Ron Klimkowski
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Ronald Bernard Klimkowski (March 1, 1944 – November 13, 2009) was an American baseball player born in
Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
,
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. He was a right-handed
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, ...
and junkball specialist. He played for 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 ...
(–, ) and the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
() during his career. Klimkowski attended college at
Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-yea ...
for only one year. He was the first graduate of W. T. Clarke High School in Westbury, New York, to play in the major leagues.


Career

Before the 1964 season, Ron Klimkowski was signed by the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
as an amateur
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. On August 8, 1967, he was sent by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on August 3, 1967. The Boston Red Sox traded Pete Magrini to the New York Yankees for
Elston Howard Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and a left fielder. During a 14-year baseball career, he played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues and Major Leag ...
. Klimkowski was traded to the New York Yankees by the Boston Red Sox to complete the trade. Klimkowski made his major league debut on September 15, 1969. On that day, 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 ...
were playing against the New York Yankees at
Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
with 5,734 people attending the game. Klimkowski was called to replace Tom Shopay pitching and batting 9th at the top of the seventh
inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...
. He pitched three full innings. At the bottom of the ninth inning, Dave McDonald was called to
pinch hit In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Am ...
for Klimkowski batting 9th. At the end of the game, the New York Yankees lost the game 2–1. He was traded with
Rob Gardner Robert Gardner may refer to: Law and politics *Bob Gardner, legislator in Colorado *Robert Gardner (Victorian politician) (1916–2002), Australian politician * Robert A. Gardner (politician), Ohio politician * Bob Gardner (Queensland politician) ...
from the Yankees to the Athletics for
Felipe Alou Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12, 1935) is a Dominican former professional outfielder, first baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Montreal Expos (1992–2001) and the San Francisco Giants (2003–2006). The fir ...
on April 9, 1971. On May 22, 1972, he was released by the Oakland Athletics and on the same day was signed again with the New York Yankees. Klimkowski played his last Major League Baseball game on September 22, 1972.


Death

He died of
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
at Plainview Hospital in
Plainview, New York Plainview is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Oyster Bay (town), New York, Oyster Bay in east central Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainv ...
, on November 13, 2009, at the age of 65.Emi Endo
Former Yankees pitcher Ron Klimkowski dies at 65
''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
''. Retrieved 2009-11-20.


References


External links


RetrosheetRon Klimkowski
at Baseball-Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Klimkowski, Ron 1944 births 2009 deaths Baseball players from Jersey City, New Jersey Binghamton Triplets players Florida Instructional League Red Sox players Florida Instructional League Yankees players Iowa Cubs players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Morehead State Eagles baseball players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players Syracuse Chiefs players Waterloo Hawks (baseball) players West Haven Yankees players Winston-Salem Red Sox players