Kyle Lohse

“Arriving in Missouri at 29 with a lifetime’s worth of rough outings in Minnesota and Cincinnati already behind him, Lohse was both not good and pretty old in ballplayer years – more flotsam than reclamation project.”1 Then he met Dave Duncan, who told him what to throw, most notably a new two-seam fastball, and Yadier Molina, who showed when and where to throw it, and Lohse put up the best numbers of his career and resurrected his career.2

Born in Chico, California, to Larry and Leslie Lohse on October 4, 1978, Kyle Lohse, who grew up on a farm, was a three-sport athlete, excelling at basketball, baseball, and football at Hamilton Union High in Hamilton City, California. He followed in the footsteps of his parents, who were also star athletes at Hamilton High. Baseball was the sport Lohse excelled at, being an all-conference pick all four years of high school. Upon graduating in 1996, he attended Butte Junior College a two-year institution in Oroville, California, where he met his first wife, Gabrielle.3

Heading into college, despite his mother’s having ties to an indigenous population, Lohse considered himself “American” and did not focus on customs as a kid because his mother’s Wintun-Nomlaki tribe did not reestablish itself until 1996.4 However, despite his initial reluctance to identify as Indigenous, Lohse came to realize the impact he could have on youngsters and began to embrace his heritage. He explained that “when you get older, you start to realize there’s possibly more kids out there with a Native American background. They kind of look towards you so it’s good to try to set an example for them out there when you’re on the field.”5 Lohse’s heritage marks him as the first Indigenous person to play major-league baseball in the twenty-first century.6 Lohse, while playing with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013, explained that the Wintun-Nomlaki tribe was a small tribe and it seemed that everyone was a family.7 After its reestablishment, his mother, Leslie, became known for her success as a businesswoman and tribal treasurer.8 She discussed Lohse’s impact on the tribe: “He truly is an inspiration. We don’t live on a reservation; none of our people do. But I talk to our tribal leaders all the time and they are very excited. A lot of Indian country is watching him. It gives the kids something to aspire to.”9 Leslie eventually came to run the tribal casino. In that position, she was accused and later found guilty of lying to federal investigators about a $5 million line of credit she took out in the tribe’s name. She also failed to report the embezzled tribal money on her tax returns.10 Leslie was sentenced to three years and five months in prison and paid $902,208 in restitution for her transgression.11

Lohse was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 29th round of the amateur draft after his senior year of high school. However, he chose to attend college, spending one semester at Butte Junior College before joining the Cubs Rookie League team as a draft-and-follow signee.12 A right-handed pitcher who stood 6-feet-2 and was listed at 215 pounds, Lohse was promoted in 1998 to Low-A and was known for throwing a lot of strikes and eating up a lot of innings.13 He moved up to High-A for the 1999 season un

til he was traded to the Minnesota Twins on May 21, 1999, with Jason Ryan for Rick Aguilera and Scott Downs.14 In High-A for the 1999 season and Double-A for the 2000 season, Lohse did not put up good numbers, and reports indicated “that his confidence was damaged by a series of poor early performances.”15 Lohse began in 2001 in Double A and, after a rebound from the 2000 season, was promoted to Triple A,16 where he performed well enough to be called up to the majors after nearly six years in the minors.

Lohse made his major-league debut on June 22, 2001, when the Minnesota Twins played the Detroit Tigers. As a starter in that game, he threw 106 pitches and was pulled in the seventh inning of a 4-4 game. He gave up four hits and four earned runs, struck out five and walked one.17 The Tigers went on to win the game 5-4. Lohse completed the 2001 season with the Twins, making 16 starts and going 4-7 with a 5.68 ERA and an 80 ERA+ in 90⅓ innings.

In 2002, his first full year as a starter with the Twins, Lohse showed a glimpse of what would come, posting a 13-8 record with a 4.23 ERA and a 106 ERA+. Throughout his Twins career, he was known for eating up innings and putting up overall average numbers. Over his five years with the Twins, he went 51-57 with a 4.88 ERA and a 93 ERA+ in 172 games.18

After a poor start to the 2006 season, Lohse was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for minor leaguer Zach Ward on July 31, 2006. He completed the 2006 season with the Reds, appearing in 12 games and posting a 3-5 record. The Reds showed confidence in Lohse at the start of the 2007, giving him a spot in their starting rotation. After appearing in 21 games and posting a 6-12 record with a 4.58 ERA and a 101 ERA+, Lohse was traded on July 30, 2007, to the Philadelphia Phillies for Matt Maloney. He completed the season with the Phillies, appearing in 13 games, going 3-0 with a 4.72 ERA and a 97 ERA+.

