Lynn Richard Lovenguth (November 29, 1922 – September 29, 2000) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player. The 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, ...

played for 16 seasons (1946–61) in

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

, with two Major League trials for the 1955

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 ...

and the 1957

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

. He batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Lynn attended

Camden High School (Camden, New York) Camden High School is a public high school in the village of Camden, New York. The school district includes the towns of Camden, Vienna, Annsville, and Florence in northwestern Oneida County and the town of Osceola in southwestern Lewis Count ...

and was signed by the

in 1946 as a free agent. Lovenguth won 193 games during his minor league career (losing 174), including two 20-win seasons. In 1956, he was named the

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

's pitcher of the year after he posted a 24–12 record and a 2.68

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 39 games and 279

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. The native of

Camden, New York Camden is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,934 at the 2010 census. The town of Camden contains a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village also called ...

, played in nine Major League organizations. In the Majors, Lovenguth appeared in 16 games, going winless in two decisions and 20

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

in 27 innings. He issued 16

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), better known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches during a plate appearance that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The bas ...

and gave up 23

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

for a 1.444

WHIP A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

. He was given his only

starting Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Starts use in sport race * Standing start, and rolling start, i ...

assignment in what would be his last big-league game, on September 27, 1957, against 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 ...

. He went into the eighth inning with the Cardinals holding a 2–1 lead; Lovenguth had surrendered only three hits and one

unearned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

. But the Cubs rallied in the eighth and scored twice on three hits to pin Lovenguth with the 3–2 defeat. Lynn Lovenguth died at age 77 in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley, located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, with a small portion bordering Portland. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was ...

References

External links

1922 births 2000 deaths Baseball players from Oneida County, New York Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Jets players Lincoln A's players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Camden, New York Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Rochester Red Wings players Rome Colonels players St. Louis Cardinals players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Schenectady Blue Jays players Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Giants players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Utica Blue Sox players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1920s-stub