Herb Karpel

Herbert Karpel (Lefty)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9½", Weight 180 lb.
• Debut April 19, 1946
• Final Game April 20, 1946
• Born December 27, 1917 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died January 24, 1995 in San Diego, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Left-hander Herb Karpel signed as an amateur free agent with the New York Yankees before the 1937 season. Herb spent the first six of his seasons in the minor leagues (1937-1942). He had five double-digit winning seasons during this run, with the first of his two best seasons coming in 1939 when he went 19-9 with a 3.89 ERA for the Amsterdam Rugmakers of the class C Canadian-American League and he had an almost perfect year in 1942 for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association, with a 11-1 record and a 2.48 ERA.

Karpel spent the next three years with the United States Army, in the Euorpean Theater of Operations during World War II, and was mustered out in time for the 1946 season. He made his major league Debut with the New York Yankees on April 19, 1946. Herb appeared in two games with no decisions for the Yankees, ending his first and only shot at the big leagues, and spent the rest of the season with the Newark Bears of the International League winning 14 times and losing 8 with a league-leading 2.41 ERA. Herb was with Newark again in 1947, had a 9-11 record and a 4.42 ERA, while appearing in 33 games.

Herb spent four more seasons in baseball (1948-1951), all in the Pacific Coast League with the Seattle Rainiers and the Hollywood Stars, winning 29 and losing 35 and called it a career in 1951. He had 12 years in the minors with a 128-95 record, appearing in 394 games, for a .574 won-lost percentage.

After baseball Herb made his home In San Diego, CA where he lived and worked until an early retirement caused by diabetes, hypertension and dementia. Herbert Karpel died on January 24, 1995 at Kaiser Hospital in San Diego from pneumonia, ten days after suffering a stroke.