Stephen Paul Gerkin (November 19, 1912 – November 9, 1978) was an American right-handed pitcher in

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 ...

who played for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

of 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 ...

in its 1945 season.Steve Gerkin MLB statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on May 28, 2019. Born in

Grafton, West Virginia Grafton is a city in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 4,729 at the 2020 census. Located along the Tygart Valley River, it originally developed as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio ...

, Gerkin entered professional baseball a little late in his life. As a 32-year-old rookie, Gerkin was one of many minor league ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during wartime. Gerkin debuted with Class-B

Lancaster Red Roses The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named f ...

in 1943, where he had a record of 20-11, tying for the most wins in the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

, helping his team clinch the league pennant and the play-off championship. He was also selected for the All-Star Team. Afterwards, he would miss the 1944 season while serving in the United States Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After his discharge from military, he was obtained by the Athletics from Lancaster as part of a minor league working agreement late in 1944. Although he pitched in the majors for only one year, Gerkin was the longtime holder of one of baseball's least coveted records, as he recorded 12 losses without a single win in the season. No pitcher in MLB amassed as many losses in a winless season until

Terry Felton Terry Lane Felton (born October 29, 1957) is a former pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Felton holds some of the most dubious pitching records in Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball (MLB) history, including the most consecutive losses to ...

went 0–13 for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

in the 1982 season. Gerkin still holds the record for most

quality start In baseball, a quality start (QS) is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start was developed by sportswriter John Lowe in ...

s in a career (7) without recording a win. He held the record for most career games started (12) without a win until 2021, when he was passed by Johan Oviedo. If Oviedo wins a game, the record will be shared by Gerkin and

Paul Brown Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American American football, football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the National Football League (NFL), and the American Football League (AFL). ...

of 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 ...

, who did it in 1962.Paul Brown statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on May 28, 2019. Nevertheless, Gerkin had a decent career in the minors while playing for various MLB affiliate teams and in the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

, posting an overall record of 71-43 with a 3.96

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 ...

in a span of six seasons from 1943–1953. He never had a losing season.Steve Gerkin MiLB statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on May 28, 2019. His most productive season came in 1947, when he went 10–2 for Triple-A

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

and earned the American Association MVP Award. In between, Gerkin played winterball for the Tigres de Marianao and Leones del Habana clubs of the

Cuban League The Cuban League ( Spanish: ''Liga cubana'') was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the ...

in the 1947-1948 season. Gerkin finished his baseball career in 1953 at the age of 40. He then became a chef in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

before retiring in 1968 to

Bay Pines, Florida Bay Pines is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,931 at the 2010 census. The community is home to Bay Pines Veterans Hospital and Bay Pines National Cemetery. Historic district The B ...

, where he became a long time resident. Gerkin died in 1978, at Veterans Hospital in Bay Pines, eleven days short of his 66th birthday.

Sources

External links

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Retrosheet
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Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerkin, Steve 1912 births 1978 deaths American Association (1902–1997) MVP Award winners Baseball players from West Virginia Columbus Red Birds players Duluth Dukes players Habana players Lancaster Red Roses players Major League Baseball pitchers Marianao players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Baseball players from Pinellas County, Florida People from Grafton, West Virginia Philadelphia Athletics players 20th-century American sportsmen Rochester Red Wings players Salem Senators players Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo players Tuneros de San Luis Potosí players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Chefs from West Virginia