1990 Score Rookie & Traded #80T - Jerry KutzlerOn this day in 1965, Jerry Kutzler was born.
Jerry came into an exhibition game between the White Sox and the crosstown rival Cubs on April 23, 1990 and impressed manager Jeff Torborg enough, that less that a week later Kutzler was in the starting rotation. Jerry only lasted through seven starts in the 1990 season, but he showed enough moxie that he has stuck in the minds of Sox fans for over two decades.
Kutzler was in danger of being sent down after his first few major league starts with the Pale Hose, but he developed a slider that kept him around slightly longer. What ultimately sunk Jerry was that he gave up ten earned runs on sixteen hits in only eleven innings over his last three starts. After the Adam Peterson experiment, Alex Fernandez took over Kutzler's spot in the rotation for the next seven seasons.
Jerry was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1987 and made his debut in 1990. He stayed in the Sox organization through the 1991 season. Between 1992 and 1995, Kutzler bounced between the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals minor league systems. Jerry's last MLB game was on May 31, 1990, where he took the only loss of his major league career. He finished with a 2-1 record and a 6.07 ERA in seven games.
White Sox March 25th birthdays:
1891 - Polly McLarry
1919 - Bill Evans
1922 - Billy Bowers
1932 - Woodie Held
1965 - Jerry Kutzler
1980 - Neal Cotts
I went to his debut in 1990. A fellow Waukegan West grad, but he was there before me.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. Waiting for a post about 2012 Heritage. Do we really need 4 rookie cards of Addison Reed when there is no cards of Beckham, Rios, Peavy, Danks, Floyd, or Humber? Weak this year.
I run into a lot of great stories about Jerry Kutzler whenever I post a card of his. I even had a nephew of his contact me about acquiring a few cards of Kutzler. It's always a bonus when I can feature a local player.
ReplyDeleteWorking on a 2012 Heritage post, but work and school have me on autopilot for most of the posts. I should have a few more set reviews up soon.