Welton Claude Ehrhardt (November 20, 1894 – April 27, 1980) was a

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 ...

. He pitched from 1924 to 1929 with the Brooklyn Robins and

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 ...

. A right-hander, Ehrhardt's career was delayed while he served in the Navy in World War I, so that he was nearly 30 by the time he made his Major League debut. Ehrhardt was the losing pitcher in that debut on July 18, 1924, throwing a complete game but losing 4–0 to Eppa Rixey and the

. A month later, Ehrhardt turned the tables, outpitching Rixey in a 9–4 victory on Aug. 17 for the Robins, all four runs allowed being unearned due to his team's four errors. Ehrhardt's next start, four days later, came in

Chicago 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 ...

, where he shut out the Cubs 2–0 with a four-hitter,

Zack Wheat Zachariah Davis Wheat (May 23, 1888 – March 11, 1972), nicknamed "Buck", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left fielder from 1909 to 1927, most notably as a member of the Brooklyn Do ...

driving in both of Brooklyn's runs. After winning five games during that 1924 season, Ehrhardt had his best year in 1925, winning 10 games. Dazzy Vance (22-9), Burleigh Grimes (12-19) and Ehrhardt were the Robins' top starters that year. In his final appearance of the season, on Oct. 1, 1925, Ehrhardt was the losing pitcher but did hit his only home run. It came off Jimmy Ring in a 6–5 loss to 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 ...

. In 1926 and 1927, working mostly out of the bullpen, he ranked first in the National League in games finished, making 46 appearances during the 1927 season. On April 18, 1929, Ehrhardt was traded to the Reds. He appeared in 24 games that season, all but one in relief. The start came In the final appearance of his career, on Oct. 5, 1929, when Ehrhardt pitched a complete-game shutout in Cincinnati to defeat the Cubs 9–0. It was a five-hitter, Kiki Cuyler getting two of Chicago's hits. Ehrhardt had a single at the plate in that final game. He reportedly worked in a

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A south suburb of Chicago, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its nicknames include "The Cro ...

steel mill for 20 years following his retirement from baseball. Ehrhardt is buried in Trinity Lutheran cemetery in

Crete, Illinois Crete is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. It is a far south suburb of Chicago, 30 miles from the Loop and only 6 miles from the Indiana border. The population was 8,465 at the 2020 census. Originally named Wood's Corner, it ...

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1894 births 1980 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Brooklyn Robins players Cincinnati Reds players Duluth White Sox players Columbus Senators players Moline Plowboys players Peoria Tractors players Sportspeople from Chicago Heights, Illinois Baseball players from Cook County, Illinois 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1890s-stub