Ellis Kinder

Ellis Kinder Professional Baseball Pitcher
 

Ellis Raymond Kinder was born July 26, 1914 in Atkins, Arkansas.  He began his baseball career in the Kitty League in 1938 in Jackson, Tennessee.

Nicknamed "Old Folks", Kinder didn't pitch in the major leagues until he was 32 years old..  During his 12-year major league career, Kinder played for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox , Chicago White Sox of the American League and St. Louis Cardinals of the National League.  His Major League record was 102 wins and 71 losses.  He pitched 10 shut-outs.  He led the American League in 1949 with 23 wins and 6  losses, a .793 average.   He distinguished himself as one of the outstanding relief pitchers of his day, retiring with 102 career saves and ranks 8th all-time relief pitcher.  Eleven baseball cards were issued in his honor. 

In the Southern League, in 1944, he won 20 games and lost only 6 games.  The sportswriters voted him their only unanimous choice for the All-Star team.

He played with the Jackson Generals (TN) of the Kitty League (Class D) for two and one-half seasons from 1939-1941 with a record of 49 wins and 27 losses.  He had 686 strikeouts.

In the off-season, he worked as a railroad pipe fitter and carpenter in Jackson, TN.

He died October 16, 1968 as a resident of Jackson, TN and is buried at Highland Memorial Gardens in Jackson.

Ellis Kinder's 12- year Career MLB Record

Selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006 due to having 102 wins, 71 losses, 10 shutouts, 102 saves and a 3.43 ERA. These statistics represent his accomplishments during 12 years in Major League Baseball.

 

Relief Pitching Record

In 1996 Total Sports ranked Ellis Kinder as the 8th all-time relief pitcher in Major League Baseball .

His best year as a relief pitcher was 1953 when he had 27 saves in 69 games.  His  ERA was 1.85.

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