Ken O'Dea

James Kenneth O'Dea

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut April 21, 1935
• Final Game August 6, 1946
• Born March 16, 1913 in Lima, NY USA
• Died December 17, 1985 in Lima, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"The Cards won Game 2, 3-2, in 11 innings, with Ken O’Dea coming through with the walk-off single." - from a Hall of Fame site article about the 1944 World Series

Ken O'Dea was a long-time catcher in the major leagues, playing twelve years, all in the National League. He was in five World Series, of which his teams won two.

Ken was born in Lima, NY, near Rochester, NY. He started in the minors at age 18, and spent four years working his way up the ladder, most notably hitting .335 between two clubs in 1932 in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. After the end of the 1934 season the Cards traded him to the Chicago Cubs, and he never again played in the minors.

Ken was a typical big league catcher in that he didn't play every day - the most games he ever appeared in during one year was 91, and even that was a lot higher than his second highest total of 72. When he wasn't starting, Ken did a lot of pinch-hitting, with a high in one season of 45 appearances as a pinch-hitter.

O'Dea was with the Cubs for four years, making his big league debut with them in 1934, backing up Gabby Hartnett and appearing in two World Series with them. After the 1938 season he was traded to the New York Giants in a six-player trade that also involved Billy Jurges and Dick Bartell.

He was with the Giants for three seasons, 1939 to 1941, not hitting particularly well. He backed up Harry Danning at catcher and his manager was Bill Terry. He was then traded back to his original team, the Cardinals, in a multi-player trade for Johnny Mize.

Ken spent most of the rest of his pro career with the Cardinals, from 1942 to 1946. He got the most playing time in his big league career in 1945 when he was in 100 games, and had 362 plate appearances. He was named to the unofficial All-Star team that year, although the game itself was not played because of World War II restrictions on travel. The Cardinals went to the World Series three consecutive years from 1942 to 1944, winning the Series twice. With the Cards, O'Dea backed up catcher Walker Cooper for manager Billy Southworth.

In his final big league season, Ken started with the Cardinals but was sold to the Boston Braves in mid-season in 1946. Between the two teams, he was in only 34 games that season.

Ken's best years with the bat were in 1936 and 1937, when he hit over .300 each year and posting a good OBP.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1945)
• Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1942 & 1944)