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Kent Tekulve

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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 former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. Pitching with an unusual submarine delivery, Tekulve was known as a workhorse relief pitcher who holds several records for number of games pitched and innings pitched.

Career

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Tekulve is a 1969 graduate of Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio.[1] He signed that year as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates and remained with that organization until 1985. He made his major league debut against the Montreal Expos on May 20, 1974. He pitched an inning of relief and allowed one hit in the 4–2 loss.[2]

His best seasons came in 1978 and 1979, in both of which he saved 31 games and posted ERAs of 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 the 1979 World Series, including the winner, as the Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4 games to 3.[6] He was selected as an All-Star in 1980.[7]

He was traded from the Pirates to the Phillies for Al Holland and 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 an ERA above 4. While with the Phillies, he led the NL in games pitched for the fourth time, with 90 in 1987 at the age of 40.[9]

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

Records

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Tekulve led the National League in games pitched four times, appearing in 90 or more games three times.[12][13][14][15] He and Mike Marshall are 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 the 1979 World Series tied the single-Series mark set by Roy Face in the 1960 World Series; it was broken by John Wetteland in 1996.[16] He holds the National League record for career innings pitched in 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 to Hoyt Wilhelm's 1,070 when he retired. Tekulve owns the career records for most appearances and innings pitched without making a single start. In 1986, he broke Roy Face's NL record of 846 career games pitched; he held the record until John Franco passed him in 2004. In August of 1987, he pitched on nine consecutive days, a record for pitchers.[18]

Tekulve holds the record for most career losses without having given up any earned runs, with 12, as well as the record for most intentional walks issued, with 179.[19]

Post-playing career

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Tekulve with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1977

Tekulve appeared in a 1983 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to explain how people play baseball.[20]

Tekulve was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies television broadcast team from 1991 to 1997.[21]

After several years involvement with the Washington Wild Things of the independent Frontier League, Tekulve took a job as the Pittsburgh Pirates' advance scout in 2006.[22]

Tekulve worked for AT&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 successful heart transplantation surgery 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 the National League Wild Card Game between 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

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References

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  1. ^ "The Story of Marietta College Baseball". Marietta College Athletics. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Kent Tekulve 1974 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Kent Tekulve 1978 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "Kent Tekulve 1979 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  5. ^ "Major League Baseball Pitchers of the Month". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  6. ^ "1979 World Series - Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles (4-3)". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "1980 MLB All-Star Game Roster - Major League Baseball - ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "In a trade involving two of baseball's top relief... - UPI Archives". UPI. April 20, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "1987 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  10. ^ "Kent Tekulve 1989 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Tekulve, Holder of Reliever Mark, Retires". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 18, 1989. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "1978 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "1979 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  14. ^ "1982 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "1987 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Newberry, Paul (October 25, 1996). "Wetteland: Man With The Messy Hat". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "MLB Relief Pitching Records". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  18. ^ Schoenfield, David (April 17, 2014). "Pitching four days in a row: A history". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  19. ^ Siwoff, Seymour (1990). The 1990 Elias Baseball Analyst. Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. ISBN 9780020287124. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood - Games: A Robot Factory". www.thetvdb.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  21. ^ Barrist, Adam (June 27, 1996). "Teke talks". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  22. ^ Robinson III, Edward G. (December 11, 2001). "Frontier League: Tekulve to lead Wild Things". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  23. ^ a b Rotstein, Gary (September 16, 2014). "Former Pirates pitcher Kent Tekulve recovering from heart transplant". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  24. ^ Gentille, Sean (October 1, 2014). "NL wild-card game: After transplant, Kent Tekulve throws first pitch". www.sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  25. ^ Nesbitt, Stephen J. (September 6, 2017). "Kent Tekulve will sign off at the end of the Pirates season". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
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