Ray Culp

From SoSH

Raymond Leonard Culp (born August 6, 1941 in Elgin, Texas) was a right-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies (1963-1966), Chicago Cubs (1967), and Boston Red Sox (1968-1973).

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Culp's Moments in the Sun 3 Awards 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

A baseball star at Austin High School, Culp signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $100,000 in 1959. As Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1963, he posted a career-low ERA of 2.97 and led the Phillies with 14 victories. Plagued by arm troubles and inconsistency, Culp was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1967 and dealt to Boston the following season (for minor-league outfielder Rudy Schlesinger and cash considerations), where he turned his career around with the addition of a palm ball. In his first season in Boston, Culp went 16-6, which included four straight shutouts. He won a career high 17 games each of the next two seasons before retiring in 1973 when his shoulder finally caught up with him. Culp won 71 games in his six seasons with Boston and worked a scoreless inning (with two strikeouts) in the 1969 All-Star Game.

After his playing days, Culp returned to Austin and opened a real estate business. He named the company 123 Inc. -- in honor of his career .123 lifetime batting average.

In 1898.1 innings and 322 appearances over his 11-year career, Culp compiled a record of 122-101 with 1 save, a 3.58 ERA and 1411 strikeouts, while walking 752.

Culp's Moments in the Sun

• September 25, 1968: Culp throws a complete game six-hit shutout against the Senators. It his his fourth consecutive shutout and extends his scoreless-innings streak to 39. [1]
• August 9, 1969: On NBC's nationally televised Saturday afternoon "Game of the Week", Culp smacks his only career home run off California Angels rookie Pedro Borbon.
• May 11, 1970: Culp strikes out the first 6 Angel batters in Anaheim‚ tying the American League mark for the start of a game. [2]

Awards

• 1963 National League Rookie of the Year.
• 1963 National League All-Star.
• 1969 American League All-Star.

Trivia

• Only career save came on April 13, 1966 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched the bottom of the 12th inning, striking out all 3 batters he faced.
• Member of the 1963 Topps All-Star Rookie Team.
• Led the National League in Hit Batsmen (12) in 1965 and the American League (11) in 1970.
• Son Cody pitched a couple of years in the Atlanta Braves system.

Transactions

• June 6, 1959: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent.
• December 7, 1966: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies with cash to the Chicago Cubs for Dick Ellsworth.
• November 30, 1967: Traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Boston Red Sox for Rudy Schlesinger and cash.
• October 27, 1972: Released by the Boston Red Sox.
• Before 1973 Season: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Red Sox.
• October 25, 1973: Released by the Boston Red Sox.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis