Major League Baseball Player. He played Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for 11 seasons (1944, 1946, 1948 to 1956) with the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. A relief specialist before the days when they were commonplace, and an integral part of the 1950 National League champion Phillies "Whiz Kids", he had an relatively unremarkable career that was highlighted by one great season. Making his debut in 1944 with the Reds, he would win 6 and lose 4, but left the team to join the United States Navy, where he served from 1944 to 1945. After for a 10-game stint with the Braves in 1946, he would toil in the Minors until the Phillies brought him in for a handful of games in 1948. The Phillies then switched him entirely to relief, which proved to be a successful move for both Jim Konstanty and the team. In 1949 he won 9 games, lost 5 and saved 7 as he helped the Phillies to climb out of the second division, where they had been mired in for the last 30+ years. In 1950 he reached his nadir, setting a record for games pitched in a season with 74 appearances, winning 16 Games and saving 22. Named to the All-Star game that year (his only appearance), he pitched a scoreless 6th Inning of what would be a 14-inning 4-3 National League victory. When the Phillies took the National League pennant and went on to play the New York Yankees in the World Series, Phils manager Eddie Sawyer surprised everyone by naming Jim Konstanty, his relief ace, as the Starter for Game 1. He pitched a masterful eight innings of one-run, four-hit ball, but was topped by the Yankees Vic Raschi's complete game, two-hit shutout. He would make two more appearances in the Series, getting out of a bases loaded jam in the 8th inning of Game 3, and giving up 3 runs in the 6th and final Game 4 as the Yankees swept Philadelphia to win their 2nd of 5 consecutive championships. He got a measure of satisfaction in November of that year when he was named the 1950 National League MVP; the first pitcher to ever be named. Although he would never top his 1950 season, he continued to be a premier relief specialist. In 1953, the Phillies moved him to the starting rotation for a time, and he responded with winning 14 Games, losing 10 and still managing to save 5 games. On August 22, 1954, his time with the Phillies came to an end when they sold him to the Yankees. The next season, and for the second time in his career, his relieving helped a team win a Pennant, when he saved 11 games, won 7 games and lost 2 for the Yankees as they topped the American League. Despite this, he was left off their post season roster. In June 1956 the Yankees released him, and he was picked up by the Cardinals, where he finished out his career at the end of the year. His career totals were 66 games won, 48 games lost, 74 saves, 268 strikeouts and a career 3.46 earned run average.