| Birth: | Jun. 27, 1921 | | Death: | Sep. 12, 2007 | 
Major League Baseball Player. A native of Apache, Oklahoma, he played Major League baseball as right handed pitcher, appearing for five different teams over parts of 10 seasons in the American League. Leaving the University of Oklahoma in 1942 for service in World War II, he eventually resumed his career in 1945 with the Enid Enidairs semipro team. The Enidairs later that season took part in and won the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. Kretlow's success in the tournament, which was highlighted by his pitching a no-hitter and being named the tournaments outstanding pitcher, eventually led to his signing by the Detroit Tigers, who inked him for a reported $35,000 signing bonus just before the 1946 season. He made his Major League debut on September 26, 1946, when he started against the St. Louis Browns, pitching 9 strong innings while giving up just 7 hits in a 6-3 victory at Briggs Stadium. Spending all of the next season in the minors, he would not pitch again for the Tigers until 1948, when he appeared in 5 games, going 2-1. It was in 1949 that he stuck with the parent club, appearing in 25 games as a spot starter and reliever while going 3-1. He was traded on December 14, 1949, along with $100,000 to the St. Louis Browns for infielder Jerry Priddy. On July 5, 1950, after appearing in just 9 games for the Brownies, he was selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. He appeared in 11 games for the rest of the season, appearing mostly in relief. Over the next two seasons, Sox manager Paul Richards utilized him as a spot starter and reliever, due to his versatility. Traded back to the Browns on June 13, 1953, along with Darrell Johnson and $75,000 for Virgil Trucks and Bob Elliott, he moved with the franchise when it left for Baltimore for the 1954 season. With the Orioles he was reunited with his old manager Paul Richards, who had assumed the manager reigns from Marty Marion, when the team relocated from St. Louis. 1954 would prove to be his busiest season of his career, as he appeared in 32 games while going 6-11 in 66.7 innings of work. Richards once described him as "My most reliable pitcher." His stay with the Orioles ended on June 7, 1955, when his contract was sold to the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. His stay out west did not last long as his contract was purchased on September 10, 1955, by the Kansas City Athletics for $100,000. The 1956 season would eventually prove to be his last in the majors, as he appeared in 25 games, 20 as a starter, while compiling a 4-9 record. He appeared in his final major league game on September 23, in the second game of a double header with the White Sox. He pitched 3 innings of the 5-1 loss. The Athletics released him the following spring, but he soon signed on with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. He eventually retired from baseball to take up his other passion, golf. He eventually became a highly rated golf pro in Oklahoma and also owned an oil company in Enid. Over the course of his career, he accrued a lifetime 27-47 record with a 4.87 ERA. in 199 league games. (bio by: Frank Russo)
Family links:
Spouse:
Margaret Hardy Kretlow (1923 - 2013)*
Children:
Diana Lou Kretlow Krout (1944 - 2011)*
*Calculated relationship
Search Amazon for Louis Kretlow | | | Burial:
Memorial Park Cemetery
Enid
Garfield County
Oklahoma, USA |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Frank Russo
Record added: Sep 17, 2007
Find A Grave Memorial# 21627837 |
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Ruggero
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Cemetery Photo
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Steve Uzzell
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