James Harold Umbarger (February 17, 1953 – August 5, 2024) was an American professional

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. He attended Grant High School in

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, California, and was the 33rd pick in the

1971 Major League Baseball draft The 1971 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1971 MLB season. The draft saw the Chicago White Sox select Danny Goodwin first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1971 Major League Base ...

by the

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, but opted to attend

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. In 1974, ''

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'' named Umbarger as honorable mention on the All-America team. He was later selected in the 16th round of the

1974 Major League Baseball draft The 1974 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1974 MLB season. The draft saw the San Diego Padres select Bill Almon first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1974 Major League Baseball ...

by the Texas Rangers. Umbarger made his major league debut in April, of 1975, with the Rangers, and had a successful rookie season for the team, going 8–7 in 56 games (12 of them starts, with 2 shutouts), with a 4.12

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. The following season, Umbarger started 30 games for the Rangers, going 10–12 (with 3 shutouts) with a 3.15 ERA. Prior to the 1977 season, Umbarger was traded to the

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, along with Rodney Scott, for outfielder

Claudell Washington Claudell Washington (August 31, 1954June 10, 2020) was an American baseball outfielder who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Atlanta Br ...

. Umbarger was sold back to the Rangers on August 24, 1977. He finished the 1977 season with the Rangers and returned for the 1978 campaign, appearing in 32 games and posting a 4.88 ERA. The 1978 season would be his last in the major leagues. Umbarger continued to pitch in the minors through 1983. In 1981, he pitched 10 innings of scoreless relief in the longest professional baseball game ever played, a 33-inning marathon between Pawtucket and Rochester. Umbarger died of heart failure in

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on August 3, 2024, at the age of 71.James Harold Umbarger
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1953 births 2024 deaths Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Charleston Charlies players Denver Bears players Glens Falls White Sox players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball pitchers Navegantes del Magallanes players Oakland Athletics players Pittsfield Rangers players Rochester Red Wings players San Jose Missions players Baseball players from Burbank, California Texas Rangers players Tucson Toros players Tulsa Drillers players Grant High School (Los Angeles) alumni American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1950s-stub