Dick Radatz
Encyclopedia
Richard Raymond Radatz (April 2, 1937 – March 16, 2005), nicknamed "The Monster" or "Moose", was an American
right-handed relief pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who had a scorching but short-lived period of dominance for the Boston Red Sox
(1962–66). Radatz also played for the Cleveland Indians
(1966–67), Chicago Cubs
(1967), Detroit Tigers
(1969) and Montreal Expos
(1969). He began his adult professional life as a school teacher.
Born in Detroit, Michigan
, Radatz attended Berkley High School. He led the American League
in saves
(24), games
(62) and relief wins
(9) in , his rookie season with the Red Sox, and was named Fireman of the Year
by The Sporting News
.
In Radatz saved 25 games and went 15-6 with a 1.97 ERA
, becoming the first pitcher in history to have consecutive 20-save seasons. The same season he was selected to the All-Star Game
, and impressed with strikeout
s of Willie Mays
, Dick Groat
, Duke Snider
, Willie McCovey
and Julián Javier
in the two innings he pitched. In 1963, Yankee manager Ralph Houk
said, "For two seasons, I've never seen a better pitcher," and reporters apparently agreed: Radatz finished 5th in MVP voting despite Boston's 7th-place finish.
Radatz received his second Fireman of the Year award in for his league-leading 29 saves with 16 wins and a 2.29 ERA in 79 games. Again, he was selected an All-Star (but was saddled with the loss in that game when Johnny Callison
hit a dramatic home run). Most notably, he fanned 181 batters in 157 innings, setting a record that still stands for most strikeouts by a relief pitcher in a single season.
Sportswriter Jim Murray
wrote that "Dick Radatz brings one weapon - a fastball. It's like saying all a country brings to a war is an atom bomb." However, Radatz's one-pitch arsenal was a worry for Boston, and Ted Williams
encouraged him to develop a sinker. Radatz complied, but in changing his mechanics to incorporate the new pitch, he permanently lost the edge on his fastball.
In 1965 Radatz went 9-11 with 24 saves and a high 3.91 ERA. He was diagnosed with injuries in his arm and shoulder which required season-ending surgery. He never recovered his form, was traded to the Indians at the 1966 mid-season, and was sent to the Cubs the following year. Out of action for the 1968 season, he finished his career with the Tigers and Expos in 1969.
Overall with Boston, Radatz saved 104 games (a team record later broken by Bob Stanley
) with a 49-34 record and 646 strikeouts in 576.1 innings pitched
. With the other four teams he went 6-20 with 26 saves in 117.2 innings.
Dick Radatz was selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
in . He died in March 2005 after falling down a flight of stairs at his home in Easton, Massachusetts
. The Red Sox held a moment of silence during their 2005 home opener in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
in 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...
who had a scorching but short-lived period of dominance for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1962–66). Radatz also played for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1966–67), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1967), Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1969) and Montreal Expos
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
(1969). He began his adult professional life as a school teacher.
Born in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Radatz attended Berkley High School. He led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in saves
Save (sport)
In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...
(24), games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
(62) and relief wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
(9) in , his rookie season with the Red Sox, and was named Fireman of the Year
The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award
The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award was established in 1960 by The Sporting News as TSN Fireman of the Year Award. The award originally recognized the best closer from each league, but in 2001 the award was broadened to include all relievers...
by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
.
In Radatz saved 25 games and went 15-6 with a 1.97 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, becoming the first pitcher in history to have consecutive 20-save seasons. The same season he was selected to the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
, and impressed with strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s of Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
, Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
, Duke Snider
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...
, Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
and Julián Javier
Julián Javier
Manuel Julián Javier Liranzo , best known as Julián Javier [hoo-lee-AN hah-vee-ER], is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and right-handed batter. He played with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds...
in the two innings he pitched. In 1963, Yankee manager Ralph Houk
Ralph Houk
Ralph George Houk , nicknamed The Major, was an American catcher, coach, manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball...
said, "For two seasons, I've never seen a better pitcher," and reporters apparently agreed: Radatz finished 5th in MVP voting despite Boston's 7th-place finish.
Radatz received his second Fireman of the Year award in for his league-leading 29 saves with 16 wins and a 2.29 ERA in 79 games. Again, he was selected an All-Star (but was saddled with the loss in that game when Johnny Callison
Johnny Callison
John Wesley Callison was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1960 to 1969...
hit a dramatic home run). Most notably, he fanned 181 batters in 157 innings, setting a record that still stands for most strikeouts by a relief pitcher in a single season.
Sportswriter Jim Murray
Jim Murray (sportswriter)
James Patrick Murray was an American sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times from 1961 to 1998.Many of his achievements include winning the NSSA's Sportswriter of the Year award an astounding fourteen times...
wrote that "Dick Radatz brings one weapon - a fastball. It's like saying all a country brings to a war is an atom bomb." However, Radatz's one-pitch arsenal was a worry for Boston, and Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
encouraged him to develop a sinker. Radatz complied, but in changing his mechanics to incorporate the new pitch, he permanently lost the edge on his fastball.
In 1965 Radatz went 9-11 with 24 saves and a high 3.91 ERA. He was diagnosed with injuries in his arm and shoulder which required season-ending surgery. He never recovered his form, was traded to the Indians at the 1966 mid-season, and was sent to the Cubs the following year. Out of action for the 1968 season, he finished his career with the Tigers and Expos in 1969.
Overall with Boston, Radatz saved 104 games (a team record later broken by Bob Stanley
Bob Stanley
Robert William "Bob" Stanley is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox.Over his 13-year career, Stanley played only for the Red Sox from 1977-89...
) with a 49-34 record and 646 strikeouts in 576.1 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. With the other four teams he went 6-20 with 26 saves in 117.2 innings.
Dick Radatz was selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of former Boston Red Sox baseball players. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, past and present media personnel, and representatives from The Sports Museum of New England and the...
in . He died in March 2005 after falling down a flight of stairs at his home in Easton, Massachusetts
Easton, Massachusetts
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 23,112 at the 2010 census.Easton is governed by an elected committee of selectmen and a town administrator.- History :...
. The Red Sox held a moment of silence during their 2005 home opener in his honor.
See also
External links
- MLB historical statistics