Former MLB Pitcher & AA Binghamton Official Scorer: Steve Kraly

Steve Charles Kraly was born on April 18t, 1929 at Whiting, Indiana. The five foot nine left hander was signed by the A.L. New York club in 1949 at the age of 20. In the minor leagues he was a roommate of Mickey Mantle winning 18 games at Joplin in the Western Association. At Binghamton he was a 19 game winner & became a local star pitcher. He would settle in the area, get married & raise his family there.

Kraly went 19-2 over 22 starts for the Binghamton Triplets before receiving a promotion to the big league club. He would pitch just two games and go 0-2 with a save appearing in five games. He earned a World Series ring but did not pitch in the Series. The next year his arm would tighten up between the tendons and doctors said it was a blood clot, which today is diagnosed as an aneurysm. He would pitch in the minor leagues through 1960 with the Reds, Phillies & Tigers organizations.

In 1956 he returned to Binghamton going 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA. In 1961 his old manager Casey Stengel offered him a contract with the expansion New York Mets. Although his wife suggested he sign, he chose to work a regular job & raise his two kids.

He took a job working at IBM for the next thirty years. In 1992 baseball returned to Binghamton as the Mets farm team took the field. Steve Kraly became the ball parks official scorer & hold that position for almost another thirty years.

In 2008 he was honored with throwing out the first pitch on Steve Kraly bobble head night. "I didn't even know I was being considered for a bobble head," said Kraly. "I had been out of town, and when I got back home people were calling me 'bobble head.' I said, 'What are you talking about?' No one had told me anything. But this is really neat. I have a World Series ring, but to be on a figurine is the ultimate. I'm especially honored that this came from the fans."