Ted Kluszewski was born on Wednesday, September 10, 1924, in Argo, Illinois. Kluszewski was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 18, 1947, with the Cincinnati Reds. 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 Ted Kluszewski baseball stats page.
"How hard is hitting? You ever walk into a pitch-black room full of furniture that you've never been in before and try to walk through it without bumping into anything? Well, it's harder than that." - Kluszewski, Ted. Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Ted Kluszewski Biography. 3 June 1978.
Ted Kluszewski![]() Ted Kluszewski Autograph on a 2005 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts Baseball Card (#Co-TK) |
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Ted KluszewskiTed Kluszewski 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 |
| - | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
Ted KluszewskiTed Kluszewski 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 |
| 1947 | 23 | Reds | 9 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | .100 | .182 | .100 |
| 1948 | 24 | Reds | 113 | 379 | 49 | 104 | 23 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 57 | 18 | 9 | 32 | 0 | - | 0 | 14 | .274 | .307 | .451 |
| 1949 | 25 | Reds | 136 | 531 | 63 | 164 | 26 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 68 | 19 | 3 | 24 | 0 | - | 0 | 10 | .309 | .333 | .411 |
| 1950 | 26 | Reds | 134 | 538 | 76 | 165 | 37 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 111 | 33 | 13 | 28 | 0 | - | 1 | 20 | .307 | .348 | .515 |
| 1951 | 27 | Reds | 154 | 607 | 74 | 157 | 35 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 77 | 35 | 11 | 33 | 0 | - | 2 | 16 | .259 | .301 | .387 |
| 1952 | 28 | Reds | 135 | 497 | 62 | 159 | 24 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 86 | 47 | 15 | 28 | 1 | - | 4 | 13 | .320 | .383 | .509 |
| 1953 | 29 | Redlegs | 149 | 570 | 97 | 180 | 25 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 108 | 55 | 6 | 34 | 0 | - | 4 | 13 | .316 | .380 | .570 |
| 1954 | 30 | Redlegs | 149 | 573 | 104 | 187 | 28 | 3 | 49 | 0 | 141 | 78 | 15 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 12 | .326 | .407 | .642 |
| 1955 | 31 | Redlegs | 153 | 612 | 116 | 192 | 25 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 113 | 66 | 25 | 40 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | .314 | .382 | .585 |
| 1956 | 32 | Redlegs | 138 | 517 | 91 | 156 | 14 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 102 | 49 | 22 | 31 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 11 | .302 | .362 | .536 |
| 1957 | 33 | Redlegs | 69 | 127 | 12 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .268 | .301 | .465 |
| 1958 | 34 | Pirates | 100 | 301 | 29 | 88 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 26 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .292 | .348 | .402 |
| 1959 | 35 | Pirates | 60 | 122 | 11 | 32 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .262 | .291 | .410 |
| 1959 | 35 | White Sox | 31 | 101 | 11 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .297 | .351 | .396 |
| 1960 | 36 | White Sox | 81 | 181 | 20 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 22 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .293 | .364 | .425 |
| 1961 | 37 | Angels | 107 | 263 | 32 | 64 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 39 | 24 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .243 | .303 | .460 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 15 Years | 1,718 | 5,929 | 848 | 1,766 | 290 | 29 | 279 | 3 | 1,028 | 492 | 142 | 365 | 3 | 23 | 23 | 143 | .298 | .353 | .498 | ||
Ted KluszewskiTed Kluszewski Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1947 Reds | 1B | 2 | 0 | 41 | 10 | 5.0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 6.59 |
| 1948 Reds | 1B | 98 | 94 | 2,286 | 907 | 9.3 | 898 | 833 | 65 | 9 | 60 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 10.61 |
| 1949 Reds | 1B | 134 | 131 | 3,330 | 1,219 | 9.1 | 1,205 | 1,140 | 65 | 14 | 109 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 9.77 |
| 1950 Reds | 1B | 131 | 130 | 3,459 | 1,199 | 9.2 | 1,184 | 1,123 | 61 | 15 | 101 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.24 |
