Ken Heintzelman

Kenneth Alphonse Heintzelman (1915-2000) was an American left-handed pitcher who played all or part of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1937 and 1952. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1937 to 1942 and again in 1946 and 1947, then for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1947 through 1952. He made his major league debut in October 1937 with a complete-game victory over the Cincinnati Reds. His most productive season came in 1949, when he went 17-10, led the National League with five shutouts, and finished ninth in National League Most Valuable Player voting. In 1950 he was a veteran member of the Phillies' "Whiz Kids" team that won the National League pennant, and he started Game 3 of the 1950 World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds, he threw left-handed and batted right-handed. His major league career spanned the years surrounding World War II. His son, Tom Heintzelman, played in the major leagues as an infielder during the 1970s.