Kelly Wunsch

Kelly Douglas Wunsch

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 5", Weight 225 lb.
• School Texas A&M University
• High School Bellaire (TX) High School
• Debut April 3, 2000
• Final Game July 7, 2005
• Born July 12, 1972 in Houston, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Kelly Wunsch was a first-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, with the 26th overall selection, in the 1993 amateur draft, out of Texas A&M University. However, it took him until 2000 to reach the majors, by which time he was a member of the Chicago White Sox. He had previously been drafted in the 54th round of the 1990 amateur draft, coming out of high school, by the Atlanta Braves, but had decided to go on to college.

He spent five of his six major league seasons with the White Sox, who had signed him as a minor league free agent before the 2000 season. He made their Opening Day roster that year and made an American League-leading 83 appearances for Chicago that season as the team's lefty short-relief specialist (he pitched just 61 1/3 innings). He had a very good year, going 6-3, 2.93 with one save , and he got to pitch in the postseason for the only time of his career. He appeared in three games in the Division Series against the Seattle Mariners. He did not give up an earned run in one inning, but the only unearned run charged to him in Game 3 on October 6th resulted in a loss. He entered that game in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied at 1-1, and gave up a single to the only batter he faced, John Olerud, who hit the ball back to him; he compounded the problem by making a wild throw to first base, allowing Olerud to advance to second base. He was then replaced by Keith Foulke and Rickey Henderson ran for Olerud. A sacrifice bunt, a walk and a single by Carlos Guillen ended the game and the series.

A LOOGY's life can be rough, and in 2001, he was back in the minors for a spell after putting up an ERA of 7.66 in 33 games. He bounced back in 2002, going 2-1, 3.41 in 50 games, then in 2003 had no decisions - win, loss or save - in 43 games, with an ERA of 2.75. He seemed to be one of the better pitchers filling his very specialized role, but only made 3 appearances for the Pale Hose in 2004, totaling just 2 innings, while spending the bulk of the season in AAA with the Charlotte Knights. Following that season, he moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent and played one more year in the majors in 2005, going 1-1, 4.56 in 45 games. His usage that year was the most extreme of his career, as he logged only 23 2/3 innings. As a specialist, he was good at preventing base hits, allowing just 136 in 177 innings, but he walked 97 batters, so his WHIP of 1.316 was not that great.

As of 2023, is the only player in Major League history with a last name that starts with "Wun." There are currently no minor leaguers that have a chance of threatening this title any time soon, with the most recent being Philip Wunderlich, who last pitched in 2013.

Notable Achievements

• AL Games Pitched Leader (2000)