470:, claiming his inclusion was "against the spirit of the draft." Blake was replaced in the trade by former Toronto teammate Jack Crimian. While he spent most of the 1957 season with Toronto, he had one final major league stint with the Athletics, pitching in two games in April. His 1957 stint in Toronto was not as successful as previous seasons, as he finished with eight wins, nine losses, and a 5.54 ERA. He spent five weeks of the 1958 season unable to play due to injury. Despite this, he was still able to pitch in 23 games, winning nine and bringing his ERA down to 3.54. In 1959, Blake split time between Toronto and the
332:. Blake started the season losing his first three starts, but then won 13 straight and finished the season with 16 wins, eight losses, and a 3.51 earned run average. In February 1947, Blake was among a group of 92 Cardinals players invited to a dinner for Cardinals minor leaguers, where accusations in regards to Cardinals players being paid poorly were brought up and discussed. He spent the following season playing for both Columbus teams, playing 29 games in total and finishing the season with a combined 4.46 ERA. Before the 1948 season began, Blake was promoted to the
377:, which drew up a series of humorous requests including a smoking lounge and sandwiches between double headers. He spent most of the 1951 season with the Columbus Red Birds, playing in 27 games for them. In 27 pitching appearances, 23 of them starts, Blake went 7–15 with a 5.91 ERA. Despite the record, Blake led the Red Birds in
482:
After his playing career ended, Blake went on to become a plumber. He spent nearly 50 years in the plumbing business and was formerly the president of
Plumbers Local 360. Blake was married to his wife, Carol Jean, for 47 years before her death. With Carol, he had a son, Ed, and a daughter, Peggy. His
364:
instead of a reliever. He started in 23 games and finished the season with a 12–8 record and an ERA of 3.51. In 1951, Blake was considered to have a small chance to make the major league roster. Nonetheless, Blake got his first taste of the major leagues that season. He made his major league debut on
409:
without getting a batter out. During his time with the
Indianapolis Indians, he pitched in 29 games, and was the workhorse of the Indians' squad. He finished the season with a 14–7 record, a 3.76 ERA, and 208 innings pitched, and led the team in wins, innings pitched, and starting appearances.
246:
before enlisting in the army. He returned to baseball after being wounded in the military service, pitching in the minors for five years before making his major league debut for the
Cincinnati Reds. He pitched for them on and off for three years, then spent the next six years pitching for the
396:
innings, allowing three hits in these two games. During his time with the
Brewers, he pitched in 21 games. He started 19 of the 21 games, won ten and lost three, and had a 3.96 ERA. As the 1953 season began, Blake again had a stint with Cincinnati, but spent most of the season with the
426:
to lead the Maple Leafs to a 97–57 record. He finished the 1954 season with a 15–9 record, a 3.92 ERA, 30 games started, and 209 innings pitched, leading the team in the latter two categories. The following season, he combined with
Johnson and
268:
283:
after his high school graduation, in what he considered to be the highlight of his professional career. He signed with the
Cardinals in 1944 and spent the season with three different minor league teams: the
435:
to win 13 games when he beat the
Columbus squad 7–4. He finished the season with 17 wins, 13 losses, and a 3.94 ERA. In 1956, Blake was a member of the "big three" for the Maple Leafs, along with
422:, an unaffiliated team of the American Association. He played for the Maple Leafs for a total of six seasons, where he had some of his best professional career seasons. In 1954, he teamed with
340:. He had a 7–6 record and a 3.88 ERA in 34 games, seven of them starts. In 1949, Blake spent most of the season playing for Rochester. On August 9, 1949, he was traded by the Cardinals to the
328:, Blake was wounded, and was out of action for nine months as he recovered. As the 1946 season began, he rejoined the Cardinals, now fully recovered, and spent the season with the
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36:
251:. His last major league appearance was a stint with the Athletics in 1957, and two years later his professional baseball career ended. After retirement he became a
369:. Blake played three games during his time on the Reds in 1951, and finished two of those games. He pitched four innings, allowing five runs and three
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while often working on two days' rest. He finished the season with 17 wins, 11 losses, and a 2.61 ERA. He also led the team in shutouts with six.
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The 1953 season marked Blake's last appearance with the Reds. On
February 1, 1954, Blake was purchased from the Reds by the
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373:, finishing the season with an ERA of 11.25. While on the Reds in 1951, he was part of a Reds "bullpen union" led by
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392:. He pitched in two games for the Reds in 1952, coming in to finish both games for the Reds. He pitched three
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and finished tied for second in wins, though he did also lead the team, which went 53–101, in losses.
458:. The day after being drafted, the Athletics planned to include him in an eight-player deal with the
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Lundquist, Carl (December 12, 1956). "Frick Stops Blake's
Shuffle to Bengals After Draft by A's".
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Brands, Edgar G. (February 26, 1947). "Breadon Dines 92 Redbirds at
Cardinal Pep Party".
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MacCarl, Neil (September 19, 1956). "Homer Barrage, Big Three on Hill Won for Toronto".
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Blake began the 1950 season with the Syracuse Chiefs and spent most of the season as a
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at the age of 83 after a long illness, and is interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery in
474:, winning three games and losing ten in his final professional season of baseball.
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to help Toronto win 94 games. On July 10, Blake was the first pitcher in the
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348:, ending his career with the Cardinals. Blake finished the season with the
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Swope, Tom (April 4, 1951). "Few of Sewell's Kids Pushing Reds' Vets".
