Chuck Seelbach
Encyclopedia
Charles Frederick "Chuck" Seelbach (born March 20, 1948, in Lakewood, Ohio
) is a right-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball
.
Seelbach played baseball at Dartmouth College
from 1968-1970 and still ranks among Dartmouth's all time leaders in winning percentage (.688), strikeouts (162), and shutouts (3).
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers
in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft
, Seelbach pitched four innings for the Tigers in and became the Tigers' closer in , helping them win the American League East Championship. In 1972, Seelbach had a 9-8 record with a 2.89 ERA and was among the American League
leaders with 61 games (7th in the AL), 14 saves (7th in the AL), and 34 games finished (9th in the AL). On April 20, 1972, Seelbach combined with Tom Timmermann
for a two-hitter but lost to the Baltimore Orioles
, 1-0, on a home run by Paul Blair
.
Seelbach was also on the mound when the Tigers clinched the American League East championship on October 3, 1972. Seelbach set down the Boston Red Sox
1-2-3 in the 9th inning to clinch the AL East title, as the game ended on a Ben Oglivie
fly ball caught by Al Kaline
in right field. Seelbach pitched in two games of the 1972 American League Championship Series
, allowing four hits and two runs for an 18.00 post-season earned run average. A shoulder injury the next year ended his effectiveness. He pitched in only 7 innings in and 7-2/3 innings in .
For over thirty years, he has been a European and American History teacher at his high school alma mater, University School
, a preparatory school for boys in Hunting Valley, Ohio
, a suburb of Cleveland
. He is the premier blue book thrower at the school.
He is also the father of Charles "Cory" Seelbach (wife Carlee Polisena Seelbach) and Broadway actor Michael Seelbach.
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
) is a right-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Seelbach played baseball at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
from 1968-1970 and still ranks among Dartmouth's all time leaders in winning percentage (.688), strikeouts (162), and shutouts (3).
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft
1970 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The regular and secondary phases of the January draft proved more fruitful to major league clubs than the June draft...
, Seelbach pitched four innings for the Tigers in and became the Tigers' closer in , helping them win the American League East Championship. In 1972, Seelbach had a 9-8 record with a 2.89 ERA and was among the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
leaders with 61 games (7th in the AL), 14 saves (7th in the AL), and 34 games finished (9th in the AL). On April 20, 1972, Seelbach combined with Tom Timmermann
Tom Timmermann
Thomas Henry Timmermann is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for six seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians . Born in Breese, Illinois, Timmermann was a tall — — right-handed pitcher who attended Southern Illinois University...
for a two-hitter but lost to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, 1-0, on a home run by Paul Blair
Paul Blair (baseball)
Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...
.
Seelbach was also on the mound when the Tigers clinched the American League East championship on October 3, 1972. Seelbach set down the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
1-2-3 in the 9th inning to clinch the AL East title, as the game ended on a Ben Oglivie
Ben Oglivie
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer is a former Major League Baseball left fielder for the Boston Red Sox , Detroit Tigers , and the Milwaukee Brewers . He also played two seasons in Japan for the Kintetsu Buffaloes...
fly ball caught by Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
in right field. Seelbach pitched in two games of the 1972 American League Championship Series
1972 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 7, 1972 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaGame 1 pitted ace pitchers Catfish Hunter for the A's and Mickey Lolich for the Tigers, and, as expected, both were brilliant...
, allowing four hits and two runs for an 18.00 post-season earned run average. A shoulder injury the next year ended his effectiveness. He pitched in only 7 innings in and 7-2/3 innings in .
For over thirty years, he has been a European and American History teacher at his high school alma mater, University School
University School
University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys K - 12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio area...
, a preparatory school for boys in Hunting Valley, Ohio
Hunting Valley, Ohio
Hunting Valley is an affluent village located east of Cleveland in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties in the Northeast Ohio region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 705...
, a suburb of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He is the premier blue book thrower at the school.
He is also the father of Charles "Cory" Seelbach (wife Carlee Polisena Seelbach) and Broadway actor Michael Seelbach.