Kendall Fay Chase (October 6, 1913 – January 16, 1985) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1936 and 1943. Listed at 6' 2" 210 lb., Chase batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Oneonta, New York.
A hard-throwing pitcher, Chase entered the majors in 1936 with the Washington Senators, playing six years for them before joining the Boston Red Sox (1942–43) and New York Giants (1943). While in Washington, he was part of a rotation that included Dutch Leonard, Wes Ferrell and Sid Hudson. On April 29, 1939, Ken Chase gave up hit number 2,721 of Yankee Captain Lou Gehrig's career. Lou Gehrig never recorded another hit as he willingly pulled himself out of the lineup the next day. He never played another game. In 2009, Yankee Captain Derek Jeter passed Captain Gehrig for the most hits ever by a Yankee.
His most productive season came in 1940 with the Senators, when he set career-numbers with 15 wins, a 3.23 ERA, and 129 strikeouts. Unfortunately, he struggled with poor control during the season, allowing 143 walks and 12 wild pitches to lead the American League.
In an eight-season career, Chase posted a 53-84 record with 582 strikeouts and a 4.27 ERA in 188 games pitched, including 160 starts 62 complete games, four shutouts, and 1165.0 innings.
Following his playing retirement, Chase remained active to run his family dairy farm near Cooperstown. He died in his hometown of Oneonta at age of 71.
Famous quotes containing the words ken and/or chase:
“Is America a land of God where saints abide for ever? Where golden fields spread fair and broad, where flows the crystal river? Certainly not flush with saints, and a good thing, too, for the saints sent buzzing into man’s ken now are but poor- mouthed ecclesiastical film stars and cliché-shouting publicity agents.
Their little knowledge bringing them nearer to their ignorance,
Ignorance bringing them nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to God.”
—Sean O’Casey (1884–1964)
“I tell people all the time, you have to be in love with that pot. You have to put all your love in that pot. If you’re in a hurry, just eat your sandwich and go. Don’t even start cooking, because you can’t do anything well in a hurry. I love food. I love serving people. I love satisfying people.”
—Leah Chase (b. 1923)