Edward Frank "Moe" Burtschy (April 18, 1922 – May 2, 2004) was an American right-handed

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

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 ...

(

MLB 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 ...

) who played for the Philadelphia / Kansas City Athletics (1950, 1951, 1954–56). He was listed as tall and . He was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. After graduating from high school in 1940, Burtschy signed a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

contract, but he joined the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

in September 1940 and served aboard the . Following his military service, he returned to the minors in 1946, and, on June 17,

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

, he made his debut in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

with the Athletics. Burtschy made the only

start 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 * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

of his MLB career that year on August 1 against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a ballpark in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-south side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Built by Wh ...

; he allowed seven

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 ...

and six

earned 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 ...

s in 2

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 ...

, and absorbed the 8–1 defeat, his only big-league decision of the 1950 season. He missed much of the 1951 season with elbow surgery, and was assigned to Triple-A for all of 1952 and 1953. He then spent all of with the Athletics, his only full year in the majors. In 46

games pitched In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of ...

, tied for fifth in the American League, Burtschy won five, lost four, and notched four saves for the 54th and last Philadelphia Athletics team. In one unusual appearance, on June 26, 1954, Burtschy replaced Dutch Romberger in the tenth inning of an Athletics game against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. He walked Chuck Diering intentionally to load the bases. He then pitched wildly to Gil Coan who scored Dick Kryhoski with the winning run. After two victories in seven relief stints in April and early May, Burtschy was optioned to the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

of 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 ...

by the relocated

Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...

in May , and he posted an effective 3.02

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 29 games to earn another audition with parent Kansas City for . He put up a 3–1 record in 21 games during the season's early weeks, hurling for a second-division team. On May 29, 1956, he pitched two innings of hitless relief against the White Sox, then fell apart in the 12th, yielding three walks and a sacrifice to give Chicago a 7–4 win. His last appearance for the Athletics came on June 9; despite facing the minimum of three batters and holding Baltimore off the scoreboard, he allowed two hits, but each Oriole baserunner was erased

caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder wh ...

on throws from Athletics'

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Joe Ginsberg. Five days later, he was traded with

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

Bill Renna to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in a four-player deal that brought veteran

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Eddie Robinson back to the Athletics. The Yankees sent Burtschy back to Triple-A, where he played for two years before retiring from the game. In his 90-game MLB career, Burtschy compiled a 10–6 record, with 97

strikeout 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 ...

s, a 4.71

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 ...

, and four saves in 185

. After retiring, he worked as a freight salesman in the trucking industry. In November 1999 Burtschy joined Lou Limmer, Gus Zernial, Forrest "Spook" Jacobs, Joe Astroth, Art Ditmar and Joe DeMaestri for a reunion of members of the 1954 Philadelphia Athletics. The event was organized by the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society.''A's players return for reunion and collectors show'',

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough population was 8,300. Doylestown is located northwest of Trent ...

Intelligencer Record, October 27, 1999, Page 88. Moe Burtschy died of heart failure in

Delhi Township, Ohio Delhi Township ( ) is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 28,760 people in the township. It is the only Delhi Township statewide. History The area of modern-day Delhi Township was first s ...

at the age of 82.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burtschy, Moe 1922 births 2004 deaths Anniston Rams players Baseball players from Cincinnati Birmingham Barons players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbia Reds players Columbus Jets players Dayton Ducks players Denver Bears players Kansas City Athletics players 20th-century American sportsmen Lincoln A's players Major League Baseball pitchers Ottawa A's players Philadelphia Athletics players Portland Beavers players Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Savannah Indians players United States Navy personnel of World War II