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and others, but his inclusion in the trade was vetoed by Commissioner
735:
Swope, Tom (April 18, 1951). "Cincy 'Bullpen Union' Drafts By-Laws".
401:. He pitched in one game for the Reds on April 17, 1953, against the
158:
238:
After graduating high school in East St. Louis, Blake played in the
848:
Kritzer, Cy (July 16, 1958). "Flag Contenders Struck by Injuries".
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and finished the season with a combined 5–4 record and a 4.78 ERA.
211:(December 23, 1925 – April 15, 2009) was an American right-handed
483:
son, also named Ed Blake, was a former pitcher who played in the
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252:
212:
44:
275:, and graduated in 1943. Blake pitched batting practice for the
487:' farm system from 1970 to 1973, playing for the AA affiliate
35:
388:, but he also pitched a few games for the Reds during the
450:
Blake was drafted at the end of the 1956 season by the
271:
in East St. Louis, where he was a baseball teammate of
527:"Former big league pitcher Ed Blake dies in Swansea"
443:. The three combined for 750 innings pitched and 57
311:
413:
316:After the 1944 season ended, Blake enlisted in the
948:Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players
320:and fought with the 40th Infantry Division in the
909:
355:
891:Career statistics and player information from
439:and International League Most Valuable Player
386:Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association
864:"Edward Blake (Jr.) Minor League Statistics"
659:
657:
655:
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267:to Edward and Katherine Blake, he attended
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811:
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477:
405:, allowing two earned runs on a hit and a
227:. In eight career games, Blake pitched 8⅔
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832:
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491:at the peak of his career. Blake died in
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16:American baseball player (1925-2009)
114:, for the Cincinnati Reds
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800:"International League – Toronto".
633:"Ed Blake Minor League Statistics"
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384:Blake spent most of 1952 with the
14:
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885:
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312:Military service and 1940s career
219:who played four seasons with the
567:"Baseball in Wartime – Ed Blake"
525:Sanders, Norm (April 17, 2009).
414:Maple Leafs and Athletics career
958:Baseball players from St. Louis
856:
841:
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793:
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953:Major League Baseball pitchers
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665:"Ed Blake's Career Statistics"
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1:
933:Kansas City Athletics players
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356:Minor leagues and Reds career
322:Pacific Theater of Operations
258:
943:Indianapolis Indians players
804:. July 20, 1955. p. 38.
535:. p. 3D. Archived from
269:Central Catholic High School
7:
901:Baseball Reference (Minors)
776:"1953 Indiandpolis Indians"
390:1952 Cincinnati Reds season
10:
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751:"1951 Columbus Red Birds"
532:Blakesville News-Democrat
365:May 1, 1951, against the
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928:Cincinnati Reds players
478:Personal and later life
868:Baseball-Reference.com
780:Baseball-Reference.com
755:Baseball-Reference.com
715:Baseball-Reference.com
637:Baseball-Reference.com
711:"Ed Blake Statistics"
452:Kansas City Athletics
367:Philadelphia Phillies
225:Kansas City Athletics
217:Major League Baseball
194:Kansas City Athletics
497:Belleville, Illinois
433:International League
399:Indianapolis Indians
338:International League
306:Southern Association
290:American Association
255:, and died in 2009.
565:Bedingfield, Gary.
420:Toronto Maple Leafs
334:Rochester Red Wings
294:Allentown Cardinals
277:St. Louis Cardinals
265:St. Louis, Missouri
249:Toronto Maple Leafs
244:St. Louis Cardinals
119:Last MLB appearance
65:St. Louis, Missouri
893:Baseball Reference
330:Columbus Cardinals
286:Columbus Red Birds
233:earned run average
209:Edward James Blake
149:Earned run average
850:The Sporting News
835:The Sporting News
820:The Sporting News
802:The Sporting News
737:The Sporting News
688:The Sporting News
667:. Retrosheet, Inc
595:The Sporting News
573:on March 26, 2010
493:Swansea, Illinois
489:Asheville Orioles
485:Baltimore Orioles
403:Milwaukee Brewers
298:Interstate League
281:1943 World Series
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81:Swansea, Illinois
62:December 23, 1925
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539:on March 5, 2017
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344:in exchange for
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342:Cincinnati Reds
324:. While in the
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180:Cincinnati Reds
139:Win–loss record
124:April 28,
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424:Connie Johnson
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640:. Retrieved
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571:the original
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537:the original
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456:rule 5 draft
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429:Jack Crimian
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346:Mike Schultz
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110:May 1,
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76:(2009-04-15)
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923:2009 deaths
918:1925 births
437:Don Johnson
326:Philippines
279:during the
240:farm system
912:Categories
899:, or
895:, or
503:References
468:Ford Frick
462:involving
273:Hank Bauer
259:Early life
159:Strikeouts
58:1925-12-23
897:Fangraphs
873:April 19,
785:April 22,
760:April 22,
720:April 22,
671:April 17,
642:April 19,
577:April 19,
371:home runs
105:MLB debut
543:March 5,
300:and the
263:Born in
223:and the
28:Ed Blake
454:in the
394:shutout
336:of the
304:of the
296:of the
288:of the
253:plumber
235:(ERA).
229:innings
213:pitcher
90:Batted:
45:Pitcher
292:, the
96:Threw:
172:Teams
98:Right
92:Right
72:Died:
53:Born:
875:2009
787:2009
762:2009
722:2009
673:2009
644:2009
579:2009
545:2017
407:walk
318:Army
198:1957
188:1953
184:1951
153:8.31
126:1957
112:1951
215:in
143:0–0
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