Ted Kluszewski

Theodore Bernard Kluszewski (September 10, 1924 – March 29, 1988), nicknamed "Big Klu", was an American professional baseball player, best known as a power-hitting first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1950s. He played from 1947 through 1961 with four teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), spending 11 of those 15 seasons with the Reds, and became famous for his bulging biceps and mammoth home runs.

Kluszewski was a four-time National League (NL) All-Star who hit at least .300 seven times, and 40 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons. He retired with a .298 lifetime batting average, 279 home runs, and 1,028 runs batted in (RBI) in 1,718 games.

On August 25, 1959, the Chicago White Sox acquired Kluszewski from the Pittsburgh Pirates in return for pitcher Robert Sagers and outfielder Harry Simpson. The veteran hit .297 in 31 games and helped the "Go-Go White Sox" clinch the American League pennant. In six games versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in that year's World Series, Kluszewski hit .391 with three home runs and drove in 10 runs.

Kluszewski ranks among the all-time Reds leaders in home runs (sixth), slugging percentage (sixth), on-base plus slugging percentage (eighth), and RBIs (ninth). His .642 slugging percentage, 1.049 OPS, and home run rate of one per 11.4 at-bats in the 1954 season have been team records for seven decades. In 1962, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Early life and athletic success Kluszewski was born of Polish descent in Summit, Illinois, west of Comiskey Park in Chicago, where he played with the White Sox in the 1959 and 1960 seasons. He was a star football and baseball player at Argo Community High School. He went on to Indiana University in Bloomington, where he also played both sports. In 1945, he was part of the Hoosiers football powerhouse that finished with a 9–0–1 record. The same year he hit .443 with their baseball team.

Minor league career Due to wartime travel restrictions, the Cincinnati Reds, who normally held spring training in Tampa, Florida, were forced to train at Indiana University from to . As a student-athlete at the college, Kluszewski drew the attention of Reds groundskeeper Matty Schwab, who saw him launch several balls over an embankment near the baseball diamond, a 500-plus-foot distance that none of the Reds players were able to reach at the plate. Team scouts were similarly impressed, but Kluszewski, who also was a standout tight end on the Hoosiers football squad, was reluctant to sign a contract because he did not want to jeopardize his collegiate eligibility. Instead, he waited until after graduation in .

After Kluszewski produced .325 and .377 batting averages in two minor league seasons, it was only a matter of time for his big promotion.

Trademark fashion statement

Early in the 1948 season, the 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), 225-pound (102 kg) Kluszewski became a regular player. He became noted across the league for his physical strength. When asked to name the five strongest players in baseball, manager Leo Durocher left Kluszewski off his list, later joking, "I'm talking about human beings!"

Much to the chagrin of team management, Kluszewski made a bold fashion statement when he cut off both sleeves of his jersey. He explained that they constricted his enormous biceps and shoulders and limited his ability to swing a baseball bat freely: "They got pretty upset, but it was either that or change my swing — and I wasn't about to change my swing."

Major League Career

Cincinnati Reds (1947–1957) In 1947, Kluszewski earned a spot on the Opening Day roster and remained with the Reds in the first month of the season. After a four-month stint at Class AAA Memphis, he returned to the parent club in September. Kluszewski recorded his first hit on Sept. 23 at Crosley Field, an RBI single off Chicago Cubs starter Hank Wyse in the fifth inning. One year later, he nailed down the starter job that would be his for nine seasons.

It wasn't long before Kluszewski gained the reputation as one of the most unique hitters of his time, one who combined immense power with the ability to make contact on a consistent basis. In 10 of his 15 major league seasons, the first baseman walked (492) more often than he struck out (365). In 1953, Kluszewski hit 40 homers and struck out a mere 34 times. The following season he upped this to 49 homers against just 35 strikeouts. In 1955 he parked 47 home runs and struck out an even 40 times, the last time a major leaguer has hit 40 homers and struck out 40 or fewer times in the same season.

