Ray Culp

Culp was born on August 6, 1941, in Elgin, Texas. He attended Stephen F. Austin High School (Austin, Texas).{{Cite web |title=Ray Culp Stats, Height, Weight, Research & History {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=culpra01 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com |language=en-us}} He ran track and played baseball and basketball in high school. As a junior pitcher in 1958, Culp won six postseason games, including a no-hitter, in leading the team to the state title. Over two seasons in 1958 and 1959, he had 18 consecutive wins, finally losing a 1-0 game in 1959 in the state tournament.{{Cite web |last=Armour |first=Mark |title=Ray Culp, Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ray-culp/ |website=SABR.org}}

Danny Cater, an Austin high school baseball rival who attended William B. Travis High School, would become Culp's teammate on the Williamsport Grays, the 1964 Phillies and the 1972 Red Sox.{{Cite web |last=Engelhardt |first=Brian |title=Danny Cater, Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/danny-cater/ |website=SABR.org}}

At 17, Culp was offered contracts with 15 of the 16 major league baseball teams, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies for $100,000. While still 17, he was assigned to the Johnson City Phillies of the Appalachian League, where he played in four games. From 1960 to 1962, Culp pitched for four minor league teams, none higher than Single-A baseball. In 1962, he played for the Williamsport Grays of the Eastern League, with a 3.20 earned run average (ERA), and a 13-8 win-loss record.{{Cite web |title=Ray Culp Minor Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=culp--002ray |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

Culp began the 1963 season with the Phillies. His first appearance was as a relief pitcher (a win for him over the Cincinnati Reds), but soon became a starting pitcher. His first year was an impressive one, starting 30 games as he compiled a 14–11 win–loss record for the Phillies and a 2.97 ERA. He also had five shutouts.{{Cite web |title=Ray Culp Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/culpra01.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} He was eighth in the National League (NL) in strikeouts, although his control was somewhat shaky, leading the league in walks with 102.{{Cite web |title=1963 National League Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1963-pitching-leaders.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

As a rookie, he made the {{baseball year|1963}} NL All-Star squad{{Cite web |title=1963 MLB All-Star Game Roster - Major League Baseball - ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/allstargame/history/results/_/year/1963 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=ESPN.com}} and went on to retire Al Kaline, Frank Malzone, and Carl Yastrzemski (around a Leon Wagner single),{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} in a scoreless fifth inning{{Cite web |title=1963 All-Star Game {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1963as.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}} of the Senior Circuit's 5–3 victory. He was named the National League's Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.{{Cite web |title=Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snrp.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}

In 1964, Culp suffered from a recurring sore arm. His ERA went up to 4.12, and he started only 19 games with an 8-7 record. His pitching problems may have been part of the Phillies collapse during the pennant race that year, where the team had a 6.5 game lead in first place with 12 games to play, and lost out in the pennant race to the St. Louis Cardinals.{{Cite web |title=Philadelphia Phillies' collapse of 1964 still stings 50 years later |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/philadelphia-phillies-collapse-of-1964-still-stings-50-years-later |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US}} Despite the injury, he did pitch a one-hitter on June 23, 1964 against the Chicago Cubs.{{Cite news |last=Couch |first=Dick |date=June 24, 1964 |title=Culp pitches one-hitter as Phillies split with Cubs |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-12-21/denny-lemaster-buddy-salinas-1963-milwaukee-braves-hank-aaron-joe-torre |work=Oxnard Press-Courier}}{{Cite web |title=Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies Box Score: June 23, 1964 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196406232.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} In 1965, Culp was much improved, starting 30 games, with a 14-10 record and a 3.22 ERA for the Phillies. 1966 was Culp's worst season in Philadelphia. He started only 12 of 34 games he appeared in, and had a 5.04 ERA.

In December 1966, he was traded (with cash) to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Dick Ellsworth.{{Cite web |title=Ray Culp Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=culpra01 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}} He pitched one year for the Cubs, and was 8-11 with a 3.89 ERA. In November 1967 he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Bill Schlesinger and cash. He played with the Red Sox from 1968-1973, ending his career there.

Culp returned to the All-Star game in 1969,{{Cite web |title=1969 MLB All-Star Game Roster - Major League Baseball - ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/allstargame/history/results/_/year/1969 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=ESPN.com}} pitching a perfect ninth inning for the American League (AL). He retired Pete Rose (on a foul pop fly) and struck out Randy Hundley and Tony Pérez.{{Cite news |date=July 24, 1969 |title=All-Star Play by Play |work=The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) |pages=23}}

He strung together four steady seasons for the Red Sox from {{baseball year|1968}}–{{baseball year|1971}}, winning between 14 and 17 games in each. None of his teams during Culp's career appeared in a postseason game.

In 11 seasons he had a 122–101 win–loss record, 322 games, 268 games started, 80 complete games, 22 shutouts, 21 games finished, 1 save, 1,898{{fraction|1|3}} innings pitched, 1,677 hits allowed, 863 runs allowed, 755 earned runs allowed, 188 home runs allowed, 752 walks allowed, 1,411 strikeouts, 70 hit batsmen, 73 wild pitches, 8,066 batters faced, 58 intentional walks, 3 balks, and a 3.58 ERA.

After retiring from baseball, Culp became the successful owner of a real estate business in Austin.{{Cite web |last=ReadingEagle |date=2014-09-30 |title=1964 Phillies: Where are they now? |url=https://www.readingeagle.com/2014/09/30/1964-phillies-where-are-they-now/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Reading Eagle |language=en-US}}

• Selected by The Sporting News as National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year, 1963{{cite web|title=Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snrp.shtml|website=baseball-almanac.com|access-date=October 10, 2015}}
• Named to the 1963 National League All-Star Team and the 1969 American League All-Star Team
• Led the National League in hit batsmen (tied at 12, with Jim Bunning and Don Drysdale, 1965){{Cite web |title=1965 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1965-pitching-leaders.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} the American League (tied at 11 with Bob Johnson, 1970){{Cite web |title=1970 American League Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1970-pitching-leaders.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}
• Led the National League in walks allowed (102) (1963)
• Ranks 124th on the MLB career hits allowed per nine innings pitched list (7.95), as of 2024{{Cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Hits per 9 IP |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/hits_per_nine_career.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}
• Ranks 243rd on the MLB career strikeouts per nine innings pitched list (6.69){{Cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Strikeouts per 9 IP |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/strikeouts_per_nine_career.shtml |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

{{baseballstats|mlb=112931|espn=20643|br=c/culpra01|fangraphs=1002869|brm=culp--002ray|retro=C/Pculpr101}}

• [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/49d66c10 Ray Culp] at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
• [https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=culpra01 Ray Culp] at Baseball Almanac

{{Boston Red Sox Opening Day starting pitchers}}

{{Sporting News MLB Rookie of the year}}

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Category:1941 births

Category:Living people

Category:Philadelphia Phillies players

Category:Chicago Cubs players

Category:Boston Red Sox players

Category:Major League Baseball pitchers

Category:Baseball players from Travis County, Texas

Category:National League All-Stars

Category:Johnson City Phillies players

Category:Des Moines Demons players

Category:Asheville Tourists players

Category:Williamsport Grays players

Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players

Category:People from Elgin, Texas

Category:20th-century American sportsmen