FORMER CARDINAL KEN REITZ DIES
(St. Charles) The man Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon dubbed ‘The Zamboni Machine’, former Cardinals third baseman Ken Reitz, died Thursday in St. Charles. He was 69.
Reitz served two tours in the Cardinals uniform, from 1972 to ’75 and from 1977 to 1980. He played for the Giants in 1976.
As his nickname suggested, if a baseball was within reach, it usually ended up in Reitz’ glove. For 5 seasons he led National League third basemen in fielding percentage. He twice set records for fewest errors by a third baseman, the second time in 1980 with a total of 8.
He was a reliable hitter with a career average of .260 with 58 home runs.
He was a key figure in the Cardinals’ future success after leaving in a trade with the Cubs for hall of fame reliever Bruce Sutter.
