May 30 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Ed Rakow pitched two years for the Tigers.  He started his professional career in the Brooklyn Dodgers farm system in 1957.  He was 12-9 that first season and continued to improve and move up every year until he debuted with the Dodgers who where now in Los Angeles at the beginning of the 1960 season.  He got in only 9 games that first season and was 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA.  The Dodgers sent him back to the minors to the Spokane Indians where he was 12-6 with a 3.26 ERA.  Before the 1961 season the Dodgers sent Ed to the Kansas City Athletics for Howie Reed and cash.  In 1961 the Athletics used Ed mainly as a reliever and he went 2-8 with a 4.76 ERA.  But in 1962 Ed was moved to the starter position and Ed had his best year in the majors.  He was 14-17 for the Athletics.  While the 17 losses led the league it was for a 9^th place Athletics team that was 24 games out of first and lost 90 games.  Ed’s ERA was 4.46 on a team that allowed a woeful 5.17 runs per game and a team league worst ERA of 4.79.  So Ed was in the position that if he did not win the game as a complete game odds were that he was not going to win with the bullpen and defense behind him.  As it was Ed pitched 11 complete games and was the ace of the Athletics staff.  The next season saw Dave Wickersham take over as the Athletics ace and a drop off in wins from Ed as he only pitched 7 complete games to post a 9-10 record but he dropped his ERA to 3.92.  At the end of the season the Tigers traded Rocky Colavito and Bob Anderson with $50,000 for Dave Wickersham, Jerry Lumpe and Ed.  Ed was moved back to the bullpen and was 8-9 with a 3.72 ERA and 3 saves as Tiger.  In 1965 Ed was in only 6 games for the Tiges all in relief.  He did not record a decision and spent most of the season in Syracuse, the Tigers top farm team where he went 4-9.  Back in the minors in 1966, the Tiges released Ed in May.  He was signed by the Red Sox but never got out of the minors for the Sox.  The Sox sent him to the Braves were he ended his career in the majors in 1967 with a 3-2 record.