The 2013 Topps card of Erik Kratz.
Curiosity is a funny thing. It makes me obsessive, especially about baseball.
After listening to the television commentators during the post-season series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies, it’s hard not to be a fan of Erik Kratz.
However, here is where my obsession kicked in my brain. At 38, it was stated that he was the oldest person to make his post-season debut since a guy named Lave Cross in 1905.
Two thoughts immediately entered my mind.
First, wasn’t Satchel Paige the oldest rookie back in 1948? Give or take whatever his birth date is, Paige would have been around 41 or 42 that season with the Cleveland Indians. With the Indians winning the World Series that fall, wouldn’t that make Paige the oldest person to make a post-season debut?
Second, who in the heck is Lave Cross?
Cross played for the Philadelphia A’s in the 1905 Fall Classic that was won by the New York Giants.
Enjoying the Crew
Thanks to MLB.TV, it’s been a fun summer following the Brewers.
Kratz is a neat story and journeyman is perhaps the best word to describe the catcher.
Born in Pennsylvania on June 15, 1980, Kratz was a 29th round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays at the age of 22 in 2002.
Having never made it to the big leagues with the Blue Jays, Kratz eventually played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010. Since that time, he’s been with seven different organizations in nine years. He even found himself on the mound for an inning with the Houston Astros and Pirates in 2016.
His photo on baseball-reference.com is with the New York Yankees. He appeared in four games for the Yankees in 2017 and began this season in the minors before he was traded to the Brewers in late May.
Kratz played 67 games during the regular season and batted .236 with six homers and 23. Hardly a blip in the scouting radar screen.
With his two games in the National League Division Series against the Rockies, Kratz has had his moment in the sun with hopefully a few days left as the Brewers work toward their first World Series appearance in 1982.
His three hits in the third game made it fun to watch and was certainly well deserved recognition.
Lave Cross played in the 1905 World Series for the Philadelphia A’s.
The 1905 World Series
Cross played in the majors from 1887 to 1907 with nine teams.
In 1901, he joined the Philadelphia A’s. He batted .328 in his first season and followed that with .342 average in 1902 when the A’s won their first American League pennant.
His final season with the A’s was in 1905 as they won the AL flag and participated in the World Series for the first time.
After 19 years as a professional, the 39-year old finally made it to the post season. The A’s went on to lose four games to one to the Giants and Christy Mathewson, who posted three shutouts in the series.
Cross was 2-for-19 in the series with one walk. He wasn’t the only A’s player that suffered. They scored just three unearned runs in the five games on 24 hits.
He also had two brothers, Amos Cross and Frank Cross, who reached the big leagues.
Satchel Page’s 1953 Topps baseball card featured an incorrect spelling of his name.
The Hall of Fame
Paige’s life story is well documented and his induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 was an important milestone in the history of the game.
He was signed by the Indians on July 7, 1948, which is listed as his 42nd birthday. He made his big league debut two days later.
As a rookie, he finished the season 6-1 with a 2.48 ERA. He pitched in game five of the World Series as the Indians lost 11-5 to the Boston Braves. He retired the only two batters he faced in Warren Spahn and Tommy Holmes.
In six major league seasons ranging from 1948 to 1965 with the Indians, St. Louis Browns and Kansas City A’s, Paige was 28-31 with a 3.29 ERA.