Donald Herbert Carlsen (October 15, 1926 – September 22, 2002) was an American right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. Born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Carlsen was signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1944 at age 17. After one season as a fielder, he spent two years in military service. Afterward, he pitched at Pepperdine University and the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

and worked his way through the minor leagues until he got promoted to the Cubs in 1948. He made his one and only appearance for Chicago on April 28, allowing 4 earned runs in just one inning of relief work as the Cubs lost 8–1 to

Johnny Vander Meer John Samuel Vander Meer (November 2, 1914 – October 6, 1997) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he became the on ...

and the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. From 1948 through 1950, Carlsen pitched in the Cubs' minor league system. On December 21, 1950, he was purchased from the Cubs by the Hollywood entry in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. He was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the start of the 1951 season but split the year between the Pirates and the minors. With the Pirates in 1951, Carlsen appeared in seven games, starting six. He earned his first major league win on August 19 against his former club, the Cubs, and won his second six days later against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. Those would end up being the only two wins of Carlsen's career, but he finished the season with respectable numbers of two wins, three losses, two complete games, and a 4.19

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. The right-hander made his final five major league appearances in 1952 with the Pirates, starting one game. In ten total innings, he allowed 12 earned runs on 20 hits and five walks, making his final appearance on May 24 before returning to the minors. He remained there until 1954, finishing his career with the

Williamsport Grays The Williamsport Grays were a minor league baseball team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania between 1923 and 1962. The club began play in 1923 in the New York–Pennsylvania League and were a charter member of the Eastern League in 1938. The team wa ...

in the Pirates' minor league system at age 27. For his career, Carlsen appeared in 13 games (7 starts), winning two and losing four with a 6.00 ERA. Carlsen died in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, on September 22, 2002, aged 75.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlsen, Don 1926 births 2002 deaths Chicago Cubs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Chicago Nashville Vols players Marion Diggers players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Hollywood Stars players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Denver Bears players Williamsport Grays players 20th-century American sportsmen