Paul Alspach

Paul Edwin Alspach
(Zeke)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 168 lb.
• High School Canal Winchester High School

• Born February 28, 1942 in Canal Winchester, OH USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Paul Alspach pitched in the New York Mets organization from 1962 to 1966. A hard thrower, he compiled high strikeout and walk totals over the years.

He pitched for three different teams in his first season, the Auburn Mets of the New York-Penn League, the Quincy Jets of the Midwest League, and for three gaes, the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League. His combined record was 9-5, 3.94, with 138 strikeouts in 128 innings, and 104 walks. In 8 innings in AAA, he struck out 9 - but also walked 11. In 1963, he spent most of the season with Auburn, making 19 starts in 21 appearances, and also pitched 7 times in relief for the Raleigh Mets of the Carolina League. In Auburn, he was 10-9, 4.41. On August 11th, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Batavia Pirates, he struck out 24 batters to break the league record, while his opponent, Andrew Daviault, notched 16, for a combined total of 40, also a league record. Auburn won, 1-0, as both pitchers went the distance. The 24 Ks were considered to be the second -highest total in minor league history, second only to Ron Necciai's famous 27-strikeout game in 1952. Alspach racked up 192 Ks in 152 innings, also walking 65. He added another 10 K in 11 innings for Raleigh for a total of 202 on the year.

There was some talk after Alspach's great game that he would be called up to the majors, as Necciai had been, but instead, he spent 1964 in the California League, with the Salinas Mets. There he had his best overall season, going 14-4, 3.23 in 31 games and striking out 186 in 198 innings, with 93 walks. He pitched well again in 1965, but it was back with Auburn as for some reason the Mets did not seem to be interested in trying him out against higher-level competition. He went 13-5, 3.63, in 27 games, including 12 starts, pitching 114 innings and striking out 148 batters. He did get a brief look-see with the AAA Buffalo Bisons, but it was just for 7 games in relief, for a total of 10 innings. He went 0-1, 6.30, walked 8 and struck out 7. And he was back in Class A again in 1966, this time with the Greenville Mets of the Western Carolinas League. It was another good season, as he was 12-8, 3.50 in 32 games, including 21 starts. His strikeout rate was down, but still good enough for 123 Ks in 144 innings, against 97 walks.

He retired after that and became a professional barber in his hometown of Canal Winchester, OH eventually owning his own barbershop and retiring in 2008.

Further Reading

• "Paul 'Zeke' Alspach a retired barber now", The Columbus Dispatch, December 29, 2008. [1]
• Kurt Blumenau: "August 11, 1963: Auburn, Batavia combine for 40 strikeouts to set new league record", SABR Games Project. [2]