Former New York Yankees Pitcher Ken Holtzman Dies at 78

Ken Holtzman was a piece of the puzzle for a pair of New York Yankees teams that reached the World Series in the 1970s.

Aug 1969; Los Angeles, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; pitcher Ken Holtzman. / Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports

Former New York Yankees pitcher Ken Holtzman died on Sunday at 78, as another piece of the 1977 World Series champions passed away.

His family announced his passing on social media.  

Holtzman was with the Yankees for parts of three seasons. New York sent Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May and Dave Pagan to the Baltimore Orioles for Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Elrod Hendricks, Grant Jackson and Jimmy Freeman at the 1976 trade deadline.

In 1976 he went 9-7 with a 4.17 ERA with the Yankees, who went to the World Series before losing to the Cincinnati Reds. He did not appear in that postseason.

Holtzman did not appear in the 1977 postseason either, as the New York Yankees won the first of two straight World Series titles over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He pitched in just 18 games for the Yankees in 1977, going 2-3 with a 5.78 ERA.

He started 1978 with the Yankees, going 1-0 with a 4.08 ERA in five games before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, where he started his career in 1965. He remained with the Cubs until he retired in 1979.

The St. Louis native played 15 seasons in the Majors. Along with the Yankees, Orioles and Cubs (1965-71, 1978-79), he played for the Oakland Athletics (1972-75).

He was a part of four World Series champions, which included all three Oakland world titles in the 1970s. He was also a two-time All-Star with the Athletics.

But he spent the bulk of his career with the Cubs, where he went 80-81 with a 3.76 ERA and threw two notable no-hitters. In 1969 he threw just the third no-hitter in baseball history without striking out a hitter. In 1971 in Cincinnati he threw the first no-hitter in Riverfront Stadium history.

He finished with a 174-150 record for his 15-year Major League career. A member of several Halls of Fame, he holds the record for the most victories by a Jewish pitcher, as he passed Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax late in his career.