Willard Raymond Schmidt (May 29, 1928 – March 22, 2007) was an American professional baseball player, a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between 1952 and 1959. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m), 187 pounds (85 kg), Schmidt batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Hays, Kansas. His four grandparents were Volga Germans.

Willard Schmidt
Pitcher
Born: (1928-05-29)May 29, 1928
Hays, Kansas, U.S.
Died: March 22, 2007(2007-03-22) (aged 78)
Newcastle, Oklahoma, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 19, 1952, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
September 26, 1959, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record31–29
Earned run average3.93
Strikeouts323
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

He reached the majors in 1952 with the St. Louis Cardinals, spending part of six years with them (1952–53, 1955–57) before moving to the Cincinnati Redlegs (1958–59) in the same transaction that brought Curt Flood to St. Louis.[1] His most productive season came in 1957 with the Cardinals, when he set a 10–3 mark and led the National League pitchers with a .769 W-L %. He was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

In a seven-season career, Schmidt posted a 31–29 record with 323 strikeouts and a 3.93 ERA in 194 appearances, including 55 starts, 11 complete games, one shutout, two saves, and 58613 innings pitched.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Reds Get Schmidt in 5-Man Trade". Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Associated Press. December 6, 1957. p. 5, part 3. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
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