Lohse was considered an average journeyman pitcher when he was granted his free agency after the 2007 season, but that changed when he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and met up with pitching coach Dave Duncan. Lohse arrived in St. Louis for the 2008 season at 29, able to get only a one-year contract in free agency. Not signing until March 13, 2008, he was coming off two years of rough outings with the Reds and Phillies, along with average statistics from his years with the Twins. None of that mattered to the Cardinals because Duncan saw something in him. “Throughout the 2000s, Cardinals pitching coach/sage Dave Duncan and catcher Yadier Molina made a custom of shining up scuffed imports,”19 and Lohse became a star pupil. Duncan had Lohse develop a two-seamer, Duncan’s favorite pitch against the power hitters of the time, and in 2008 Lohse, riding that pitch, posted his best career numbers to that point.20 He ended the season at 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA and a 112 ERA+. After it was clear that Lohse was adapting well to the tutelage of Duncan, the Cardinals and Lohse agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract extension. For the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Lohse appeared to return to his previous form and then came the 2011 season, after which he never looked back.

During the 2011 season, “Lohse and Molina practiced sleight of hand seven innings at a time, with strategies founded on an understanding of Lohse’s weaknesses,”21 and all the hard work paid off. During the regular season, Lohse led the Cardinals with a 14-8 record, a 3.39 ERA, and a 109 ERA+. On August 28, 2011, he won his 100th big-league game when the Cardinals beat the Pirates 7-4.22 During the postseason, he struggled on the mound as the Cardinals made their improbable run to their 11th World Series championship, the only World Series of his career. Still, he played an instrumental role with his bat.

Lohse is touted as a hero of the miraculous Game Six of the World Series for his pinch-hit sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning. With the Cardinals out of position players, and with two men on, Lohse was called on to hit, though as he explained to sportswriter Rick Hummel, it was a total surprise as he had been told fellow pitcher Edwin Jackson would be getting the at-bat. “I was standing on the bench as Jackson was walking up to the plate thinking, ‘Thank God I’m not the guy up there right now,’ to be honest. There’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of things could go wrong in that situation.”23 However, things quickly changed. “When I was standing up in the dugout on those benches leaning over the rail, I see Pujols talking to Tony. I can read his lips and he’s saying, ‘Loshie,’ and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I might have to go up there.”24 Since he had left his bat in the cage, he went to the plate with Chris Carpenter’s bat. Lohse felt all the pressure of the game ending on his at-bat. “Hitting into a double play was very likely. I’d been sitting there on the bench all night, and if I hit a hard bunt back to somebody, and if they get one of the runners out, I’m probably going to get thrown out, too.”25 Noticing where Texas third baseman Adrian Beltré was playing him, Lohse knew he had to push a bunt hard to the shortstop, which he did to advance the two runners, both of whom eventually scored, tying the game and setting up the game-winning David Freese leadoff home run in the 11th.26 The Cardinals won the Series the next night, finishing an improbable World Series run.

In 2012 Lohse began the season as the Opening Day starter. He did not give up a hit until the seventh inning and ended the game giving up two hits, allowing one run, and striking out three. The outing made Lohse the first pitcher to win at th

e new Marlins Park.27 That game was a precursor to his 2012 season – one of the best in major-league baseball. He finished with a 16-3 record, and his win percentage of .842 led the National League. He finished seventh in the NL Cy Young Award race and fourth in Win Probability Added with a 3.2 WPA. As he entered free agency again after the 2012 season, he had just completed the best five years of his career, where he went 55-35. Those years catapulted Lohse to become a top pitcher. In retrospect, Lohse wishes he had gotten to the Cardinals earlier. “Working with Dunc (pitching coach Dave Duncan) was huge. I can’t say enough how he helped me realize the approach I needed to have on the mound as opposed to trying to throw four-seamers by everybody.”28

On the strength of his time in St. Louis, on March 25, 2013, Lohse signed a three-year, $33 million free-agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers at 34 years old.29 In retrospect, Lohse, who signed eight days before the season’s start, remembered his frustration. “There are days you wake up frustrated, there are days you wake up angry, there are days you feel down, there are days you feel all of that. You’re property of a team for so many years, you get your shot for free agency, and then most teams don’t want to talk to you. You try to stay positive, but it’s hard. It’s a gut-check.”30 Much of his wait to sign was because he was the guinea pig for the new draft-pick compensation in free agency for players who rejected qualifying offers that went into effect during that offseason.31