| 1951 Reds | 1B | 154 | 153 | 4,122 | 1,474 | 9.6 | 1,469 | 1,381 | 88 | 5 | 115 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .997 | 9.62 |
| 1952 Reds | 1B | 133 | 131 | 3,402 | 1,195 | 9.0 | 1,187 | 1,121 | 66 | 8 | 116 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 9.42 |
| 1953 Redlegs | 1B | 147 | 147 | 3,834 | 1,350 | 9.2 | 1,343 | 1,285 | 58 | 7 | 149 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .995 | 9.46 |
| 1954 Redlegs | 1B | 149 | 149 | 3,918 | 1,343 | 9.0 | 1,338 | 1,237 | 101 | 5 | 166 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .996 | 9.22 |
| 1955 Redlegs | 1B | 153 | 153 | 444 | 1,482 | 9.7 | 1,474 | 1,388 | 86 | 8 | 153 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .995 | 89.64 |
| 1956 Redlegs | 1B | 131 | 130 | 3,426 | 1,268 | 9.7 | 1,255 | 1,166 | 89 | 13 | 110 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 9.89 |
| 1957 Redlegs | 1B | 23 | 19 | 507 | 178 | 7.7 | 176 | 161 | 15 | 2 | 11 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 9.37 |
| 1958 Pirates | 1B | 72 | 72 | 1,776 | 631 | 8.8 | 627 | 591 | 36 | 4 | 62 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 9.53 |
| 1959 Pirates | 1B | 20 | 20 | 492 | 163 | 8.2 | 163 | 151 | 12 | 0 | 14 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 8.95 |
| 1959 White Sox | 1B | 29 | 29 | 621 | 230 | 7.9 | 230 | 220 | 10 | 0 | 13 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 10.00 |
| 1960 White Sox | 1B | 39 | 37 | 987 | 345 | 8.8 | 344 | 325 | 19 | 1 | 38 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .997 | 9.41 |
| 1961 Angels | 1B | 66 | 59 | 1,488 | 554 | 8.4 | 548 | 520 | 28 | 6 | 51 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 9.94 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1B Totals | 1,481 | 1,454 | 34,133 | 13,548 | 9.1 | 13,451 | 12,652 | 799 | 97 | 1,269 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 10.64 | |
| 15 Years | 1,481 | 1,454 | 34,133 | 13,548 | 9.1 | 13,451 | 12,652 | 799 | 97 | 1,269 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 10.64 | |
Ted KluszewskiTed Kluszewski 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 |
| 1947 Reds | 0 | 0 | .000 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1948 Reds | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 15 | 0 | n/a | 31.6 | 11.8 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
| 1949 Reds | 3 | 5 | .375 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 66.4 | 22.1 | 7.8 | - | - | - |
| 1950 Reds | 3 | 1 | .750 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 21.5 | 19.2 | 4.8 | - | - | - |
| 1951 Reds | 6 | 2 | .750 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 46.7 | 18.4 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
| 1952 Reds | 3 | 3 | .500 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 31.1 | 17.8 | 5.8 | - | - | - |
| 1953 Redlegs | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 14.3 | 16.8 | 5.3 | - | - | - |
| 1954 Redlegs | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 11.7 | 16.4 | 4.1 | - | - | - |
| 1955 Redlegs | 1 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 13.0 | 15.3 | 5.4 | - | - | - |
| 1956 Redlegs | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 8 | 0 | n/a | 14.8 | 16.7 | 5.1 | - | - | - |
| 1957 Redlegs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 50 | 0 | n/a | 21.2 | 25.4 | 6.0 | - | - | - |
| 1958 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 28 | 0 | n/a | 75.3 | 18.8 | 8.1 | - | - | - |
| 1959 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 40 | 0 | n/a | 61.0 | 8.7 | 7.2 | - | - | - |
| 1959 White Sox | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 50.5 | 10.1 | 10.1 | - | - | - |
| 1960 White Sox | 0 | 1 | .000 | 44 | 0 | n/a | 36.2 | 18.1 | 4.6 | - | - | - |
| 1961 Angels | 0 | 0 | .000 | 47 | 0 | n/a | 17.5 | 11.4 | 6.7 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 15 Years | 20 | 16 | .556 | 252 | 0 | n/a | 21.3 | 16.2 | 5.8 | - | - | - |
