Batting average .297 Role Baseball player Home runs 22 Height 1.8 m | Runs batted in 114 Weight 82 kg Name Len Koenecke | |
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Died September 17, 1935, Old Toronto, Canada | ||
Leonard George "Len" Koenecke (January 18, 1904 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA – September 17, 1935 in Toronto, Canada) was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. He died of a blow to the head at the hands of the pilot and a passenger of a plane of which he had seized control.
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Early life
Koenecke was the son of a locomotive engineer and had worked as a fireman.
Minor league career
Koenecke made his professional debut for the Moline Plowboys in the Mississippi Valley League in 1927.
In 1928 he joined Indianapolis in the American Association.
Major League career
After several seasons with Indianapolis, Koenecke was signed to the New York Giants in December 1931 in a deal worth $75,000. Manager John McGraw predicted he would "be a bright star in the National League". He played just the one season with the Giants.
In 1933, playing for the International League Buffalo Bisons, he hit .334 and drove in 100 runs batted in with eight home runs. In 1934, Koenecke joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, where in his first season he hit 14 home runs, 73 RBIs and set a National League fielding record with a percentage of .994. His second season saw a decline in his onfield performance and his drinking became a problem to the point where he was cut during the middle of a road trip.
Death
After being sent home from the road trip, Koenecke caught a commercial flight for New York City. During the flight, he drank a quart of whiskey and became very drunk. After Koenecke had harassed other passengers and struck a stewardess, the pilot had to sit on him to restrain him as he was shackled to his seat. He was removed unconscious from the flight in Detroit. After sleeping on a chair in the airport, he chartered a flight to Buffalo. While flying over Canada, he had a disagreement with the pilot and a passenger, and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
In order to avoid a crash, Koenecke was hit over the head with a fire extinguisher by both the pilot, who had left his controls, and the other passenger. After an emergency landing at Long Branch Racetrack in Toronto, it was found that Koenecke had died of a cerebral hemorrhage. The two men were charged with manslaughter but were found not liable by a coroner's jury soon after.
He was buried in Mount Repose Cemetery at Friendship, Wisconsin.