A really cool peak I’d imagine most baseball fans don’t know: Ted Kluszewski having four straight years where he had more homers than strikeouts while averaging 43 homers per year
January 2, 2025
A really cool peak I’d imagine most baseball fans don’t know: Ted Kluszewski having four straight years where he had more homers than strikeouts while averaging 43 homers per year
16 comments
Klu also led the league in GOAR – Guns Out Above Replacement
Man hit some unabombs
There’s some [fun context](https://sabr.org/journal/article/crosley-field-goat-run/) behind that, when the Reds brought in the right field fence at Crosley Field from 366 (deepest in the league) to 342 and added the “Goat Run” bleachers. Although 342 down the corner is actually pretty deep by modern standards, so that’s no shade towards Kluszewski.
He earned 20.9 of his 31.4 career rWAR those years.
If you add his 1952 season when he hit 16 home runs and had only 28 strikeouts he earned 24.6 of his 31.4 rWAR in 5 out of his 15 years in the league. And in 724 out of 1718 games played.
The umpires were too scared of him to call strikes
Big Klu! Hit two home runs for the White Sox in Game 1 of the 1959 World Series. His biceps were so big that he had to cut the sleeves off of his uniform.
Ted Kluszilliams
I was thinking who the hell won the MVP in 1954 if not this guy? Heck it was Willie Mays in his breakout year hitting .345 .411 .667
Big Klu was the hitting coach of the Big Red Machine 1970 to 1978.
Ted Kluszewski hit 14 more homers than he struck out in 1954, which is the 5th-highest HR-SO total in a single season, trailing only:
+19 — Tommy Holmes in 1945 (28 HR, 9 SO)
+18 — Lou Gehrig in 1934 (49, 31)
+17 — Joe DiMaggio in 1941 (30, 13)
+16 — Yogi Berra in 1950 (28, 12)
+14 — Ted Kluszewski in 1954 (49, 35)
Hit the gym and get a Klu
This is a fun fact
One of the most disciplined power hitters in MLB history.
The list sort of goes, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and then Ted Kluszewski.
You take out his last season, DiMaggio had more career HRs than strikeouts
one of those guys that I only know about because he pretty much always is a huge beast in my annual OOTP historical sim reruns
16 comments
Klu also led the league in GOAR – Guns Out Above Replacement
Man hit some unabombs
There’s some [fun context](https://sabr.org/journal/article/crosley-field-goat-run/) behind that, when the Reds brought in the right field fence at Crosley Field from 366 (deepest in the league) to 342 and added the “Goat Run” bleachers. Although 342 down the corner is actually pretty deep by modern standards, so that’s no shade towards Kluszewski.
He earned 20.9 of his 31.4 career rWAR those years.
If you add his 1952 season when he hit 16 home runs and had only 28 strikeouts he earned 24.6 of his 31.4 rWAR in 5 out of his 15 years in the league. And in 724 out of 1718 games played.
The umpires were too scared of him to call strikes
Big Klu! Hit two home runs for the White Sox in Game 1 of the 1959 World Series. His biceps were so big that he had to cut the sleeves off of his uniform.
Ted Kluszilliams
I was thinking who the hell won the MVP in 1954 if not this guy? Heck it was Willie Mays in his breakout year hitting .345 .411 .667
Big Klu was the hitting coach of the Big Red Machine 1970 to 1978.
Ted Kluszewski hit 14 more homers than he struck out in 1954, which is the 5th-highest HR-SO total in a single season, trailing only:
+19 — Tommy Holmes in 1945 (28 HR, 9 SO)
+18 — Lou Gehrig in 1934 (49, 31)
+17 — Joe DiMaggio in 1941 (30, 13)
+16 — Yogi Berra in 1950 (28, 12)
+14 — Ted Kluszewski in 1954 (49, 35)
Hit the gym and get a Klu
This is a fun fact
One of the most disciplined power hitters in MLB history.
The list sort of goes, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and then Ted Kluszewski.
You take out his last season, DiMaggio had more career HRs than strikeouts
one of those guys that I only know about because he pretty much always is a huge beast in my annual OOTP historical sim reruns
We talkin’ baseball 🎶