Lou Klimchock
Louis Stephen Klimchock
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
- High School Latrobe High School
- Debut September 27, 1958
- Final Game August 2, 1970
- Born October 15, 1939 in Hostetter, PA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Lou Klimchock played 12 seasons in the major leagues. He was 18 years old when he broke in with the Kansas City Athletics in 1958, the youngest player in the American League. His first major league hit came off 19-year-old Stover McIlwain of the Chicago White Sox, making it the first time in the major leagues that a teenager had homered off another teenager. Only twice in his major league career did he get over 100 at-bats in a season, with 1969 being the year when he got his most at-bats, 258, as a back-up infielder with the Cleveland Indians. He hit .287 that year, a year in which the American League as a whole hit .246.
Klimchock dominated the Pioneer League in 1958, hitting .398 with the Pocatello A's to lead the league. He won a second minor league batting title in 1964, when he hit .334 for the Denver Bears of the Pacific Coast League.
He managed the Reno Silver Sox in the California League in 1972 and 1973. The team's overall record under his leadership was 120-158, finishing 8th in 1972 and tied for 4th in 1973. That ended Lou's baseball career - he worked for Coors Brewing in Denver, CO and later Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Phoenix, AZ before retiring in 1990.
As of 2004 he was coaching a club team in Phoenix that included his grandson, Mitch Nay, who was later drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the supplemental first round (58th pick) of the 2012 amateur draft. As of 2007, Lou was president of the Arizona Major League Alumni association and has been active in fund raising for youth baseball and the Baseball Assistance Team.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 1958 MVP Pioneer League Pocatello A's
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Reno Silver Sox | California League | 50-88 | 8th | Cleveland Indians | |
| 1973 | Reno Silver Sox | California League | 70-70 | 4th (t) | Cleveland Indians |
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