#670 Ken Holtzman

Winningest Jewish pitcher of all time beating Sandy Koufax by nine games…Like Sandy also was known for multiple no hitters (2 in Ken’s case)…selected by the Cubs in the first 1965 draft…had a quick ascendency to majors debuting that same year…Became a regular starter for 1966…had a losing 11-16 record but his win pct, was better than the club’s record…next year was unbeatable with a 9-0 record in 12 starts, missing most of the mid season…comes into own in 1969-70 victorious in 17 games each season even more impressive that many starts were only on weekends…1971 was a huge let down, triumphant in only 9 games but gets second no hitter…Trade to Oakland results in his golden age resulting in  77 wins over 4 seasons…won 21 games in 1973...got  3 world series rings in that time span…Did well in post season....In 1976 he involved in two blockbuster swaps, A’s to Orioles, Orioles to Yankees…Demoted to 4^th-5^th starter in NY and did not appear in the post season…used sparingly from then on..Returns to Cubs for 1978-79 going 6-12 to finish MLB career…Has coached in Israel...Ferris Buehler look-a-like.