page_title: Ken Retzer
hierarchical_section_title: Ken Retzer
caption_attribution_description: English: KN-C27802 8 April 1963President Kennedy attends baseball Opening Day at DC Stadium.Please credit "Robert Knudsen. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston"KN-C27802. President John F. Kennedy and Washington Senators Catcher Ken Retzer at Baseball Opening Day, D.C. Stadium Accession Number KN-C27802 Date(s) of Materials 8 April 1963 Description President John F. Kennedy laughs as Washington Senators catcher, Ken Retzer, grasps his hand during opening day of the 1963 baseball season at D.C. Stadium, Washington, D.C.; the Washington Senators hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Also pictured: Special Assistant to the President, Dave Powers; Governor of California, Edmund G. “Pat” Brown (back to camera); Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana); Owner of the Washington Senators, James M. Johnston; General Manager of the Washington Senators, George Selkirk (partially hidden); President of the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Joseph Cronin (back to camera); Daniel Harnett and Levi Fraser, from the Washington Boys Clubs; White House Secret Service agents, Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn, Floyd Boring, Roy Kellerman, and John J. “Muggsy” O’Leary. Copyright Status Public Domain Credit Line Robert Knudsen. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston Physical Description 1 negative (color; 35 mm) Person(s) Behn, Gerald A., 1916-1983 Boring, Floyd M., 1915-2008 Brown, Pat (Edmund Gerald), 1905-1996 Cronin, Joe (Joseph Edward), 1906-1984 Fraser, Levi Harnett, Daniel Johnston, James M. (James Martin), 1895-1967 Kellerman, Roy Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 Mansfield, Mike (Michael Joseph), 1903-2001 O'Leary, Muggsy (John Joseph) Powers, Dave (David Francis), 1912-1998 Retzer, Ken (Kenneth Leo), 1934- Selkirk, George (George Alexander), 1908-1987 Place(s) Washington (D.C.) Subject(s) Sports and recreation Organizations(s) American League of Professional Baseball Clubs District of Columbia Stadium (Washington, D.C.) Digital Identifier JFKWHP-KN-C27802 Photographer(s) Knudsen, Robert L. (Robert LeRoy), 1929-1989 Folder Title Opening Day of the 1963 Baseball Season at D.C. Stadium, Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles. 1:30PM Folder Digital Identifier JFKWHP-1963-04-08-B Series Name Robert Knudsen (Office of the Naval Aide to the President). Series Number 03. Collection White House Photographs Archival Creator President (1961-1963&#160;: Kennedy). Office of the Naval Aide to the President. (1961 - 1963) Use Restriction Status Unrestricted Copyright Notice Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Some of the archival materials in this collection may be subject to copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form.
context_page_description: Kenneth Leo Retzer was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1964, appearing in 237 games played. Retzer batted left-handed, threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet tall and 185 pounds.
  Born in Wood River, Illinois, Retzer attended Jefferson City Community College and the University of Central Missouri. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians before the 1954 season, but played his entire major league career for the Senators after Washington acquired him in a September 1961 trade. He was the Senators' most-used catcher in both 1962 and 1963. In 1962, Retzer batted a career-best .285 with 97 hits and eight home runs, and was a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. On Opening Day in 1963, Retzer caught the ceremonial first pitch thrown by President John F. Kennedy. Retzer was also known for catching the first pitch of MLB's 100,000th game on September 6, 1963; the ball was presented to and preserved in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  He finished his career with a lifetime batting mark of .264, 182 hits, 14 homers, 72 runs batted in and 65 runs scored.
context_section_description: Kenneth Leo Retzer (April 30, 1934 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1964, appearing in 237 games played. Retzer batted left-handed, threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg).
  Born in Wood River, Illinois, Retzer attended Jefferson City Community College and the University of Central Missouri. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians before the 1954 season, but played his entire major league career for the Senators after Washington acquired him in a September 1961 trade. He was the Senators' most-used catcher in both 1962 (starting 91 games and platooning with right-handed-batting Bob Schmidt) and 1963 (72 starts in a three-way platoon with Don Leppert and Hobie Landrith). In 1962, Retzer batted a career-best .285 with 97 hits and eight home runs, and was a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. On Opening Day in 1963, Retzer caught the ceremonial first pitch thrown by President John F. Kennedy. Retzer was also known for catching the first pitch of MLB's 100,000th game on September 6, 1963; the ball was presented to and preserved in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 
  He finished his career with a lifetime batting mark of .264, 182 hits, 14 homers, 72 runs batted in and 65 runs scored. He had a lifetime fielding percentage of .983 and threw out 48 of 126 baserunners making stolen base attempts, which is 38.1 percent.
  Retzer's 13-season pro career ended in 1967. Retzer died at his home on May 17, 2020.
caption: Retzer on Opening Day, 1963.
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