Lew Krausse was born on Sunday, April 25, 1943, in Media, Pennsylvania. Krausse was 18 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 16, 1961, with the Kansas City Athletics. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Lew Krausse baseball stats page.
"LEW KRAUSSE (1961-1974): Krausse loved to play around with fire extinguishers, the same way a child loves to wield a squirt gun. However, Krausse also liked to shoot a real pistol out of his bedroom window nightly, firing off a two-shot salvo at bedtime. Usually he did that from his 12th-floor room, but one night he was moved to a new room on the third floor and, at about 2:00 a.m., he capped off the night with his ritual shooting. The following morning police came to his hotel questioning him about shots which had been fired into—not over—a building across the way. Krausse was let off with a warning, but his team owner Charlie Finley had a private eye follow him through the end of the season. That's when Finley called Krausse into his office and told him that the detective observed him and his friend Catfish Hunter going out on the town, but doing nothing untoward. But, he added, the detective did say that he was sad his assignment was through, because he was having a ball." - Stewart, Wayne. Wits, Flakes, and Clowns: The Colorful Characters of Baseball. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 11 March 2020. Page 222.
Lew KrausseLew Krausse Autograph on a 1975 Topps Baseball Card (#603 | Checklist) |
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Lew KrausseLew Krausse Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1961 | 18 | Athletics | 12 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 4.85 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 55.2 | 255 | 49 | 30 | 33 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - |
1964 | 21 | Athletics | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 7.36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 | 78 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - |
1965 | 22 | Athletics | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .333 | 5.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 | 110 | 29 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1966 | 23 | Athletics | 36 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 9 | .609 | 2.99 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 177.2 | 733 | 144 | 59 | 69 | 8 | 63 | 8 | 87 | 6 | 6 | 0 | - |
1967 | 24 | Athletics | 48 | 19 | 16 | 7 | 17 | .292 | 4.28 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 160.0 | 681 | 140 | 76 | 85 | 17 | 67 | 6 | 96 | 5 | 4 | 0 | - |
1968 | 25 | Athletics | 36 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 11 | .476 | 3.11 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 185.0 | 758 | 147 | 64 | 68 | 16 | 62 | 9 | 105 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - |
1969 | 26 | Athletics | 43 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 4.44 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 140.0 | 589 | 134 | 69 | 75 | 23 | 48 | 8 | 85 | 3 | 5 | 0 | - |
1970 | 27 | Brewers | 37 | 35 | 2 | 13 | 18 | .419 | 4.75 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 216.0 | 944 | 235 | 114 | 130 | 33 | 67 | 15 | 130 | 3 | 4 | 0 | - |
1971 | 28 | Brewers | 43 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 2.94 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 180.1 | 760 | 164 | 59 | 67 | 23 | 62 | 10 | 92 | 1 | 5 | 1 | - |
1972 | 29 | Red Sox | 24 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 6.38 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 60.2 | 280 | 74 | 43 | 48 | 9 | 28 | 2 | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - |
1973 | 30 | Cardinals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1974 | 31 | Braves | 29 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 4.18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66.2 | 293 | 65 | 31 | 32 | 3 | 32 | 4 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
12 Years | 321 | 167 | 71 | 68 | 91 | .428 | 4.00 | 21 | 5 | 21 | 1,283.2 | 5,490 | 1,205 | 571 | 635 | 137 | 493 | 62 | 721 | 29 | 35 | 1 | - |
Lew KrausseLew Krausse Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1961 | 18 | Athletics | 13 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .118 | .167 | .118 |
1964 | 21 | Athletics | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .000 |
1965 | 22 | Athletics | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1966 | 23 | Athletics | 40 | 52 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .154 | .211 | .173 |
1967 | 24 | Athletics | 49 | 41 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .146 | .167 | .244 |
1968 | 25 | Athletics | 36 | 56 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .161 | .230 | .250 |
1969 | 26 | Athletics | 43 | 48 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .200 | .438 |
1970 | 27 | Brewers | 38 | 65 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .138 | .233 | .169 |