Ted KluszewskiTed Kluszewski Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1947 Cincinnati Reds | 20 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1948 Cincinnati Reds | 20, 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1949 Cincinnati Reds | 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1950 Cincinnati Reds | 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1951 Cincinnati Reds | 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1952 Cincinnati Reds | 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1953 Cincinnati Redlegs | 18 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
| 1954 Cincinnati Redlegs | 18 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
| 1955 Cincinnati Redlegs | 18 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
| 1956 Cincinnati Redlegs | 18 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
| 1957 Cincinnati Redlegs | 18 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
| 1958 Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | Undetermined | - | Stats |
| 1959 Chicago White Sox | 4, 8 | Undetermined | - | Stats |
| 1960 Chicago White Sox | 8 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1961 Los Angeles Angels | 15 | Undetermined | - | - |
| Ted Kluszewski Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

Theodore Bernard Kluszewski was a Major League Baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds (1947-1957), Pittsburgh Pirates (1958-1959), Chicago White Sox (1959-1960), and Los Angeles Angels (1961). Klu, his nickname, was an EXCELLENT fielder at first base, leading the National League in fielding average five times (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955), with some serious power, hitting 40-plus home runs three consecutive seasons (1953, 1954, 1955).
Did you know that Ted Kluszewski, in 1953, hit forty home runs, but struck out less than forty times? Four players, all of them hall of famers, had put together a season with forty-or-more homers while striking out forty-or-fewer times; Mel Ott (1929, 42 HRs, 38 SOs), Lou Gehrig (1934, 49 HRs, 31 SOs), Joe DiMaggio (1937, 46 HRs, 37 SOs), and Johnny Mize (1948, 40 HRs, 37 SOs). Big Klu, HOWEVER, did it twice more during his career (1954, 49 HRs, 35 SOs AND 1955, 47 HRs, 40 SOs) - the only player in baseball history to do it more than once during his career!
Did you know that Ted Kluszewski finished his career with more walks (492 BB) than strikeouts (365), one of several hundred players with more than 400 bases on balls, but fewer than 400 strikeouts. However, only one of those "400-400" players finished with more home runs than Big Klu, and his name was Joe DiMaggio! Rounding out the set (400-400 players with 135-or-more career home runs) are Sid Gordon, Bill Dickey, Ken Williams, Al Rosen, Ernie Lombardi, Charlie Gehringer, Tommy Henrich, Eddie Robinson and Jackie Robinson. (Bold = HOF)
Big Klu remained on the Hall of Fame ballot for fifteen years (1967-1981), being removed after the Baseball Writers' Association of America only gave him 15% of their votes. The Cincinnati Reds inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1962, saying in part:
Ted Kluszewski. Class of 1962.
His mammoth arms made an immediate impact on the Reds. When he was first called up to the big leagues, he couldn't get his arms through the sleeves of his jersey. One story contends that after failing to get his arms into bigger and bigger jerseys, he simply cut off the sleeves at the top to get his arms through. The owners liked the look so much that they ordered all-new sleeveless uniforms to be worn by all of the players.
Not surprisingly, Kluszewski was known for his home run hitting ability, and he earned the nickname "Big Klu." The fan favorite established a Reds record for home runs in a season by hitting 40 in 1953 and bettered that with 49 in 1954. His 1954 single-season home run total has been eclipsed only once -- George Foster belted 52 in 1977. Big Klu also led the National League in home runs and RBIs (141) in 1954 but finished second to Willie Mays in the year's Most Valuable Player voting. In 1955, Big Klu and Wally Post went deep 47 and 40 times, respectively, setting a Reds record for most home runs in a season by two players. From 1949-56, Kluszewski batted over .300 in seven of those eight seasons, and the first baseman tallied more than 100 RBIs in five of those eight seasons.
Source of Excerpt: Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. Ted Kluszewski Biography.
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