at age 40. Tekulve's three saves in the1979 World Seriestied the single-Series mark set byRoy Facein the1960 World Series;it was broken byJohn Wettelandin 1996.[16]He holds theNational Leaguerecord for careerinnings pitchedin relief (1,436+2⁄3),[17]and formerly held the major league record for career relief appearances; his 1,050 career games, all in relief, ranked second in major league history toHoyt Wilhelm's 1,070 when he retired. Tekulve owns the career records for most appearances and innings pitched without making a single start. In1986,he brokeRoy Face's NL record of 846 career games pitched; he held the record untilJohn Francopassed him in2004.In August of1987,he pitched on nine consecutive days, a record for pitchers.[18]

Tekulve holds the record for most careerlosseswithout having given up anyearned runs,with 12, as well as the record for most intentional walks issued, with 179.[19]

Post-playing career

[edit]
Tekulve with thePittsburgh Piratesin 1977

Tekulve appeared in a1983 episodeofMister Rogers' Neighborhoodto explain how people play baseball.[20]

Tekulve was a member of thePhiladelphia Philliestelevision broadcast team from 1991 to 1997.[21]

After several years involvement with theWashington Wild Thingsof the independentFrontier League,Tekulve took a job as thePittsburgh Pirates' advance scout in 2006.[22]

Tekulve worked forAT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh(formerly FSN Pittsburgh and later Root Sports Pittsburgh) and appeared as an analyst after each Pittsburgh Pirates game from 2008 to 2017. However, in the early to mid part of the 2014 Pirates season, he took a hiatus for personal reasons.[23]

Tekulve underwent successfulheart transplantationsurgery on September 5, 2014, after spending eight months on the transplant list. The surgery was performed at Allegheny General Hospital.[23]

Tekulve threw out the ceremonial first pitch at theNational League Wild Card Gamebetween the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants on October 1, 2014.[24]

Tekulve announced his retirement from broadcasting on September 6, 2017.[25]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"The Story of Marietta College Baseball".Marietta College Athletics.Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2012.RetrievedAugust 15,2019.
  2. ^"Kent Tekulve 1974 Pitching Game Logs".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
  3. ^"Kent Tekulve 1978 Pitching Game Logs".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedMay 13,2020.
  4. ^"Kent Tekulve 1979 Pitching Game Logs".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedMay 13,2020.
  5. ^"Major League Baseball Pitchers of the Month".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021.RetrievedJune 25,2023.
  6. ^"1979 World Series - Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles (4-3)".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2018.RetrievedAugust 11,2019.
  7. ^"1980 MLB All-Star Game Roster - Major League Baseball - ESPN".ESPN.Archivedfrom the original on August 9, 2019.RetrievedAugust 9,2019.
  8. ^"In a trade involving two of baseball's top relief... - UPI Archives".UPI.April 20, 2015.RetrievedJune 26,2023.
  9. ^"1987 National League Pitching Leaders".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 14, 2019.RetrievedAugust 14,2019.
  10. ^"Kent Tekulve 1989 Pitching Game Logs".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
  11. ^"Tekulve, Holder of Reliever Mark, Retires".The New York Times.Associated Press. July 18, 1989.Archivedfrom the original on August 28, 2019.RetrievedAugust 28,2019.
  12. ^"1978 National League Pitching Leaders".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2023.RetrievedJuly 4,2023.
  13. ^"1979 National League Pitching Leaders".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2023.RetrievedJuly 4,2023.
  14. ^"1982 National League Pitching Leaders".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2011.RetrievedJuly 4,2023.
  15. ^"1987 National League Pitching Leaders".Baseball-Reference.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2023.RetrievedJuly 4,2023.
  16. ^Newberry, Paul (October 25, 1996)."Wetteland: Man With The Messy Hat".AP NEWS.Archivedfrom the original on March 26, 2019.RetrievedMay 13,2020.
  17. ^"MLB Relief Pitching Records".Baseball Almanac.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2023.RetrievedJuly 4,2023.
  18. ^Schoenfield, David (April 17, 2014)."Pitching four days in a row: A history".ESPN.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2016.RetrievedNovember 27,2015.
  19. ^Siwoff, Seymour (1990).The 1990 Elias Baseball Analyst.Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.ISBN9780020287124.Archivedfrom the original on July 4, 2023.RetrievedAugust 10,2019.
  20. ^"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood - Games: A Robot Factory".thetvdb.Archivedfrom the original on August 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 16,2019.
  21. ^Barrist, Adam (June 27, 1996)."Teke talks".The Daily Pennsylvanian.Archivedfrom the original on August 29, 2019.RetrievedAugust 29,2019.
  22. ^Robinson III, Edward G. (December 11, 2001)."Frontier League: Tekulve to lead Wild Things".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2019.RetrievedAugust 22,2019.
  23. ^abRotstein, Gary (September 16, 2014)."Former Pirates pitcher Kent Tekulve recovering from heart transplant".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2019.RetrievedAugust 27,2019.
  24. ^Gentille, Sean (October 1, 2014)."NL wild-card game: After transplant, Kent Tekulve throws first pitch".sportingnews.Archivedfrom the original on August 20, 2019.RetrievedAugust 20,2019.
  25. ^Nesbitt, Stephen J. (September 6, 2017)."Kent Tekulve will sign off at the end of the Pirates season".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on August 13, 2019.RetrievedAugust 13,2019.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kent_Tekulve&oldid=1235184440"