1929
Born April 29, 1929
Yonkers, NY, USA
Steve Ridzik Marquee
b. April 29, 1929 · Philadelphia Phillies 1950, 1952–1955, 1966, Cincinnati Redlegs 1955, New York Giants 1956–1957, Cleveland Indians 1958, Washington Senators 1963–1965
Ridzik's career shifted fully into relief with Washington. He posted a 2.89 earned run average across 49 appearances in 1964, then made a career-high 63 trips to the mound in 1965, going 6-4 with eight saves and 72 strikeouts in 109 innings.
Twelve seasons gave him a 39-38 record, 11 saves, 406 strikeouts and a 3.79 earned run average in 782 innings. He started 48 of his 314 appearances, completing four games and throwing one shutout. His largest starting season came for Philadelphia in 1953, when he went 9-6.
Ridzik debuted with the Phillies in 1950, moved to Cincinnati during 1955 and later pitched for the Giants and Indians. After four seasons outside the majors, he returned with Washington in 1963. Two final appearances for Philadelphia in 1966 completed the second Phillies stint. He died in 2008, at seventy-eight.
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | PHI | 24 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .136 |
| 1953 | PHI | 42 | 36 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 0 | .194 |
| 1954 | PHI | 35 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .227 |
| 1955 | CIN/PHI | 16 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .100 |
| 1956 | NYG | 44 | 28 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .250 |
| 1957 | NYG | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 |
| 1958 | CLE | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1963 | WSA | 20 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .172 |
| 1964 | WSA | 49 | 27 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | .222 |
| 1965 | WSA | 63 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .167 |
| 1966 | PHI | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Career | — | 318 | 198 | 16 | 38 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 52 | 0 | .192 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6.00 |
| 1952 | PHI | 4 | 2 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 92.2 | 74 | 31 | 37 | 43 | 3.01 |
| 1953 | PHI | 9 | 6 | 42 | 12 | 0 | 124.0 | 119 | 52 | 48 | 53 | 3.77 |
| 1954 | PHI | 4 | 5 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 80.2 | 72 | 37 | 44 | 45 | 4.13 |
| 1955 | CIN/PHI | 0 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 41.0 | 42 | 18 | 22 | 12 | 3.95 |
| 1956 | NYG | 6 | 2 | 41 | 5 | 0 | 92.1 | 80 | 39 | 65 | 53 | 3.80 |
| 1957 | NYG | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 4.72 |
| 1958 | CLE | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2.08 |
| 1963 | WSA | 5 | 6 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 89.2 | 82 | 48 | 35 | 47 | 4.82 |
| 1964 | WSA | 5 | 5 | 49 | 3 | 2 | 112.0 | 96 | 36 | 31 | 60 | 2.89 |
| 1965 | WSA | 6 | 4 | 63 | 0 | 8 | 109.2 | 108 | 49 | 43 | 72 | 4.02 |
| 1966 | PHI | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7.71 |
| Career | — | 39 | 38 | 314 | 48 | 11 | 782.2 | 709 | 330 | 351 | 406 | 3.79 |
On this day & linked events
2008
Died January 8, 2008
1950
Major-league debut: Steve Ridzik
Steve Ridzik made a major-league debut on September 4, 1950.
1966
Final major-league game: Steve Ridzik
Steve Ridzik played a final major-league game on May 10, 1966.
Image: Bowman Gum, public domain