Ken Reitz

Kenneth John Reitz
(Zamboni)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Jefferson High School (Daly City)
• Debut September 5, 1972
• Final Game June 3, 1982
• Born June 24, 1951 in San Francisco, CA USA
• Died March 31, 2021 in St. Charles, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ken Reitz was one of the best-fielding third basemen of his era but also one of the slowest runners in baseball. Playing most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, he put up decent offensive stats with a .260 lifetime batting average, although with few walks and little power, and was always overshadowed by contemporary Mike Schmidt. He was known for hitting extremely well in April, and fading as the year progressed.

He made his major league debut on September 5, 1972, starting at third base against the Montreal Expos; teammate Mike Tyson also made his debut that day, starting at second base. The two would anchor the Cardinals' infield until the end of the decade, except for the 1976 season, which Reitz spent with the San Francisco Giants.

In 1989, Reitz played for the Orlando Juice of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .343 in 60 games with the club. In 1990, Reitz played for the Daytona Beach Explorers of the SPBA. He played in 14 games and batted .240 before the league folded.

Reitz's brother, Roy Reitz, was a minor league OF/1B from 1963 to 1966.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1980)
• NL Gold Glove Winner (1975)

Further Reading

• Ken Reitz (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, August 1981, pp. 67-70. [1]