Thomas Henry Timmermann (born May 12, 1940) is an American former

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player. He played professional baseball for 15 years from 1960 to 1974, including six seasons in

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 ...

as a

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, ...

for 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 ...

(1969–1973) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

(1973–1974). He compiled a 35–35

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

and a 3.78

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 ...

(ERA), and recorded 35 saves and 315

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, in 228 major league games and 548

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. After setting a Detroit club record with 61 pitching appearances in 1970, all as a relief specialist, Timmermann was voted " Tiger of the Year" by the Detroit chapter of the

Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines, and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908 and is known fo ...

. During a minor league game in 1968, he tied a professional baseball record by recording the maximum of 27 infield outs in a nine-inning game for the Criollas de Caguas in the

Puerto Rican Winter League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

Early years

Timmermann was born in

Breese, Illinois Breese is a city in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. Breese is the most populous city completely within Clinton County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,641, the majority of whom are of German ancestry. Breese is part of the M ...

, in 1940. He grew up on a dirt farm on the Illinois prairie, attended Aviston High School and subsequently enrolled in

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Chartered in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. SIU enrolls students from all 50 sta ...

. While at Carbondale he became a member of

Sigma Pi Sigma Pi () is a collegiate fraternity in North America. As of 2021, it had more than 5,000 undergraduate members and over 118,000 alumni. The fraternity is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded on February 26, 1897, at Vincennes Uni ...

fraternity.

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

Timmermann was signed by the

as an amateur free agent in 1960 and spent nine-and-a-half years in the Tigers'

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

before making his major league debut. He began his minor league career in 1960 with the

Montgomery Rebels The Montgomery Rebels was the name of several American minor league baseball franchises representing Montgomery, Alabama, playing in various leagues between and . ''Rebels'' was the predominant nickname of the Montgomery teams, but it was not the ...

and had stints with the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

(1960, 1965),

Duluth–Superior Dukes The Duluth–Superior Dukes were a professional baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota. The Dukes were a charter member of the modern Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), Northern League, which started play in 1993. The Dukes played their ...

(1961),

Knoxville Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

(1962–63),

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

(1963–66),

Hawaii Islanders The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987. Originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, the Islanders played ...

(1964), and

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

(1967–1971). In October 1968, while playing for the Criollas de Caguas in the

, Timmermann pitched eight shutouts, including a five-hitter in which he recorded 12 strikeouts among 27 infield outs.

Detroit Tigers

Timmermann was tall — — and weighed 215 pounds. He made his major league debut on June 18, 1969, holding 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 ...

hitless in 1-1/3 innings as a relief pitcher. As a 28-year-old rookie in 1969, Timmermann had a 2.75

(ERA), well below the league average 3.74, and a 4-3

in 31 games (30 as a reliever). In 1970, and despite being demoted to Toledo for 26 days early in the season, Timmermann finished third in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

with 27 saves and sixth in the league with 43 games finished. He appeared in 61 games, all as a relief specialist, breaking the Detroit franchise record of 55 pitching appearances set by

Larry Sherry Lawrence Sherry (July 25, 1935 – December 17, 2006) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed relief pitcher from 1958 to 1968, most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles ...

in 1966. Timmermann compiled a record of 6–7 with a 4.11 ERA. He was credited with converting a bullpen that manager

Mayo Smith Edward Mayo "Catfish" Smith (January 17, 1915 – November 24, 1977) was an American professional baseball player, manager, and scout who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics. Smith had a 39-year baseball caree ...

had called "the worst I've ever seen in baseball" into one that became "almost unbeatable." In one sequence of 11 games in June and July, Timmermann recorded nine saves and two wins. At the end of the 1970 season, Timmermann was voted "Tiger of the Year" by the Detroit chapter of the

— garnering 25% of the votes to edge

Mickey Stanley Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley (born July 20, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stanley signed with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1960. After four years in the Tigers' minor leagu ...

and

Al Kaline Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kali ...

. In November 1970, veteran Detroit sports writer

Watson Spoelstra Watson N. "Waddy" Spoelstra (April 5, 1910 – July 20, 1999) was an American sportswriter for ''The Detroit News'' from 1945 to 1973. He served as the president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in 1968. After retiring from ''The ...

called Timmermann's 1970 performance "the strongest bullpen job ever achieved in Detroit." In 1971, Timmermann appeared in 52 games (two as a starter), compiling a 7–6 record and a 3.86 ERA. In 1972, the Tigers moved Timmermann into the starting rotation, and he started 25 games and made nine relief appearances. He compiled an 8–10 record in 1972 with a 2.89 ERA.

Cleveland Indians

On June 15, 1973, the Tigers traded Timmermann to the

in exchange for Ed Farmer. Timmermann started 15 games for the Indians in 1973 and made 14 relief appearances, finishing with a record of 8–7. Timmermann pitched only four games for the Indians in 1974. He played his final major league game on April 26, 1974. He concluded his professional baseball career in 1974 playing for the Toledo Mudhens and

Oklahoma City 89ers Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northeast, Arkansas to the east, New Mexico to the west, and Colo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timmermann, Tom Major League Baseball pitchers Detroit Tigers players Cleveland Indians players 1940 births Living people People from Breese, Illinois Duluth-Superior Dukes players Durham Bulls players Syracuse Chiefs players Toledo Mud Hens players Oklahoma City 89ers players Montgomery Rebels players Knoxville Smokies players Hawaii Islanders players Southern Illinois Salukis baseball players Baseball players from Clinton County, Illinois Sigma Pi members 20th-century American sportsmen