Paul Edmondson


Paul Michael Edmondson was an American Major League Baseball pitcher.

Early life and education

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, the right-hander attended California State University, Northridge where he played both baseball and basketball for the Matadors.

Career

In June, 1965 Edmondson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 21st round of the first-ever MLB amateur entry draft. In his major league debut on June 20, 1969, Edmondson pitched a complete game two-hitter in a 9-1 White Sox victory over the California Angels.
Edmondson started thirteen of the fourteen games he appeared in during his MLB career. He had the second-best earned run average of any of the six White Sox pitchers who started ten or more games during the 1969 season.
Some of Paul Edmondson's efforts in 1969:
  • 9 innings, 0 earned runs vs. Oakland—NO DECISION
  • innings, 1 earned run vs. California—NO DECISION
  • 8 innings, 1 earned run vs. Kansas City—NO DECISION
  • 7 innings, 1 earned run vs. Oakland—LOST 2-1
  • innings, 1 earned run vs. California—NO DECISION
  • innings, 3 earned runs vs. Washington—NO DECISION
  • 6 innings, 3 earned runs vs. Seattle—LOST 3-1

    Death

While traveling south on rain-soaked U.S. Route 101 near Santa Barbara, California on February 13, 1970, the day after his 27th birthday, his automobile skidded and crashed into oncoming northbound traffic, killing Edmondson and his passenger, Lauraine Leas, 22, of Simi Valley, California.
They had traveled from Simi to San Luis Obispo where Lauraine would be attending Cal Poly the following semester. The tragedy occurred only two weeks prior to spring training, and the White Sox had hoped that Edmondson would become the fourth starter in the rotation.