Despite the wait, that signing paid off for Lohse and the Brewers, as his numbers remained consistent from his 2011 and 2012 seasons with the Cardinals. From 2011 to 2014, he had an average ERA of 3.28 and while not a prototypical ace, he was highly dependable.32 Lohse showed that he still had what it took to be an ace on September 25, 2013, when he threw a complete game in 89 pitches to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-0, completing a Maddux,33 where the pitcher throws a shutout of at least nine innings in

 99 or fewer pitches. The following season, 2014, Lohse threw another Maddux, the 12th in Brewers history, against the Cubs.34 The 2014 season with the Brewers, when he was 35, was the last winning season of his career. He finished 13-9 with a 3.54 ERA and a 107 ERA+ and had optimism for the 2015 season. But Lohse’s 2015 season, the third and final year of his contract with Milwaukee, was disappointing as he finished 5-13 with a 5.85 ERA and a 68 ERA+.

After his time with the Brewers, Lohse tried to prolong his career, signing a free-agent contract with the Texas Rangers on May 14, 2016. He pitched in just two games with the Rangers, going 0-2 with a 12.54 ERA and a 48 ERA+ before being granted free agency on August 1, 2016. After sitting out the 2017 season, Lohse, at 39 years old, made one more attempt at a comeback, signing a minor-league deal with the Kansas City Royals on April 3, 2018. He was released on May 10 after having pitched only at Triple-A Omaha. Lohse officially announced his retirement from baseball that day on Instagram by posting a picture of a beer in the stands at the Triple-A facility captioned, “It’s been a hell of a ride! Baseball, you’ve taken me a lot of places I’ve never thought or even dreamed of. The highs. The lows. The people I’ve met. The teammates I’ve had the pleasure of battling alongside. The guys on the other teams I’ve had the pleasure of battling against. Time to take it to the house knowing I gave it all I had each and every time.’”35

Over his 16-year career, Kyle Lohse played in the majors for six teams but had the most success with the Cardinals. He retired with a 4.40 career ERA, a 96 ERA+, 1,615 strikeouts, and 2531⅔ innings pitched.36 After his playing career, Lohse met and married his second wife, Nikou. Lohse has three children, Kameron and Alexis, from his first marriage, and Kai, from his secon

d. He enjoys playing golf and is a frequent participant in celebrity golf tournaments.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com.

Notes

1 Robert O’Connell, “The Forgettable Career and Memorable Triumphs of Kyle Lohse,” VICE, July 28, 2016, https://www.vice.com/en/article/gvavaj/the-forgettable-career-and-memorable-triumphs-of-kyle-lohse.

2 “The Forgettable Career and Memorable Triumphs of Kyle Lohse.”

3 “Kyle Lohse,” Kyle Lohse married, wife, Twitter, stats, salary • biography,” https://bijog.com/biography/kyle-lohse.

4 Brendan Capria, “Kyle Lohse Brings Heritage and Work Ethic to Brewers,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 21, 2014, https://archive.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/251610301.html. (Accessed June 24, 2024). Kyle Lohse himself is enrolled with the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians. Communication from Rob Daugherty on March 17, 2025.

5 Capria, “Kyle Lohse Brings Heritage and Work Ethic to Brewers.”

6 Royse Parr, “American Indians in Major League Baseball: Now and Then,” https://www.readex.com/readex-report/issues/volume-4-issue-1/american-indians-major-league-baseball-now-and-then. (Accessed June 24, 2024).

7 Lori Nickel, “Brewers’ Lohse Another Product of Chico,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 15, 2013, https://archive.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/brewers-lohse-knows-all-about-his-location-q39n2rr-204787941.html/.

8 “Her Son Kyle May Have a World Series Ring, but Leslie Lohse Is an All-Star,” Indian Country Today, June 20, 2013, https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/her-son-kyle-may-have-a-world-series-ring-but-leslie-lohse-is-an-all-star.

9 Nickel, “Brewers’ Lohse another product of Chico.”

10 Nick Cahill, “Feds Accuse Tribal Casino Execs of Stealing Millions,” Courthouse News Service, January 9, 2017, https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-accuse-tribal-casino-execs-of-stealing-millions/.

