As promised, today I will write about Fred Kipp and Gerry Hannahs, two of the best performing imported left-handed pitchers in our baseball.
Fred Kip: He reinforced the Chosen in 3 seasons between 1957 and 1960. His work in Dominican baseball can be described as prodigious. He went 22-9 with 7 shutouts and a 1.75 ERA. He appeared in 36 games as a starter, completing 16 and in 272.3 innings, he barely had 206 hits, allowed 53 earned runs, with 143 strikeouts and 85 walks. In the history of Creole baseball, Kipp is sixth in the shutout category and twelfth in complete games, despite having acted in only 3 seasons. In the 1957-58 season, he went 11-3 with a 1.58 ERA, leading the circuit in wins and won-loss percentage. He also topped the latter box the following season, going 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA. In the 1959-60 season, he was first in ERA, finishing with a 1.32 mark and a 4-4 record.
Gerry Hannah’s: he performed with the Licey for 3 seasons, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, posting a 20-7 record and a 2.43 ERA. In his first season (1978-79), he won 6 games, lost 2, with 3 complete games, 3 shutouts and a 2.83 ERA. He threw 89 1/3 innings, allowing 72 hits and 28 earned runs, walking 48 and striking out 61. He was co-leader in shutouts, second in strikeouts and fifth in wins. But the best was yet to come, because in the following season (1979-80), he recorded one of the best performances by a foreign pitcher in the history of our baseball, being elected Pitcher of the Year. He went 9-0 with a complete game and a 1.69 ERA. He toiled in 106.2 innings, allowing just 80 hits and 20 earned returns, striking out 54 and giving up 43 walks. He was first in win-loss percentage, wins and ERA, as well as second in strikeouts. In a third season, he went 5-5 with a 3.04 ERA. He pitched 71 innings, allowing 55 hits and 24 earned runs, with a complete game, 35 strikeouts and 34 walks. In Dominican baseball, many foreign left-handed pitchers have been successful, but Raúl Valdés, Mickey Mahler, Kipp and Hannahs have been the most successful.
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