Jack Edward Baldschun (October 16, 1936 – June 6, 2023) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or part of nine seasons (1961–67; 1969–70), for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres. Baldschun threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, weighing 175 pounds (79 kg).
Kip Lane Young (born October 29, 1954) is a former baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Young played Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers in 1978 and 1979. As a rookie in 1978, he pitched complete-game victories in his first four starts and compiled a 2.81 earned run average (ERA) for the season.
Before his professional career began, Young played college baseball at Bowling Green State University where he won 37 games to set a Mid-American Conference record.
Richard Carl Tomanek (January 6, 1931 – August 11, 2023) was an American professional baseball player, a pitcher who played for five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1953 to 1954 and 1957 to 1958 and the Kansas City Athletics from 1958 to 1959. Nicknamed "Bones", he stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). In the early 1950s, he served in the United States Marine Corps.
Wilbur Scott "Jake" Striker (October 23, 1933 – March 7, 2013) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in 1959 and 1960 with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.
Originally signed by the Indians in 1952, the 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), 200 lb (91 kg) Striker enjoyed a promising start to his career. In his MLB debut on September 25, 1959, against the Kansas City Athletics at the age of 25, Striker tossed 6⅔ innings of solid baseball, allowing only two earned runs for a 2.70 earned run average and the win. He went 0 for 1 with a walk at the plate in what would be the only game in which he would appear in 1959.
The only player from Heidelberg College to reach the major leagues, Striker was traded on December 6, 1959 with Dick Brown, Don Ferrarese and Minnie Miñoso to the White Sox for Johnny Romano, Bubba Phillips and Norm Cash. He only appeared in two games with the White Sox, both relief appearances. In 3+ innings of work, he posted a 4.91 ERA, striking out one and walking one. His major league career ended on April 24, 1960. Overall, he went 1 and 0 with a 3.48 ERA in 3 games in his career. He walked five, struck out six and gave up one home run (to Casey Wise) in about 10 innings of work. Overall, he wore three uniform numbers in his short two-year career. He wore 23 with the Indians, and 20 and 31 with the White Sox.
George Elwell Spencer (July 7, 1926 – September 10, 2014) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. A right-hander, he was primarily a relief pitcher for the New York Giants and the Detroit Tigers. Spencer stood 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).
A graduate of Bexley High School and Ohio State University, where he played quarterback on the OSU varsity football team, Spencer was a key member of the 1951 Giants' pitching staff, leading the club in saves and winning ten of 14 decisions, including a key August start over the front-running Brooklyn Dodgers. The Giants would famously overcome a 131⁄2-game, mid-August deficit to tie Brooklyn on the season's final day, then defeated the Dodgers for the National League pennant on Bobby Thomson's historic Game 3 home run.
Stephen Stepanovich Rachunok (a.k.a. "The Mad Russian") (December 5, 1916 – May 11, 2002), was a professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
A native of Rittman, Ohio, Rachunok appeared in two games during the 1940 season, one as a starter, where he pitched a complete game. His Major League Baseball (MLB) debut came on September 17, 1940, where he pitched the top of the ninth inning, surrendering 1 walk while striking out 1 as the Dodgers were defeated 5–0 by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals at Ebbets Field. His only other MLB appearance came 9 days later in the second game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field when facing the Boston Bees surrendering 5 runs (all earned), striking out 9, while walking 4, en route to a 5–4 loss.Rachunok died on May 11, 2002, in Corona, California.
Dale Robert Mohorcic (born January 25, 1956) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1986 to 1990. Mohorcic was a star at Cleveland State University. After playing on farm teams for the Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates, Mohorcic signed with the Texas Rangers in 1985. His first two years, Mohorcic pitched well, having an ERA under 3.00. He holds a major league baseball record of 13 consecutive team games with a relief appearance, which he set from August 6–20, 1986. He was traded on August 30, 1988, to the New York Yankees for Cecilio Guante. His last year was with the Montreal Expos in 1990. He shares the Major League record for most consecutive games pitched at 13 with Mike Marshall.
