Konstanty, "Jim" (Casimir James)
Baseball
b. March 2, 1917, Strykersville, NY
d. June 11, 1976
A right-handed pitcher, the 6-foot-1½, 202-pound Konstanty looked as if he should be throwing fastballs, but instead he was a knuckleball specialist.
Konstanty had one great season as a relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillie "Whiz Kids" who won the NL pennant in 1950. He appeared in 74 games, had a 16-7 record with 22 saves and a 2.66 ERA, and won the league's most valuable player award. He was also named male athlete of the year by the Associated Press.
Because Philadelphia's pitching had been depleted by a pennant race that came down to the last game of the season, Konstanty was the surprise starter in the first game of the World Series against the New York Yankees. He gave up only 4 hits in 8 innings but lost 1-0, and the Yankees went on to a four-game sweep.
Konstanty had joined the Cincinnati Reds briefly during the 1944 season and was with the Boston Braves for 10 appearances in 1946 before landing with Philadelphia in 1948. He had one more fine year with Philadelphia, going 14-10 in 1953, when he was a part-time starter as well as a reliever. Philadelphia sent him to the Yankees during the 1954 season and he had a 7-2 record with 11 saves and a 2.32 ERA in 1955.
He retired after pitching for the Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956. His career record was 66-48 with 74 saves and a 3.46 ERA.