Don Kaiser
Clyde Donald Kaiser, born February 3, 1935, in Byng, Oklahoma, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1955 to 1957. He was the Cubs’ first “Bonus Baby,” signed after one semester of college with a $15,000 bonus, and the Bonus Rule kept him on the big-league roster for his first two seasons. Kaiser batted and threw right-handed and was 6 feet 5 inches tall and about 195 pounds.
In high school at Byng, he won 49 of 50 decisions and threw seven no-hitters and two perfect games. He attended East Central University on a basketball scholarship before signing with the Cubs. The club kept him on the roster for 1955, and he appeared in 11 games with 18 1/3 innings pitched and an ERA of 5.40.
In 1956 Kaiser started 22 games, finishing with a 4–9 record and a 3.59 ERA. He had notable games, including a complete-game 8–1 win over the Dodgers at Wrigley Field on June 2 and a July 1 shutout of the Milwaukee Braves. The Cubs finished last in the National League that year. He began 1957 in the rotation and won a May 6 complete-game 6–2 victory over the Giants, but spent most of the season in the minor leagues before a September call-up that resulted in his final major league start.
Overall, Kaiser appeared in 58 MLB games, 35 as a starter, with a 6–15 record and a 4.15 ERA. He pitched 240 2/3 innings, allowed 255 hits and 85 walks, and had 108 strikeouts. His only major league shutout came against the Braves in July 1956. After trades to the Braves (1957) and the Detroit Tigers (1959), he never returned to the majors and retired after the 1961 season.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:22 (CET).