"Ken Holtzman has won 91 games in five American League seasons, an average of 18 per year. Mighty impressive credentials for a man who really needs no introduction.
Ken's been a big league star since he broke in with the Cubs in 1965. He pitched two no-hitters during his National League days before being dealt to Oakland in 1972. Now, in five seasons in the American League, Ken's been with a division winner every year, and in a World Series four times.
The Yankees obtained him last June after he had spent ten weeks with the Orioles. His best Yankee outing was a 2-hit shutout in Texas in July, as the Yankees were breaking away from the rest of the league. It was no coincidence that a man of Holtzman's skills would find himself with another flag winner.
Ken, who resides in Lincolnshire, Illinois, is 6'2", 190 pounds. He's still only 31 years old, with a lot of good seasons to look forward to."
-The New York Yankees Official 1977 Yearbook
"Ken joined the Yankees at the trading deadline last year and won nine games in half a season. He's looking forward to his first full season in New York.
Holtzman has been a star in both leagues. He hurled two no-hitters while with the Cubs - August 19, 1969 against Atlanta, and on June 3, 1971 at Cincinnati. He also had a perfect 9-0 record in 1967, in a season interrupted by military service. Switching to the American League in 1972, after Oakland traded Rick Monday for him, Ken has been on five division champions, four pennant winners and three World Champions in five seasons. In those five years, he has had a 91-66 record. He almost had a third no-hitter in 1975, going 8.2 innings against Detroit.
Ken's best Yankee performance was a 2-hit shutout at Texas on July 16. He won four straight for the Yankees and didn't suffer a loss between August 9 and September 13, but the season was somewhat of a statistical disappointment to Ken. He hadn't won fewer than 18 in his four seasons with Oakland, including a 21-victory season in 1973, when he was the Sporting News All-Star left-handed pitcher in the American League.
Along with a 4-1 won-lost record and 2.55 ERA in the World Series, the two-time All-Star has also put together a .833 slugging average as a hitter in the Fall Classic.
Holtzman and Reggie Jackson were traded to Baltimore on April 2, 1976. Ten weeks later, he signed a five-year contract with the Yankees, beginning with 1976."
-1977 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide
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