*** Welcome to piglix ***

Jim Umbricht

Jim Umbricht
JimUmbricht.JPG
Pitcher
Born: (1930-09-17)September 17, 1930
Chicago, Illinois
Died: April 8, 1964(1964-04-08) (aged 33)
Houston, Texas
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 26, 1959, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1963, for the Houston Colt .45s
MLB statistics
Win–loss record 9–5
Earned run average 3.06
Strikeouts 133
Teams
Career highlights and awards

James Umbricht (September 17, 1930 – April 8, 1964) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed relief pitcher, he played Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1959 and 1963 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Colt .45s.

Umbricht was born in Chicago but grew up in Georgia. He started his professional career in 1953, making the majors in 1959. Over the next seasons, he alternated between teams, playing for the Pirates and that team's farm system. Umbricht was drafted by the Colt .45s in 1962, and became one of the National League's top relief pitchers.

Diagnosed with malignant melanoma in his right leg in March 1963, his comeback to baseball following surgery made national headlines and encouraged research on the disease. He spent the 1963 season as a relief pitcher, sometimes in excruciating pain. Umbricht's health deteriorated soon afterwards and he died within six months, from complications from melanoma in a Houston area hospital at age 33. His ashes were spread over the construction site of the Astrodome, the future home of the Colt .45s. The team retired Umbricht's jersey number, 32, and wore black armbands for the 1964 season in his honor.

Umbricht was born in Chicago, and moved with his family to Atlanta in 1946. Aspiring to be a professional baseball player, Umbricht practiced every day on a field by his house and became a multi-sport star at Decatur High School in Decatur, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia on a scholarship and played on the school's baseball and basketball teams, becoming the captain of both for his senior year. He was named to the All-Southeastern Conference first-team as a shortstop in 1951.


...
Wikipedia

...