Lew Krausse Jr.

His father, Lew Sr., pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1931 until 1932, and became a scout for the organization in 1957, after they had moved to Kansas City.

Lewis Bernard Krausse Jr. (April 25, 1943February 16, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Krausse was born in Media, Pennsylvania, on April 25, 1943.

He played for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves from 1961 to 1974.

He batted and threw right-handed and served primarily as a starting pitcher.

Once a highly-touted prospect, he had to overcome arm trouble early in his career and spent most of his career with teams that offered low run support.

Krausse was the son of a former Philadelphia Athletics pitcher who remained with the organization as a scout after it moved to Kansas City.

Signed to a $125,000 contract following his graduation from high school in 1961, he pitched a shutout in his first MLB start on June 16 of that year.

Krausse Jr. attended Chester High School in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1961.

He pitched 18 no-hitters while playing in amateur baseball, piquing the interest of several teams across the country.

He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Kansas City Athletics on June 8, 1961, several hours after graduating from high school.

The Athletics gave him a $125,000 bonus contract that also included a guarantee that the young pitcher would have a chance to pitch in the majors that season.

Just over a week after signing, at the age of 18, Krausse made his major league debut when he started a game against the expansion Los Angeles Angels in Kansas City's Municipal Stadium on June 16.

He pitched a three-hit shutout in his major league debut, defeating Los Angeles 4–0.

Krausse was the youngest player in the major leagues that season.

Though the Athletics were on their way to losing 100 games, Krausse stimulated their attendance.

"We packed the park the first four times [Lew] pitched for us and probably got our money back," recalled team owner Charlie Finley.

Krausse was less successful in his next starts for Kansas City, partly because he was walking too many batters.

After the shutout, he lost five starts in a row.

He did not win again until his final outing of the year, when he held the Washington Senators to two runs in a complete game, 3–2 victory on September 17.

In 12 games (eight starts), he had a 2–5 record, a 4.85 earned run average (ERA), 32 strikeouts, 46 walks, and 49 hits allowed in 55 2⁄3 innings.

In 1962, Krausse was assigned to the Binghamton Triplets of the Class A Eastern League.

Facing the Elmira Pioneers in his first start on April 25, he struck out 16 batters in a 4–3 victory.

However, he was bothered for most of the season by a sore right elbow, which caused the team to shut him down in July, with two months remaining in the minor league season.

In 12 starts, he had a 6–4 record, a 3.81 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 38 walks, and 73 hits allowed in 78 innings.

That November, Krausse had his elbow examined at the Mayo Clinic, as it was uncertain whether he would ever be able to pitch again.

He had to undergo offseason surgery but was able to return to pitching in 1963.

Assigned to the Class AAA Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1963, Krausse struggled in the first part of the season but pitched very well in the second half, showing better command of his pitches.

In 28 games (27 starts), he had a 13–12 record, a 4.22 ERA, 115 strikeouts, 87 walks, and 180 hits allowed in 177 innings.

His 13 wins led the Beavers.

Krausse opened 1964 with the Athletics but did not make his first appearance until two weeks into the season, when he allowed three runs and failed to get out of the first inning, taking the loss in a 7–4 loss to the Senators on April 26.

The next day, he was sent back to Class AAA with Kansas City's new affiliate, the PCL's Dallas Rangers.

In 31 games (27 starts), he had a 7–19 record, a 3.94 ERA, 135 strikeouts, 74 walks, and 201 hits allowed in 192 innings pitched.

Arm trouble threatened his career after that, and it was not until 1966 that he became a regular in the major leagues.

He won 14 games with the Athletics that year, the most he would ever win in a season.

In 1967, he had a bitter disagreement with team owner Charlie Finley concerning the pitcher's activities on a team flight; the rift led to the firing of manager Alvin Dark and the release of first baseman Ken Harrelson.

In 1968, he started the first game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum after the Athletics moved to California.

Two years later, he started the first game in Milwaukee Brewers history, pitching the team's first shutout in the same year.

He pitched for Boston in 1972, St. Louis in 1973, and Atlanta in 1974, then spent a year in the minor leagues before retiring.

Following his baseball career, Krausse and partners started a metal business in the Kansas City area, which Krausse remained involved in from 1983 to 1997.