1971 | 28 | Brewers | 43 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .023 | .104 | .023 |
1972 | 29 | Red Sox | 24 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .125 | .188 |
1973 | 30 | Cardinals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1974 | 31 | Braves | 29 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .500 | .833 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
12 Years | 334 | 354 | 23 | 47 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 26 | 0 | 163 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .133 | .196 | .215 |
Lew KrausseLew Krausse Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1961 Athletics | P | 12 | 8 | 167 | 6 | 0.5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 0.81 |
1964 Athletics | P | 5 | 4 | 44 | 4 | 0.8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .750 | 1.84 |
1965 Athletics | P | 7 | 5 | 75 | 2 | 0.3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.72 |
1966 Athletics | P | 36 | 22 | 533 | 27 | 0.8 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .963 | 1.32 |
1967 Athletics | P | 48 | 19 | 480 | 33 | 0.7 | 31 | 5 | 26 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .939 | 1.74 |
1968 Athletics | P | 36 | 25 | 555 | 31 | 0.9 | 31 | 11 | 20 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.51 |
1969 Athletics | P | 43 | 16 | 420 | 23 | 0.5 | 22 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .957 | 1.41 |
1970 Brewers | P | 37 | 35 | 648 | 49 | 1.3 | 48 | 21 | 27 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 2.00 |
1971 Brewers | P | 43 | 22 | 541 | 41 | 1.0 | 39 | 17 | 22 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .951 | 1.95 |
1972 Red Sox | P | 24 | 7 | 182 | 16 | 0.7 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.37 |
1973 Cardinals | P | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 4.50 |
1974 Braves | P | 29 | 4 | 200 | 13 | 0.4 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.76 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 321 | 167 | 3,851 | 246 | 0.8 | 237 | 84 | 153 | 9 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .963 | 1.66 | |
12 Years | 321 | 167 | 3,851 | 246 | 0.8 | 237 | 84 | 153 | 9 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .963 | 1.66 |
Lew KrausseLew Krausse Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1961 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.70 | 5.17 | 7.44 |
1964 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 3 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.00 | 5.52 | 5.52 |
1965 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 3 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 2.75 | 7.92 | 2.88 |
1966 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 2 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.2 | 17.3 | 1.38 | 4.41 | 3.19 |
1967 Athletics | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 41.0 | 2.6 | 13.7 | 1.43 | 5.40 | 3.77 |
1968 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.2 | 28.0 | 1.69 | 5.11 | 3.02 |
1969 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 12.0 | 2.2 | 5.3 | 1.77 | 5.46 | 3.09 |
1970 Brewers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.1 | 16.3 | 1.94 | 5.42 | 2.79 |
1971 Brewers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 44.0 | 1.48 | 4.59 | 3.09 |
1972 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.25 | 5.19 | 4.15 |
1973 Cardinals | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.00 | 4.50 | 4.50 |
1974 Braves | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 6.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.84 | 3.64 | 4.32 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
12 Years | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 11 | n/a | 59.0 | 2.2 | 14.8 | 1.46 | 5.06 | 3.46 |
Lew KrausseLew Krausse Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1961 Kansas City Athletics | 24 | Undetermined | - | - |
1964 Kansas City Athletics | 21, 31 | Undetermined | - | - |
1965 Kansas City Athletics | 25 | Undetermined | - | - |
1966 Kansas City Athletics | 20 | Undetermined | - | - |
1967 Kansas City Athletics | 20 | Undetermined | - | - |
1968 Oakland Athletics | 20 | Undetermined | - | - |
1969 Oakland Athletics | 20 | Undetermined | - | - |
1970 Milwaukee Brewers | 24 | Undetermined | - | - |
1971 Milwaukee Brewers | 24 | Undetermined | - | - |
1972 Boston Red Sox | 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
1973 St. Louis Cardinals | 29 | Undetermined | - | - |
1974 Atlanta Braves | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
Lew Krausse Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Lewis Bernard Krausse Jr. was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Kansas City Athletics (1961, 1964-1967), Oakland Athletics (1968-1969), Milwaukee Brewers (1970-1971), Boston Red Sox (1972), St. Louis Cardinals (1973), and Atlanta Braves (1974). Lew, his nickname, and his father, Lew Krausse, were the sixty-fourth father & son to play baseball in the majors!
