Earl Dewey Kunz was a professional baseball

Professional baseball

Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 who spent one season 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...

. In total, Kunz spent 13 season in professional baseball, the majority of those in the Pacific Coast League

Pacific Coast League

The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...

.

Early life

Kunz was born in Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

 on December 25, 1898. Kunz was nicknamed "Pinches" and "Pinch." As a kid, he played sandlot ball

Sandlot ball

Sandlot ball is a North American adolescent game that generally follows the basic rules of baseball. More specific rules can be set for games and may vary each time the game is played. These rules are usually agreed upon before the game begins by teams of young boys or girls usually from the same...

 with future major leaguer Kettle Wirts

Kettle Wirts

Elwood "Kettle" Vernon Wirts was a professional baseball player who spent four seasons in Major League Baseball. In total, Wirts played 17 seasons in professional baseball, beginning his career in 1918 with the minor league Spokane Indians...

.

Sacramento Senators

In 1920, Kunz began his professional career with the Sacramento Senators

Sacramento Solons

The Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods . The current Sacramento River Cats began play in 2000...

. That season, he went 3–11 with a 4.78 earned run average

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

 (ERA) in 39 games. His second season, Kunz went 14–12 with a 3.79 ERA in 50 games. He led all Senators pitchers in games played

Games played

Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...

 (50), and was second in bases on balls (walks) allowed (103).

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