Paul Schramka
From BR Bullpen
Paul Edward Schramka
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
- School University of Notre Dame, University of San Francisco
- Debut April 14, 1953
- Final Game April 16, 1953
- Born March 22, 1928 in Milwaukee, WI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Paul Schramka spent a semester at the University of Notre Dame before transferring to the University of San Francisco. He would go on to be named to the USF Sports Hall of Fame. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs after his graduation in 1949 as an amateur free agent.
Paul had two solid years with the Des Moines Bruins of the class A Western League, hitting .260 in his first season of pro baseball in 129 games and backed it up in year number two with a .246 average in 151 games. The left-hander also hit 11 four-baggers in '49 and came up with 20 of the same in 1950.
Schramka spent the next two years (1951-1952) in the Military Services with the United States Army during the Korean War. He arrived back in time for Spring Traning in 1953 and got off to a hot start and was slated to begin the year as the Cubs left fielder, in place of Hank Sauer, who was recovering from a broken finger.
Unfortunately, rain and cold caused the postponement of a few games and Sauer reclaimed his spot in the lineup. Paul never made it to the plate in his brief stay, being used as a late inning replacement in his debut on April 14, 1953 and as a pinch runner in his last appearance just two days later. This would be Paul's only chance as a major leaguer.
Schramka wore number 14 during his brief time with the Cubs. The next man to wear that number made it as a part of his personal identification as Mr. Cub. After the Chicago Cubs retired Ernie's number 14, Schramka is quoted, "I sent Ernie a telegram telling him I left all the base hits in the jersey for you."
Schramka would finish out the 1953 season, again with Des Moines in 80 games, and the Springfield Cubs of the International League in 43 appearances hitting a combined .246 with 10 home runs. Paul would spend one more year in pro baseball, his most productve of his four seasons in the minors, in a split season affair, hitting .282 with 24 home runs for the Macon Peaches of the South Atlantic League and the Beaumont Exporters of the Texas League. Paul wound up a fine minor league run at the age of 26 with a career .259 hitting average and 65 home runs in 534 games.
After leaving baseball Paul went to work for his father in the family's funeral home business. A resident of Butler, Wisconsin, he has been the funeral director for Schramka Funeral Homes with several locations in the Milwaukee, WI, area.
In the 1980s, Schramka launched an unsuccessful campaign to have fellow Milwaukee, WI, native Ken Keltner elected to the Hall of Fame. The campaign came to the attention of author Bill James who developed the Keltner List as a result.
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