Lew Krausse Rookie Card | 1963 Topps Baseball Card (#104 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Collection
Did you know that Lew Krausse literally went from pitching in high school, to pitching in the major leagues? The 18-year-old twirler graduated from Chester High School in June 1961, then made his big league debut on June 16, 1961 — where he threw a complete game shutout versus the Los Angeles Angels at Municipal Stadium! The Delaware County Daily Times (Gebhart, Ed. Lew Captures Fans' Hearts. 17 June 1961. Page 22) wrote:
Lew Krausse Jr. captured Kansas City and the imagination of every baseball fan in the national Friday night.
Pitching under a set of circumstances that would have most youngsters pinching themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming, the 18-year-old Chester High grad set the Los Angeles Angels and 25,869 wildly applauding fans right on their ear.
Just three weeks after defeating St. James for the city baseball championship, the heralded bonus baby made his $125,000 price tag look like a bargain basement special by shutting out the Angels, 4-0, on three hits.
If Lew Jr. was nervous, he sure didn't show it as he completed his first professional assignment — and first game ever under the lights — by striking out dangerous Ted Kluszewki on three pitches and getting LeRoy Thomas to pop up with two runners on base for the final out.
But if Lew Jr. wasn't displaying any signs of emotion, at least two people — his Dad, Lew Sr., and his mother, Lil — certainly were.
Lew Sr. was at the stadium, seated in the private box of owner Charles O. Finley.
Mrs. Krausse and her younger son, Dave, were in their Sun Hill home, frantically moving the dials on three radios in an attempt to pick up the score inning by inning.
During the third inning, the Krausse phone rang. It was Lew Sr. calling from the phone installed in Finley's private box.
"Lew's coming up to bat, Lil," he said. "I want you to hear the ovation he'll get."
"It was just tremendous," Mrs. Krausse said this morning. "When young Lew came to bat, I couldn't hear Lew Sr. and he couldn't hear me."
Finley then came on the phone. "Don't worry about your son Mrs. Krausse," he said. "It's your husband who's nervous. But don't worry, I'm holding his hand."
Mrs. Krausse and Dave then went back to their dial twirling. First they heard a score of 0-0, then 1-1 . . . then 4-0.
"When I heard that, I knew everything was all right," Mrs. Krausse said. "I told Davey, 'He's got four runs. He's not going to lose now.'"
At 10 minutes to one, the phone rang again. It was Lew Sr.
"Mother, all hell's broken loose," he cried. "The fans are going crazy."/
After Mrs. Krausse got all the details from her husband — including the way Lew Sr. and Finley jumped over the rail to get to Lew Jr. — she asked to speak to her son./
"Hi, Lil! How are you?" he asked when he came on the phone. "He was just as calm and collected as he always is," his mother said.
"Then he talked to his brother, but we could hardly hear him for all the noise.
"I think Lewis is even more happy about winning that he was about signing the contract. I know I am."
Lew Jr., who admitted he hadn't slept for three nights prior to the big game, said he'd call his mother again this morning after a long awaited — and well deserved — rest.
Lew Krausse MLB Debut | The Kansas City Times | 17 June 1961
On April 7, 1970, Lew Krausse took the mound in an Opening Day game at County Stadium. He was removed after three innings, surrendering four earned runs, and was saddled with the loss. Why mention this here? It was the first game in Milwaukee Brewers' history (the franchise has just relocated from Seattle the year before). Exactly three months later, on July 7, 1970, Krausse took the mound at County Stadium, went the distance, surrendered only four hits, and recorded the first shutout in Brew Crew history!
Lew Krausse: First Brewers Shutout | The Times-News | 8 July 1970