Dave Skaugstad

David Wendell Skaugstad is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He appeared in two games for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1957 season.

Skaugstad was signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Redlegs on September 7, 1957, at the age of 17. His first major league appearance was just 18 days later, on September 25, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. He entered the game in the top of the sixth inning with the Reds trailing the Chicago Cubs 7-2. He pitched four innings, giving up three hits and three walks while striking out four batters.^[1]

Four days later, he made his last appearance in the majors, facing the Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium. He entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning in a scoreless game. He pitched a flawless sixth inning, but ran into troube in the next frame, giving up one hit, three bases on balls, and one run.^[2] In the 5⅔ innings that he pitched in the major leagues, Skaugstad faced four future Hall of Famers: Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Red Schoendienst and Hank Aaron.

After that game, Skaugstad never pitched another game in the major leagues. In 1958, he was assigned to the minor leagues, pitching for the Visalia Redlegs and Wenatchee Chiefs. He continued to pitch in the minors until 1965, when he pitched for the Knoxville Smokies, although he missed the 1961-63 seasons while in the military. After debuting at age 17, Skaugstad's career was finished at the age of just 25.

Notes

References

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)