Oberkfell spent 16 years playing in the big leagues. In 1,602 games he hit .278 with 29 home runs. He came up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977 and became the team’s starting second baseman in 1979. Oberkfell enjoyed some great seasons for the Redbirds, hitting around .300 every year. He hit .301 in 1979, then .303 in 1980. The Cardinals eventually traded him to the Atlanta Braves where he remained for four years before he was sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates. As the years went on, Oberkfell’s average dropped to the .280’s, but he remained a solid hitter for Atlanta. However, once he joined the Pirates his average took a precipitous tumble and soon he was reduced to being a part-time player. He hung around the big leagues, making stops with the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and California Angels before retiring in 1992.
Following his playing career Overkfell was a successful minor-league manager in the New York Mets organization. He was the Baseball America 2005 minor league manager of the year.
Oberkfell twice played in the World Series. The first time was in 1982 with the Cardinals. He was the team’s starting third baseman and hit .292, helping them beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. He was back in the World Series in 1989 with the San Francisco Giants. He appeared in all four games of the series, twice as a pinch hitter and twice as the starting third baseman. He hit .333, the Giants, however, lost to the Oakland A’s in four games.
Ken Oberkfell – career stats
