A first class fielding third baseman for the St Louis Cardinals during the 1980s, Ken Oberkfell also was one of the NL leading hitters in this decade. From 1979 thru 1985 he had seven strong batting seasons, hitting .301, .303, .293, .289, .293 and .309. Playing third base with the Cardinals during the early 1980s, Ken Oberkfell was part of one the best fielding infields in baseball history, with shortstop Ozzie Smith, second baseman Tommy Herr, and first baseman Keith Hernandez. Ken Oberkfell was chosen a Junior College All-American shortstop at Belleville Area JC in Illinois and signed with the St Louis Cardinals in May 1975. In 1982 he led the NL third baseman in fielding and helped the Cardinals win the NL East Crown. In playoff he had three singles, and 2 RBI, including the game-winner in Game, as the Cardinals swept Braves. Ken Oberkfell played a big role in the Cardinals seven game World Series win over the Brewers, hitting a solid .292, with 7 hits, scoring 4 runs and driving in 2 runs. In June of 1984 Ken Oberkfell was traded to the Braves. Playing with Atlanta and later Pittsburgh he continued to field well and hit respectable. In 1989 with San Francisco he played 3 infield positions and led the majors with 18 pinch hits, and played with the Giants that season in the Earthquake World Series, pinch hitting in the second game, and starting in Games 3 and 4. Baseball History |