Carlos Santiago Ullrich was a Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 starting pitcher

Starting pitcher

In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....

, born in Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. Ullrich signed on to play Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 in the Washington Senators organization. He batted and threw right-handed during his baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 career.

Career

At the age of 22, Ullrich made his Major League debut on May 3, 1944, going two and third innings while giving up one earned run. Ullrich pitched nine and two third innings that year, giving up ten earned runs for an earned run average of 9.31. The next year the Senators and Ullrich were better statistically than in the 1944 season. Ullrich at the time was just 23 years old, the second youngest regular on the Senators staff. Ullrich pitched 81 and one third innings for the second place Senators. This was in 28 games, six games started. In 1945 Ullrich tied for eighth with 15 games finished. Ullrich played his final Major League game on September 16 of 1945.

At the time of his retirement Ullrich had a 3-3 record, a 5.04 ERA, 38 walks, and 28 strikeouts. Ullrich was 7 for 25 hitting, with a lifetime batting average of .280. His lifetime fielding percentage was 1.000.

Background

Ullrich's career took place during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. With many baseball stars leaving to serve the United States, it was questioned whether Major League Baseball would continue during this period. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

declared that it would, and therefore teams needed players to fill the spots of players that had left. Ullrich was one of the many that played Major League Baseball during this period. Unfortunately for Ullrich, when the war ended players returned to their teams. Like many others, Ullrich found himself out of the Major Leagues.