Lou Koupal

From BR Bullpen

Louis Laddie Koupal

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

Lou Koupal, who had a long minor-league career between 1923 and 1941, had three stints in the majors. He had a couple cups of coffee in 1925-26, came back to play as a starter / reliever in 1928-30, and then came back in the same role in 1937.

Koupal, born in South Dakota, pitched in the Midwest from 1923-25. In 1926 he went 13-5 for Buffalo. In each of 1925 and 1926 he also appeared in six games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His 3.20 ERA for the 1926 Pirates was better than the team ERA of 3.67.

He was in the minors for all of 1927, going 13-14 for Indianapolis. Dixie Leverett was the Indianapolis team's top pitcher with a 15-12 record. Koupal would come to the majors the following season, while Leverett would stay in Indianapolis to win 19 games in 1928.

After spending 1928-29 and part of 1930 in the majors, Koupal was with the minor league Baltimore Orioles for half of 1930 (going 7-4) and all of 1931 (going 7-8). He then pitched in the PCL from 1932-36 and 1938-39. He went 16-6 and 16-9 in 1932-33 and then, most notably, was 23-11 for Seattle in 1936, where Dick Barrett also went 22-13. Koupal came to the majors in 1937, but Barrett stayed for many more years in Seattle (although he, too, came back to the majors in 1943).

Koupal, at age 38, was not the oldest player on the 1937 Browns. That honor went to player-manager Rogers Hornsby, who was 41. Jim Bottomley, also on the team, was 37.

After his time with the Browns, Koupal pitched four more seasons in the minors. With the San Francisco Seals, he was a teammate of Dom DiMaggio and player-manager Lefty O'Doul.

Koupal also appeared in the integrated California Winter League for eight seasons between 1926-37, facing Negro Leagues stars such as Cool Papa Bell.

Related Sites[edit]

Retrieved from "https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=Lou_Koupal&oldid=1304784"