11 “Former Members of Tribal Leadership Sentenced for Multimillion Dollar Embezzlement Scheme,” Eastern District of California | Former Members of Tribal Leadership Sentenced for Multimillion Dollar Embezzlement Scheme | United States Department of Justice, February 25, 2022, https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/former-members-tribal-leadership-sentenced-multimillion-dollar-embezzlement-scheme.

12 Baseball Reference, https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lohseky01.shtml; John Sickels, “The Career of Kyle Lohse,” Minor League Ball, October 22, 2012, https://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/10/22/3539354/the-career-of-kyle-lohse. 

13 “The Career of Kyle Lohse.”

14 Unless otherwise indicated, all career data comes from Baseball-Reference.com.

15 Sickels, “The Career of Kyle Lohse.”

16 “The Career of Kyle Lohse.”

17 “Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – June 22 – Kyle Lohse,” Twinstrivia.com, June 22, 2017, https://twinstrivia.com/2017/06/22/major-league-debuts-as-minnesota-twins-june-22-kyle-lohse/. (Accessed J

une 26, 2024).

18 Sickels, “The Career of Kyle Lohse.”

19 O’Connell, “The Forgettable Career and Memorable Triumphs of Kyle Lohse.”

20 “The Forgettable Career and Memorable Triumphs of Kyle Lohse.”

21 “The Forgettable Career and Memorable Triumphs of Kyle Lohse.”

22 Derrick Goold, “Motte Closes Out Series Win vs. Pirates,” STLtoday.com, August 28, 2011, https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/motte-closes-out-series-win-vs-pirates/article_d2024b50-d195-11e0-b0c4-001a4bcf6878.html.

23 Rick Hummel, “Lohse, Unsung Hero of 10th Inning in Game 6 of 2011 Series, Returns for the Party,” STLtoday.com, September 17, 2021, https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/lohse-unsung-hero-of-10th-inning-in-game-6-of-2011-series-returns-for-the/article_c0426a65-321d-5a2e-9938-571ca050a60e.html.

24 “Lohse, Unsung Hero of 10th Inning in Game 6 of 2011 Series, Returns for the Party.”

25 “Lohse, Unsung Hero of 10th Inning in Game 6 of 2011 Series, Returns for the Party.”

26 “Lohse, Unsung Hero of 10th Inning in Game 6 of 2011 Series, Returns for the Party.”

27 Edgar Thompson, “On Opening Day, Marlins’ Stadium Overshadows Their Play,” New York Times, April 5, 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/sports/baseball/on-opening-day-marlins-stadium-overshadows-their-play.html.

28 Hummel, “Lohse, Unsung Hero of 10th Inning in Game 6 of 2011 Series, Returns for the Party.”

29 Justin Schultz, “Kyle Lohse Is the King of Consistency,” Beyond the Box Score, July 2, 2014, https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/7/2/5858262/kyle-lohse-consistency-brewers.

30 Bob Nightengale, “While Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery Remain Free Agents, Kyle Lohse Reflects on the Pain,” USA Today, March 6, 2024, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/03/06/kyle-lohse-reflects-on-mlb-free-agency-blake-snell-jordan-montgomery/72863083007/.

31 “While Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery Remain Free Agents, Kyle Lohse Reflects on the Pain.”

32 Justin Schultz, “Kyle Lohse Is the King of Consistency.”

33 X.com, accessed February 25, 2025, https://x.com/SportsCenter/status/1883312382501372059.

34 Bill Berg, “Lohse Tosses 12th ‘Maddux’ in Brewers History,” Reviewing the Brew, June 1, 2014, https://reviewingthebrew.com/2014/06/01/lohse-tosses-12th-maddux-brewers-history/.

35 Jessica Kleinschmidt, “Kyle Lohse Appeared to Announce His Retirement with a Picture of a Beer at a Ballgame,” MLB.com, May 10, 2018, https://www.mlb.com/cut4/lohse-appeared-to-announce-retirement-at-baseball-game-c276180770.

36 “Kyle Lohse Announced His Retirement While Drinking Beer at a Baseball Game,” Yahoo! Sports https://sports.yahoo.com/kyle-lohse-announced-retirement-drinking-beer-baseball-game-183631210.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADWT9W9L50AXrNP-VK6o07lpE_5ndJutEVK9nvJPf16vUa_Nbombp4bXktpEUju71yiOqfdnOU4-VJ5E7_nyy4E6Aw_glv2x8qgmwa6yKJsi7xxYKfGzdJsqaNpfy189Q9JRZ1QLe115Wsr36FovTR2WWDCvYw7_ddu8QTGGGCN_.