Knuckleball pitchers are interesting characters, coming in an array of personalities as varied as the location of their pitches. Cubs fans were welcoming Willie Ramsdell to their rotation when he appeared in the 1952 Topps baseball card set. Seemingly the victim of bad luck, he had led the league with 17 losses the previous season as part of the low-scoring Cincinnati Reds. He was involved in 33 consecutive scoreless innings stretching across the end of 1950 to early 1951, but was the on the wrong side of those box scores. His 4.04 ERA that season was nowhere near low enough to compensate for a team that was shut out in 10% of their contests.
1952 turned out to be Ramsdell’s final year in the majors. A one-pitch pitcher with a taste for nightlife he just couldn’t stick around.
