Career ends before it really starts

Long-forgotten Philadelphia Athletics right-hander Lew Krausse shuts out the Boston Red Sox 15-0 in the second game of a doubleheader 91 years ago today at Shibe Park.

Krausse pitches again five days later in a meaningless exhibition game against the minor league Stroudsburg Poconos, and suffers an arm injury that ends his promising major league career at the ripe old age of 20.

Krausse – 5-1 during his brief time in the majors with Philadelphia – spends the next three seasons in the minor leagues with the Harrisburg Senators, going 26-26 over 79 appearances.

Exactly a year and a day after shutting out the Red Sox in his final major league game, Krausse throws a no-hitter as Harrisburg beats York 3-0 on Sept. 3, 1933.

He bounces around the minors for another eight seasons before leaving the game.

Krausse tries to make a comeback in 1946 at the age of 34 and goes 11-12 with a 4.29 ERA for the Athletics’ Class D Federalsburg team before retiring again. This time for good.

His son, Lew Jr., also reaches the major leagues, spending 12 seasons there with most of his time with the Athletics – the Kansas City and then later Oakland Athletics.

In his major league debut on June 16, 1961, Junior – then all of 18 years old – shuts out the Los Angeles Angels 4-0, giving father and son a pair of back-to-back shutouts separated by a mere 29 years.