Jack Kralick

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John Francis Kralick

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Biographical Information[edit]

Jack Kralick was a lefthanded pitcher for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians, from 1959 to 1967. A starter for most of his career, he is best remembered for pitching a no-hitter for the Twins against the Kansas City Athletics on August 26, 1962. He was two outs away from a perfect game when he walked George Alusik and had to settle for a no-hit 1-0 complete game shutout. He went 12-11 that year, one of four consecutive seasons in which he posted double figures in wins between 1961 and 1964. It was during this streak of seasons that he was traded from the Twins to the Indians in return for Jim Perry on May 3, 1963.

Kralick was originally signed by the Chicago White Sox before the 1955 season, but was released in June 1958 before having made the majors. He had a tough first season in professional ball in 1955, going 7-14 between the Madisonville Miners of the Kitty League and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Western League. However, he showed his first flashes of talent in 1956, posting a solid record of 11-10, 3.85 for the Duluth-Superior White Sox of the Northern League. He was 8-7, with a sparkling 2.57 ERA for the same team in 1957, but in 1958, he was released after going 1-1, 4.20 in only six games for the Davenport DavSox of the Three-I League.

He was signed by the Senators after the 1958 season and immediately made his major league debut on April 15, 1959. However, having at that point only pitched in what would today be single-A ball, he was sent back down to the minor leagues after six games. He then pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association, going 7-11, 3.53. In spite of his spotty minor league record, he made the Show for good in 1960. He went 8-6 in 35 games that first full season, completing 7 of his 15 starts and posting 2 shutouts. The Senators moved to Minnesota after the season while Kralick became one of the team's reliable starters behind Jim Kaat, Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual. On August 20th of that year, he was part of a rare feat as he and teammate Al Schroll both homered; it is one of only six times that two pitchers have hit a home run in one game for the same team, and the last time the feat has been performed.

Kralick gained a measure of fame for his no-hitter in 1962 and by then was a reliable inning-eating starter. He was described as "lacking an overpowering fastball" and thus relying mostly on his curveball for success. He had solid ERAs in his three full years as a member of the Senators and Twins pitching staff, posting an ERA+ better than 100 every season. In 1963, he was only 1-5 when he was traded to the Indians, but pitched much better after the trade, going 13-9, 2.92 for his new team. In 1964, he was named to the All-Star team for the only time of his career, in a year in which he went 12-7, 3.21. He was not used in the game, then fell off a cliff in 1965. He lost his spot in the starting rotation after 16 starts while going 5-11, 4.92 (at a time when offensive numbers were falling all around baseball). In late August, he got in a celebrated fight with roommate Gary Bell, reportedly over the choice of television channels in their hotel room in Washington, DC. Kralick lost a tooth and had to have nine stitches performed to close some facial lacerations.

The fight probably does not come as a huge surprise for those who followed Kralick's career, as he had a reputation as a difficult person. Cleveland sportswriter Russ Schneider named him as the lefthanded pitcher on his all-time team of worst guys he had to deal with. The rest of Kralick's career was typical for a pitcher who no longer had the stuff to get major league batters out. He spent 1966 as a long reliever, pitching only 68 innings with a record of 3-4, 3.82. He then pitched two games in relief early in the 1967 season, losing both, before his contract was sold to the New York Mets on May 1st. He never pitched for his new team however, as he was involved in a car accident shortly after the transaction which left him with a cracked rib and double vision. His vision only cleared up at the end of the year, at which point he had lost the desire to pitch again. He moved to Watertown, SD, where he worked for a school supply company. In the mid 1980s, he moved to the fishing village of San Blas, Nayarit in Mexico and lived there for the remainder of his life. He passed away in 2012 after a series of strokes.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • AL All-Star (1964)
  • 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1961-1963)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Terry Pluto: "Kralick versus Bell", in Brad Sullivan, ed.: Batting Four Thousand: Baseball in the Western Reserve, SABR, Cleveland, OH, 2008, pp. 62-63.

Related Sites[edit]

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