Despite somewhat limited range, Kluszewski was a capable defender who combined sure hands with nimble footwork in the field. He led National League first basemen in fielding percentage five straight years (1951–1955), a major league record. In 1,479 games, he compiled a career .993 fielding percentage, which ranked 99th in major league history at the start of the 2025 season.

When Major League Baseball expanded in the season, the White Sox left the 36-year-old Kluszewski unprotected in the expansion draft. The Los Angeles Angels chose him at the 45th overall pick, the second first baseman taken, on the belief he would be a good fit for the short power alleys of that city's minor league Wrigley Field the team would use for its inaugural season.

Los Angeles Angels (1961) Kluszewski continued to be slowed by back and leg problems in the 1961 season, but his last hurrah produced several historic firsts.

In a telephone interview on the eve of the season opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Kluszewski was asked about his expectations. “If that Milt Pappas is pitching, I'll do alright," The Sporting News quoted him. "I’ve always been able to hit him."

On April 11, with Albie Pearson on first base, Kluszewski stepped to the plate against Pappas in the first inning before hitting a drive deep into the right-field bleachers for the first home run in franchise history. Don Wells called the home run on the Angels radio broadcast:

The Angels went on to win their first game by a 7–2 count. One inning later, Kluszewski hit his second homer in as many innings, this one off rookie reliever John Papa with two runners on base.

Kluszewski spent the season as part of a lefty-righty platoon with veteran Steve Bilko at first base. He finished the season with a .243 batting average, 15 homers and 39 RBI in 107 games.

Personal life In 1958, Kluszewski became a partner in Ted Kluszewski's Steak House in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, a business venture that lasted 21 years. The popular eatery had five locations at both sides of the Ohio River and reportedly served more than 1,000 pounds of beef on a weekly basis.

After his retirement as a player, Kluszewski returned to the Cincinnati Reds as batting coach in 1970 and remained in that capacity for nine seasons. It was under his tutelage that the so-called Big Red Machine became one of the most potent offenses of the expansion era and won consecutive World Series titles in the 1975 and 1976 campaigns.

"There are a lot of coaches who have received more notoriety than Klu, but I don't think anyone's had more success," said three-time batting champion Pete Rose, one of his prized pupils. "He was just a prince. I never heard a bad word said about him. He was a nice man, a gentle man."

In , largely because of health reasons, Kluszewski took on a less strenuous role as the Reds minor league hitting instructor. He served in the position until , when a massive heart attack resulted in emergency bypass surgery that prompted him to leave baseball permanently. On March 29 two years later, the 63-year-old Kluszewski was stricken by a second heart attack and died at a suburban Cincinnati hospital.

MLB highlights and records

Highlights NL All-Star (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956) NL leader in home runs (1954) NL leader in RBIs (1954) NL leader in hits (1955) NL leader in putouts as first baseman (1951, 1955) NL leader in fielding average as first baseman (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955) AL pennant team (1959) First home run in Los Angeles Angels history (1961)

Records MLB: three home runs by four team members in single game in same season: 1950 Dodgers, 1956 Reds (Gus Bell, Ted Kluszewski, Ed Bailey, and Bob Thurman), and 2001 Brewers NL: five-time leader in fielding average as a first baseman (1951–1955) NL: 17 consecutive games scoring runs

Other honors and recognitions Ted Kluszewski is inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

1974: Ted Kluszewski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

1981: "Ted Kluszewski" is in first line of the chorus to Terry Cashman's song, "Talkin' Baseball", a musical tribute to baseball. On July 18, Kluszewski's number 18 was retired by the Cincinnati Reds at a pregame ceremony at Cinergy Field. His widow, Elenor Guckel, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds. Great American Ball Park, the home of the Cincinnati Reds, opened on March 31. Before the inaugural game, the Reds dedicated a bronze statue of Kluszewski on the Crosley Terrace area outside the main gate. Statues of Crosley Field era stars Ernie Lombardi, Joe Nuxhall, Frank Robinson, and Pete Rose were erected later. The statues were sculpted by Cincinnati artist Tom Tsuchiya.