Charlie Rabe

Charles Henry Rabe

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Waxahachie High School
• Debut September 21, 1957
• Final Game June 4, 1958
• Born May 6, 1932 in Boyce, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

20-year-old left-hander Charlie Rabe was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cincinnati Reds before the 1952 season. He spent his initial season with the Lawton Reds of the class D Sooner State League, winning 13 games and losing 7 with a 2.24 ERA, and also making the All-Star team. This was a fine opening season for the young pitcher but he then spent the next two years (1953-1954) in the United States military during the Korean War.

Charlie arrived back to baseball in time for the 1955 season, and hooked up with the Columbia Reds of the class A South Atlantic League where he went 21-7 with a 2.01 ERA. His 21 wins along with 219 strikeouts plus his 2.01 ERA all led the league and gave Rabe a spot on the All-Star team. He did not fare so well in 1956, though, going 5-18 with a 4.79 ERA. In 1957 Rabe regained his poise and won 16 and lost 10 with a 3.37 ERA for the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. Charlie also got his first look at Crosley Field and the big league hitters, making two appearances for the now Cincinnati Redlegs and losing his only decision.

Rabe had high hopes in 1958 but he went 1-2 with the Seattle Rainiers with a 4.15 ERA. He also had his second and last chance at the major league level when he appeared in 9 contests for the Redlegs, lost all three of his decisions, along with a 4.34 ERA and saw the last of Crosley Field during his career. He closed out major league-wise with an 0-4 record and a 3.67 ERA. On June 23rd Charlie was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a multi-player deal that put Rabe with the Montreal Royals for the remainder of the year, and he produced a 6-8 record with a 3.37 ERA.

Charlie was only 27 years old and felt like he still had enough to pitch at the big league level. He spent the next five seasons (1959-1963) pitching in the high minors but never got another invite to the big show. He wound up his ten-year run (1952-1963) in the minor leagues with the Macon Peaches of the AA South Atlantic League with a 15-12 record that helped his team win the league pennant and he was chosen for the ALL-Star team one final time. Rabe ended his minor league career with 115 wins and 105 losses along with a fine 3.19 ERA.

Charlie was once quoted as saying that his greatest thrill in baseball was just being in the major leagues for a short time and giving up one of Hank Aaron's 755 home runs. The brother-in-law of 1958 Redlegs teammate Bob Purkey, he was later a security chief for General Motors, and retired to Mesa, AZ.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s
BR Minors page