Jack Edward DiLauro (May 3, 1943 – December 7, 2024) 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, ...

who played for the 1969

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

Champion New York Mets. DiLauro started his professional baseball career by signing with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

as an amateur free agent on January 1, 1963. He never played in the Major Leagues for the Tigers. On December 4, 1968, he was traded to the

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

in exchange for Hector Valle. In 1969, DiLauro pitched 4 games for the Mets AAA

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

affiliate, the Tidewater Tides. He was then promoted to the Mets and made his major league debut for the Mets on May 15, 1969, against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. In 1969, he pitched in 23 games, mostly in relief, and 63 innings for the Mets. He won 1 game against 4 losses with 1 save. The win, his first in the Major Leagues occurred on July 20 against the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

. His ERA in 1969 was a solid 2.40, better than the league average. The Mets won the

in 1969, but DiLauro did not pitch in the postseason. After the season, DiLauro was drafted from the Mets by the

Houston Astros 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) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in the

rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. In 1970, DiLauro pitched in 42 games for the Astros, all in relief, pitching 33 innings. He had 1 win and 3 losses with 3 saves. He was sold by the Astros to the Hawaii Islanders, the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

AAA team in the

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

on March 15, 1971. In July 1971 he was traded with Hank McGraw (brother of DiLauro's former Mets teammate Tug McGraw) to the

organization for Marv Staehle. But he never pitched in the major leagues after 1970. After a career in sporting goods and as a retail liquidation consultant, DiLauro died in Akron on December 7, 2024, at the age of 81. He was married with two sons, one of whom predeceased him.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:DiLauro, Jack 1943 births 2024 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Houston Astros players Akron Zips baseball players Baseball players from Akron, Ohio Hawaii Islanders players Peninsula Whips players Richmond Braves players Tidewater Tides players Toledo Mud Hens players Duluth-Superior Dukes players Syracuse Chiefs players Jamestown Tigers players Rocky Mount Leafs players