In a 1987 game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Mohorcic was accused of doctoring the baseball. Umpires found no evidence of wrongdoing at the time, but after the game Mohorcic complained of a sore throat, and was admitted to a hospital where it was discovered that he was suffering internal bleeding as a result of having Crohn's disease and taking the pain reliever naproxen. It was erroneously reported by Peter Gammons that Mohorcic's bleeding was caused by swallowing sandpaper. He lives in Maple Heights, Ohio.
Robert Edward Kelly (born October 4, 1927) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for four seasons for the Chicago Cubs from 1951 to 1953, the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1953 and 1958, and the Cleveland Indians in 1958.
Kelly led East Cleveland Shaw High School to a state title in 1944, compiling a 7–2 record in 13 games with 75 strikeouts. He attended Purdue University, where he played college baseball for the Boilermakers from 1946 to 1947. Kelly also pitched collegiately for Western Reserve (now Case Western Reserve University) from 1948 to 1949. As of 2022, Kelly is the last surviving Major Leaguer to have been managed by Rogers Hornsby and Frankie Frisch.
Thomas Hubert Hume (born March 29, 1953) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, from 1977 to 1987. Hume was drafted by the Reds with the 16th pick in the 1st round of the 1972 amateur draft (secondary phase).
Hume came into his own in 1979 with the Reds when manager John McNamara started using him exclusively out of the bullpen in the latter part of July. Hume responded by recording 15 Saves over the last 10 weeks of the '79 season finishing runner-up to J. R. Richard of the Houston Astros for the National League lead with a 2.76 ERA.
Hume followed up his 1979 breakout season with perhaps the best season of his career in 1980. Hume finished with a 9-10 record, however posted a 2.56 ERA and recorded 25 saves, finishing a National League high 62 games. Hume was rewarded by being named the National League's Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News (sharing the award with Rollie Fingers).
Hume followed up his Fireman of the Year season by having another solid season in the strike shortened campaign of 1981, compiling a 9-4 record with a 3.46 ERA and chalking up 13 saves. Hume was off to a fast start to the 1982 season, heading into the All-Star break 3rd in the National League with 16 saves. Hume was named to the National League All-Star team and recorded the Save for the NL in a 4-1 victory over the American League.
Hume injured his knee and made his final appearance of the 1982 season on July 26, recording a save against the Cubs. 1983 and 1984 were lackluster seasons for Hume as he struggled to regain his form following knee surgery and could not regain his closer's role with the Reds.
Hume rebounded back to form in 1985 with a solid season as a setup man in the Reds bullpen. He was traded along with Gary Redus from the Reds to the Phillies for John Denny and Jeff Gray on December 11, 1985. Hume rewarded the Phillies with a solid 1986 season sporting a 4-1 record and 2.77 ERA in 46 appearances. Hume, however, slumped again in 1987 and was dealt back to the Reds in midseason, finishing out his career where he started.
Thomas Anthony Flanigan (September 6, 1934 – December 8, 2022) was an American professional baseball player: a 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), 175 lb (79 kg) left-handed pitcher who appeared in three Major League Baseball games over the course of a seven-year professional career — two games for the 1954 Chicago White Sox and one for the 1958 St. Louis Cardinals.
Flanigan began his third professional season at age 19 on the White Sox' MLB roster, and appeared in two games, both in relief, allowing no runs and only one hit (a single to Frank Bolling of the Detroit Tigers) in 12⁄3 innings pitched. After spending the rest of 1954, and all of 1955 through 1957, in minor league baseball, he was selected in the winter 1957 Rule 5 draft by the Cardinals and began 1958 on their roster. In his only National League appearance, against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium April 15, Flanigan hurled one inning in relief and allowed two hits and one run, the latter coming on a home run by Cub catcher Cal Neeman. He then was returned to the White Sox' Indianapolis Indians affiliate, from which he had been drafted.
Flanigan allowed three hits and one run in 22⁄3 MLB innings pitched, with two bases on balls and no strikeouts. In 246 minor league games from 1952 to 1958, he won 55 of 100 decisions.Flanigan died in Edgewood, Kentucky, on December 8, 2022, at the age of 88.