KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Ray Sadecki, who helped Bishop Ward High School win a state title and later helped the St. Louis Cardinals win a World Series title, died this week.
Sadecki passed away at the age of 73 in Mesa, Arizona.
Sadecki played in the major leagues for 18 years. His best season came in 1964, as he won 20 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched against the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series. The Cardinals would prevail in the series.
He later pitched as a reliever in a second World Series in 1973 as a member of the New York Mets.
However, while his ERA was just 1.93 in the series, the Mets would fail to beat a great Oakland Athletics team led by Reggie Jackson.
Overall, he finished his career with 135 wins and a career 3.78 ERA. He had 85 career complete games and 20 career shutouts.
Before breaking into the big leagues as a 19-year-old, Sadecki was key for a state-championship winning Bishop Ward team that finished 18-0 in 1958.
He was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. A baseball field in downtown Kansas City, Kan., was named after him.