Richard Eugene Starr (March 2, 1921 – January 18, 2017) 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

born in

Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( ) is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The population was 3,921 at the 2020 census. The name is ...

. Listed at , , he batted and threw right-handed.

New York Yankees

Starr signed with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in 1941, and went a combined 32–12 with a 4.00

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

for the

Butler Yankees A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some al ...

over two seasons. He missed the 1943 through 1945 seasons serving in the US Army in World War II. When he returned to the Yankees in 1946, he went 19–10 with a 2.07 ERA for the

Augusta Tigers The Augusta Tigers was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams in Augusta, Georgia. Beginning in 1884, Augusta has hosted numerous teams in various leagues. Baseball Hall of Fame charter member Ty Cobb played for the Augusta Tour ...

. Assigned to the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

in 1947 and 1948, he was called up to the Yankees when rosters expanded in September of both seasons following the conclusion of the minor league season. His first major league

start Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

was a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

victory over Fred Sanford and the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

. At the 1948 winter meetings, he was traded to the Browns with Red Embree and

Sherm Lollar John Sherman Lollar Jr. (August 23, 1924 – September 24, 1977) was an American professional baseball player and Coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1946 to 1963, most prominently as a member of the Chic ...

plus $100,000 for Sanford and Roy Partee. Starr went 1–7 with a 4.32 ERA for a Browns team that lost 101 games in 1949, however; he was 7–5 with a 5.02 ERA in 1950, and was the only pitcher on the Browns' pitching staff with a winning record. He was involved in a second trade for Sanford during the 1951 season, this time, going to the Washington Senators even up for Sanford.

Minor leagues

Starr returned to the minor leagues in 1952, going 21–21 with a 3.88 ERA over two seasons with the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. He joined the unaffiliated Richmond Virginians in 1954, and returned to the Yankees organization when the team became affiliated with the Yankees in 1956. Starr also pitched in the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

with the

Caracas Lions The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A., better known by its commercial name as the Leones del Caracas, is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVPB). The owner and sole shareholder of the sports club is Ricardo C ...

(1952–53) and Magellan's Navigators (1953–54) and in the

1953 Caribbean Series The fifth edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was played in 1953. It was held from February 20 through February 25, featuring the champion baseball teams of Cuba, Leones de la Habana; Panama, Chesterfield Smokers; Puerto Rico, ...

Major leagues

Over five major league seasons, Starr posted a 12–24 record with 120

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s and a 5.25

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in 93 appearances, including 45 starts, seven

s, two

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s, two saves, and innings of work.

Personal

After his playing career ended, Starr was employed in the production control department for the Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation. Starr died on January 18, 2017, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania at the Armstrong County Health Center where he and his wife resided, the same town in which he was born.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet

SABR Biography Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Dick 1921 births 2017 deaths Augusta Tigers players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball players from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania Butler Yankees players Findlay Browns players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New York Yankees players Newark Bears players Richmond Virginians (minor league) players St. Louis Browns players 20th-century American sportsmen Washington Senators (1901–1960) players United States Army personnel of World War II People from Kittanning, Pennsylvania