Lewis Bernard Krausse Jr. (April 25, 1943February 16, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). 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. 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.
Early life Krausse was born in Media, Pennsylvania, on April 25, 1943. 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. 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.
Career Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1961–1969) High school phenom (1961) 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."Ol' Doc Finley Tells Medics Just Where Baseball is Hurting," The Sporting News, November 30, 1963, 18.
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 innings.
Minor leagues, arm trouble (1962–1965) 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."Medical Test to Determine Krausse's Future in Game," The Sporting News, November 10, 1962, 19. 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. His 19 losses led the PCL, but this was partly due to low run support from the Dallas hitters. The Rangers were the lowest-scoring team in the league; sportswriter Bob Franklin quipped that "The Texans at times couldn't have bought a run if Billy Sol Estes was the plate umpire". Krausse rejoined the Athletics in September and appeared in four more games before the end of the year. In five games (four starts), he had an 0–2 record, 7.36 ERA, nine strikeouts, nine walks, and 22 hits allowed in innings.
The Athletics used their final option on Krausse before the 1965 season, sending him to the PCL's Vancouver Mounties. In 23 starts, he had a 12–7 record, a 3.22 ERA, 116 strikeouts, 46 walks, and 153 hits allowed in 162 innings. Kansas City recalled him on August 14, and he started for them on August 17, allowing two runs in innings and earning the victory in a 3–2 triumph over the Cleveland Indians. On September 3, he held the California Angels scoreless for innings in a 1–0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. In seven games (five starts), he had a 2–4 record, a 5.04 ERA, 22 strikeouts, eight walks, and 29 hits allowed in 25 innings. After the season, he played winter ball for the Leones del Caracas, where he struck out 21 players in a single game, setting the Venezuelan Winter League record. Encouraged by his performance, Athletics general manager Eddie Lopat remarked, "He has shown a lot more maturity … [and] has a chance to be an outstanding pitcher.""From Laggard to Lu-Lu – That's A's Krausse Tale," The Sporting News, February 5, 1966, 24.
Career high in wins (1966) During 1966 spring training, Athletics manager Alvin Dark encouraged Krausse to throw his changeup when a batter had more balls than strikes, an approach Krausse credited with improving his confidence in the pitch. He began the season as a relief pitcher. On May 27, he was the victim of a practical joke pulled by ex-teammate Moe Drabowsky. Now pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, Drabowsky phoned the bullpen at Municipal Stadium, imitating Dark's voice. He ordered Krausse to warm up, then sit down again. Not until the third call did someone recognize his voice. "You should've seen them scramble, trying to get Lew Krausse warmed up in a hurry," Drabowsky said. "It was really funny." In 14 games through June 11, Krausse recorded three saves in five opportunities and posted a 3.07 ERA. When Rollie Sheldon was traded to the Boston Red Sox on June 13, Krausse took his spot in the starting rotation. Two days later, in his first start of the year, Krausse held the Chicago White Sox to three runs over seven innings, earning the victory in a 5–4 triumph. Four days after that, he held the Angels to six hits and no runs in a complete game, 1–0 victory. Krausse won five of his first six starts, posting a 2.56 ERA in that span.
Facing the Yankees in the second start of a doubleheader on August 19, Krausse held them scoreless for eight innings and earned the win in a 1–0 victory. On September 2, he held the Red Sox to one run (unearned) in a complete game, 5–1 victory. He was pitching a scoreless game against the Senators on September 16 when a transformer fire caused half of the D. C. Stadium lights to go out, suspending the game for two days. Resuming his spot on the mound on Sunday, Krausse left with scoreless innings pitched, earning the win in the 1–0 triumph. In 36 games (22 starts), he had a 14–9 record with a 2.99 ERA, setting a career high in wins despite pitching for a team with one of the poorest offenses in the AL. That season, his victory total was tied with four other pitchers for sixth best in the AL, and his 2.99 ERA was ninth best. He had 87 strikeouts, 63 walks, and 144 hits allowed in innings.
Disagreement with Finley (1967) Krausse did not have a good year in 1967, partly due to personal problems.Dark, p. 127 After a 2–7 start to the season, he was moved to the bullpen following his May 27 outing. He rejoined the rotation on June 6 but was used exclusively out of the bullpen after a July 30 start. During the season, Krausse's mother suffered a fatal heart attack. On July 7, Krausse allegedly fired a .38 caliber pistol from Kansas City's Bellerive Hotel into an empty office in the Phillips Petroleum building, though the police never filed charges because of insufficient evidence.Dark, p. 128
On August 18, Finley fined Krausse $500 for his behavior on a team flight, suspending him as well. Dark believed, after talking to several of the other players, that Krausse had been playing pranks on Athletics broadcaster Monte Moore, who then falsely reported to Finley that Krausse used "deplorable language" when speaking to a pregnant woman on the flight. When Dark refused to enforce the suspension, Finley summoned him to his Washington, D.C. hotel room during an Athletics road series against the Senators.Dark, pp. 128–29 In a seven-hour meeting, Finley fired his manager, decided to rehire him, then fired him again when he was presented with a player's statement backing Dark and criticizing Finley's use of spies to keep tabs on the players. Finley also released first baseman Ken Harrelson, who had stood up for Krausse, prompting Harrelson to dub Finley "a menace to the sport". The suspension was quickly lifted, and Krausse was back to pitching for the Athletics on August 23. He said that the suspension had been justified, then later claimed that Finley had intimidated him into voicing his support for the suspension. Players' Association director Marvin Miller lodged a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, but the complaint was withdrawn when the Athletics agreed to cancel Krausse's suspension. Still forced to pay the fine, Krausse demanded a trade, as did fellow pitchers Jack Aker and Jim Nash. However, Krausse would remain with the Athletics for two more seasons. In a career-high 48 games (19 starts), he had a 7–17 record, six saves, a 4.28 ERA, 96 strikeouts, 67 walks, and 140 hits allowed in 160 inning pitched. His 17 losses tied with teammates Catfish Hunter and Jim Nash for third in the AL, behind George Brunet's 19 and Steve Barber's 18.
Oakland (1968–1969)