Jug Thesenga

Arnold Joseph Thesenga

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
• School Southern State Normal School
• Debut September 1, 1944
• Final Game September 25, 1944
• Born April 27, 1914 in Jefferson, SD USA
• Died December 3, 2002 in Wichita, KS USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jug Thesenga pitched five games at age 30 for the Washington Senators in 1944. He is one of relatively few major leaguers born in South Dakota.

Jug was interviewed for the book Hardball on the Home Front, which has a page on him. He was originally in the minors in 1935 with Sioux City and made it to the majors that very year - as a batting practice pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics. After a few years in the minors, he decided to stop traveling and instead play semi-pro ball. He worked in the defense industry as a tool-and-die worker in Wichita, KS and managed a baseball team. In 1944 he was a success in the National Baseball Congress World Series and the Senators signed him.

The article says he won more games in the National Baseball Congress World Series than anyone else. He is a member of the National Sandlot Hall of Fame and the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.

Related Sites

• Jug Thesenga at the SABR Bio Project