Dick Drago, a pitcher on the 1975 Crimson Sox group, died Thursday at the age of 78 from issues following surgery, the Boston Globe reported.
“We’re saddened by the passing of Dick Drago, a staple of the 70’s Crimson Sox pitching workers and a liked teammate,” the group tweeted. “We prolong our sympathies to the Drago family.”
Drago pitched in the majors from 1969-81.
He played his first five seasons with the Royals and done fifth in the 1971 Cy Younger, going 17-11 with a 2.98 ERA and 15 total games.
He used to be traded to the Crimson Sox, the attach he used to be a starter and reliever, in 1974.
We’re saddened by the passing of Dick Drago, a staple of the 70’s Crimson Sox pitching workers and a liked teammate.
We prolong our sympathies to the Drago family. pic.twitter.com/CVrnMWkDH7
— Crimson Sox (@RedSox) November 4, 2023
“That used to be basically the most animated year for me on my arm,” Drago later recalled in an interview. “I’d pitch just a few games in reduction. Then a starter would plot up lame and I’d dangle in as the starter. That happened all year and at the cease of the year, I felt like I had pitched 300 innings.”
In 1975, obsessed on closing, he saved 15 games for the AL East champs and then two more in the ALCS victory over Oakland the attach he recorded the final out.
He recorded four outs or more in 11 of these 17 saves.
“It would had been gigantic to easiest want to web three outs for a attach,” he stated in 2009 about the shorter workload for up-to-the-minute relievers.
“Moderately plenty of times serve then, we would go three innings to web a attach. I potentially would safe had loads more saves if pitching this day.”
In Recreation 6 of the World Sequence against the Reds — widely regarded as to be the most practical recreation ever played — Drago pitched three innings of shutout reduction in Boston’s victory, despite the indisputable reality that Cincinnati took the title the next night.
I used to be alarmed to hear about the unexpected passing of my extinct teammate. He used to be our nearer ahead of they known because it a more in-depth.
My suggestions exit to his family. He’ll be overlooked. https://t.co/yvUjPLbM2Y— Fred Lynn (@19fredlynn) November 5, 2023
He used to be traded to the Angels after the season and gave up Hank Aaron’s 755th dwelling whisk, the final of Aaron’s profession, in a loss to the Brewers.
Drago pitched for the Orioles and then returned to the Crimson Sox ahead of finishing his profession with the Mariners.
“I used to be alarmed to hear about the unexpected passing of my extinct teammate,” 1975 AL Rookie of the Yr and AL MVP Fred Lynn tweeted. “He used to be our nearer ahead of they known because it a more in-depth. My suggestions exit to his family. He’ll be overlooked.”