Fred Bruckbauer

[William Malone]

Frederick John Bruckbauer was born on May 27, 1938 in New Ulm, Minnesota.

He had a fantastic career at the University of Minnesota, helping them capture Big Ten championships in 1958 and 1959. Bruckbauer was an All-American, and signed with the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent in 1959. His $50,000 signing bonus was one of the largest in Major League history, at the time.

Bruckbauer posted a 3.66 minor league ERA during the 1960 season, and was called up to the Senators when rosters expanded in September. He did not make an appearance. The franchise relocated to his home state of Minnesota in 1961, and Bruckbauer finally got into a big league game on April 25th. His debut did not go well, allowing all four runners he faced to reach base. Three of them scored. The Twins sent him back to the minor leagues, and he never made it back as injuries began to plague the once promising prospect.

As of 2025, he is the most recent pitcher to retire with an ERA of infinity. Anyone with an infinite ERA since 1961 was rostered as a position player. Bruckbauer worked over three decades for John Deere after retiring from professional baseball. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 69.

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