Dick Krumenauer

Name
Dick Krumenauer
Nationality
usaUnited States
Position
Pitcher, Third base
Past Teams
Lafayette Generals, Lafayette Indians
Leagues
Chippewa River Baseball League

Class of 2010

Pitcher, 3rd Baseman

Lafayette Generals 1964; Lafayette Indians 1965-68, 73-74, 76-78


Tough, big, and intimidating.  Among his contemporaries, these are the words still used to describe Dick Krumenauer.  The whipping, three-quarter style delivery employed by the big righty enhanced an already lively fastball and put him on the path of mowing down opposing hitters at a rate never seen — and still unmatched — throughout league history.

Used as both a starter and reliever for Lafayette, “Krummy” was a strikeout monster, averaging an all-time best 14.29 K’s per nine innings during his 11-year league career.  He efficiently eclipsed the century mark four times in whiffs, doing so in 1966 (111 K’s in 65.1 IP), 1967 (122 K’s in 68.2 IP), 1968 (133 K’s in 73.2 IP), and 1976 (133 K’s in 82.1 IP).  His strikeout totals in 1967 and 1976 led the league, as did his innings total from 1976.  Krumenauer also set the pace with the totals of 7 wins in 1967, a 1.71 ERA in 1974, and a 1.53 ERA in 1976.  On his way to collecting 16 career saves — the 2nd highest all-time mark in league play — Dick led the league or tied for the league lead in saves five times, with a personal best of 4 in 1968.

His unblemished 6 and 0 league record in 1974 coincided with the Indians’ 12 and 0 league season, which at that point, was only the 6th time in league history that a team had finished the regular season undefeated.

Krumenauer’s greatest season came in 1976, when his arm and bat led the Indians to a WBA birth and their only league championship in the 24-year existence of the team.  While hitting .308 (16 for 52) with 2 homeruns and 12 RBI’s, Krumemauer was a force on the hill.  For the 10 and 4 tribe, he went 6 and 1 in 82.1 innings pitched with 133 K’s, a 1.53 ERA, and 3 saves.  In that year‘s title game, Krummy spaced nine hits, struck out 11, and laced a double within a nine-inning complete game effort for the Indians as they finally tamed the Tigers, 4-3 at Tilden.

The searing dominance that Krumenauer unleashed from the hill was never more evident than on June 2nd, 1976.  During that night’s 7-2 Indians’ victory over the Chippewa Prides, Dick struck out 25 batters in the 9-inning contest.  Over 30 seasons later, Krummy’s mark of 25 punch-outs still stands as a single game CRBL record.

With Dick in the fold, the Tribe from apple country won division titles in 1966, 1974, 1976, and 1978, qualified for the WBA in 1966, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, and 1978, and ran to the Final 8 in 1977 and 1978.

In six of his nine seasons as a regular pitcher, Dick had a sub-3.00 ERA.  In three of those years (1968,1976,1979), he was below the 2.00 mark.  Consequently, he checks in at 4th all-time in ERA.  In addition to his #2 ranking in saves, he is in the top 10 for strikeouts at #7.

Participated in five All-Star games (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1973).  Named All-CRBL in 1974, one of the two seasons the award was given before it became a yearly institution in 1978.

Batting

SeasonTeamTB1BSLGABRHRBI2B3BHRSBBBSOLOBGAVG
Total-14872.36840277101681928661114.251

Pitching

SeasonTeamIPHRERBBSOHRWLERASVNOHGAVG
Total-49778940132.79160114.251