Jim Blackburn

Jim Blackburn was an American right-handed pitcher who appeared in 18 games in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds in 1948 and 1951. Born in Warsaw, Kentucky, in 1924, he stood 6 feet 4 inches. His professional career began in 1941 and was interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War II, in which he saw combat in the European Theatre, was wounded in the leg at the Battle of St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, and was taken prisoner. Recalled to Cincinnati in July 1948, he appeared in 16 games in relief for a second-division Reds club, and pitched two more games in 1951. In his 18 major league appearances, all in relief, he compiled an 0-2 record with a 5.50 ERA. Blackburn died in 1968.