Ken Holtzman, a prolific pitcher who threw two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs, helped the Oakland A’s win three consecutive World Series titles in the 1970s and won another World Series title with the New York Yankees in 1977, has died at the age of 78.
Born in St. Louis, Holtzman played for the University of Illinois in the same year he made his Wrigley Field debut, beginning a distinguished 15-year career that also featured stops with the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.
Holtzman had not yet reached his 20th birthday when the Cubs promoted him in 1965 to face Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants. His teammates that day included Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo, three Hall of Famers who connected generations of Cubs fans.
Holtzman became a workhorse, exerting himself to a level that would be unimaginable in today’s game. The left-hander accounted for at least 215 innings in nine different seasons. He made 39 starts for the 1969 Cubs, a team remembered for an epic late-season collapse that was seared into the franchise’s history.
The Cubs traded Holtzman to the A’s after the 1971 season in exchange for outfielder Rick Monday. Getting traded to Oakland back then meant something much different than the current situation in the Bay Area. It was an opportunity to become part of a dynasty.
Holtzman thrived alongside pitchers such as Catfish Hunter and Vida Blue, winning at least one World Series game in 1972, 1973 and 1974. He earned the only two All-Star selections of his career in 1972 and 1973. During the 1973 regular season alone, Holtzman made 40 starts and threw almost 300 innings.
His output was so prodigious his name would be mentioned in the run-up to the 2016 World Series and the aftermath of the franchise’s first championship in more than a century.
Jake Arrieta’s two no-hitters in 2015 and 2016 matched Holtzman’s two no-hitters. Holtzman’s production with the Cubs is similar to some of Jon Lester’s numbers as a left-handed pitcher in Chicago. As Kyle Hendricks has become the team’s longest-tenured player, he’s passed Holtzman (1,447 innings) on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard. It’s hard to find a homegrown lefty as good as Holtzman, a throwback from another era.
(Photo: Sporting News / Getty Images)
