Lew Krausse (krausle02)

Lewis Bernard Krausse Jr.

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 186 lb.
• High School Chester (PA) High School
• Debut June 16, 1961
• Final Game September 23, 1974
• Born April 25, 1943 in Media, PA USA
• Died February 16, 2021 in Holt, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Son of Lew Krausse, Lew Krausse pitched 12 years in the majors, starting as the youngest player in the big leagues in 1961 and posting an ERA in the top ten in the American League in 1966.

He started the first home game in the history of the Oakland Athletics, facing the Baltimore Orioles at the Oakland Coliseum on April 17, 1968. Fifty years later to the day, on April 17, 2018, he returned to the Coliseum to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the game marking the team's 50th anniversary. The A's had granted fans free admission on this special occasion, so over 46,000 persons were on hand to witness the game. Two years after making A's history, he did the same for the Milwaukee Brewers, as the starting pitcher in their first-ever game on April 7, 1970.

Krausse was a star at Chester High School, pitching several no-hitters. Immediately upon graduation he signed with the Kansas City Athletics on June 8, 1961 for a bonus of $125,000, the largest in history at the time. He made his major league debut one week later, throwing a three-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels on June 16th. However, after this fantastic debut, he lost his next five starts and made only two more starts the rest of the season. Still he ended the year on a good, note with a complete game 3-2 win over the Washington Senators on September 17th, to finish at 2-5, 4.85 in 12 games. He then spent the next two seasons in the minors before coming back to Kansas in !1964. He did not get fully established as a major leaguer until 1966, however. Source: Delaware County Sports Legends

He passed away from cancer in February 2021, at age 77.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1970)

Further Reading

• JR Radcliffe: "Lew Krausse, who threw first pitch in Brewers history, dies at 77", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 18, 2021. [1]

Related Sites

• Lew Krausse at the SABR Bio Project