Richard Fred Drott (July 1, 1936 – August 16, 1985) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player who pitched for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

and the

Houston Colt .45s The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Tex ...

. Drott, nicknamed "Hummer", started his major league career in 1957 with the Cubs. He won 15 games as a rookie, led the league in walks allowed, and finished third in balloting for Rookie of the Year. He graduated from Western Hills High School in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. On April 24, 1957, Drott was ejected from a game for using a wheelchair to wheel

Moe Drabowsky Myron Walter Drabowsky (July 21, 1935 – June 10, 2006) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, K ...

to first base after Drabowsky claimed he was hit on the foot by a pitch. Arm injuries limited Drott's effectiveness after 1957. He was drafted during the regular phase of the

1961 MLB Expansion Draft The 1961 MLB expansion draft was held by Major League Baseball on October 10, 1961, to fill the rosters of the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s, the new franchises which would enter the league in the 1962 season. The pool of players out o ...

by the Houston Colt .45s. After posting a 2–12 record in 1963, Drott was sent back to the minor leagues. By 1965 he was finished playing professional baseball. Drott finished his career with a record of 27–46 with a lifetime 4.78 ERA in 176 games played. Dick Drott died of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

at age 49.

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1936 births 1985 deaths Baseball players from Cincinnati Burlington Bees players Deaths from cancer in Illinois Cedar Rapids Indians players Chicago Cubs players Columbus Jets players Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States Des Moines Bruins players Fort Worth Cats players Houston Colt .45s players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City 89ers players San Antonio Bullets players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1930s-stub