Ernie Kish

Kish played college baseball and college basketball at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio,^[1][2] and then played one season of minor league baseball.^[3] In 1941, he appeared in 20 games for the Riverside Reds and 38 games for the Mount Airy Graniteers.^[3] In those 58 games, he compiled a .259 batting average with five home runs.^[3] Defensively, he had a .957 fielding average.^[3] He then served in the United States Coast Guard from April 1942 until July 1945.^[4] he contracted an illness during the North African landings which limited his future athletic potential.^[5]

In 1945, Kish played his only season in the major leagues,^[6] appearing in games from late July through late September.^[7] In 43 games with the Philadelphia Athletics, he batted .245 with 10 RBIs.^[6] Defensively, he appeared at all three outfield positions, committing four errors in 59 total chances for a .932 fielding average.^[6] Kish was with the Athletics during 1946 spring training, but was released from the team at the end of March.^[8] He then discontinued his baseball career to take over a family business.^[9]

Kish was born in 1918 in Washington, D.C.^[6][10] He was inducted to the Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.^[2] He died of cancer in 1993 at the age of 75 in Kirtland, Ohio, and was interred at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.^[6][1]

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet