Leo Kiely | |||
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Pitcher | |||
Born: Hoboken, New Jersey |
November 30, 1929|||
Died: January 18, 1984 Montclair, New Jersey |
(aged 54)|||
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MLB debut | |||
June 27, 1951, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
June 20, 1960, for the Kansas City Athletics | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win-Loss Record | 26-27 | ||
Strikeouts | 212 | ||
ERA | 3.37 | ||
Teams | |||
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Leo Patrick Kiely (November 30, 1929 – January 18, 1984) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between 1951 and 1960 for the Boston Red Sox (1951, 1954–56, 1958–59) and Kansas City Athletics (1960). Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), 180 pounds (82 kg), Kiely batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Kiely entered the majors in the 1951 midseason with the Red Sox. He finished with a 7–7 record and a 3.34 ERA in 16 starts before joining the military during Korean War. In 1953, he pitched for the Mainichi Orions of the Pacific League to become the first major leaguer to play in Japanese baseball, while going 6–0 with a 1.80 ERA for Mainichi. He returned to Boston in 1954. After beginning in long relief, he ended up as a set-up man for closers Ellis Kinder (1955) and Ike Delock (1956).
In 1957 Kiely was demoted to Triple-A. He finished with a 21–6 record and a 2.22 ERA for the PCL San Francisco Seals, leading the league in wins. 20 of them came in relief, including 14 in consecutive games, to set two PCL records. The 1958 TSN Guide also credited Kiely with 11 saves during the 14-game winning streak.