Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
() during his career.
Klimkowski attended college at Morehead State University for only one year. He was the first graduate of 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 as an amateur free agent. 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
Peter Alexander Magrini (born June 8, 1942 in San Francisco, California) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox. The , Magrini attended Santa Clara University, where he struck out Willie M ...
to the New York Yankees for Elston Howard. 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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
were playing against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium with 5,734 people attending the game. Klimkowski was called to replace
Tom Shopay
Thomas Michael Shopay (born February 21, 1945 in Bristol, Connecticut) is a former Major League Baseball player. Shopay was a left-handed hitter who played outfielder for the New York Yankees (1967, 1969) and Baltimore Orioles (1971–72, 1975–7 ...
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 team ...
. He pitched three full innings. At the bottom of the ninth inning, Dave McDonald was called to pinch hit 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
*Robert K. A. Gardiner (1914–1994), ...
from the Yankees to the Athletics for Felipe Alou 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, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves 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", and f ...