Howie Krist

Howard Wilbur Krist
(Spud)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Rush-Henrietta High School
• Debut September 12, 1937
• Final Game September 7, 1946
• Born February 28, 1916 in West Henrietta, NY USA
• Died April 23, 1989 in Buffalo, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Howie Krist pitched 11 seasons between 1935 and 1946, six in the Major Leagues and seven in the minors, losing two years to the military. He joined the the U.S. Army on May 16, 1944 during World War II and was discharged on January 23, 1946 (BN) but a combat wound all but ended his baseball career.

Signed as a free agent by Pop Kelchner, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1937 to 1946. He won ten straight games in 1941 and led National League pitchers in winning percentage (.813; 13-3) in 1942. Krist's 10-0 record in 1941, his first full season, is the third-best undefeated season ever. In spite of this brilliant record, he was not used in the Cardinals' World Series win over the New York Yankees in 1942. Usually a reliever, he threw three shutouts in 1943, but arm trouble and a two-year army hitch soon ended his effectiveness, and he was once again left on the sidelines when the Cardinals won another World Series title in 1946. He did pitch one scoreless inning in a losing cause in the 1943 World Series against the Yankees. (FJO).

His son was a high school athletic rival of former Daily Star sports editor Jud Magrin. He then owned and operated a furniture store for 32 years. He died at age 73 after a long illness in the Veterans hospital in Buffalo, NY and is buried at Delevan Cemetery in Delevan, NY.

Notable Achievements

• NL Winning percentage Leader (1942)
• Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1942 & 1946; he played in neither World Series)

Related Sites

• Howie Krist at the SABR Bio Project