Richard Conger (April 3, 1921 – February 16, 1970) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies.[1] His key pitch was the fastball.[2]
| Dick Conger | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: April 3, 1921 Los Angeles, California | |
| Died: February 16, 1970 (aged 48) Los Angeles, California | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 22, 1940, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 14, 1943, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 3–7 |
| Earned run average | 5.14 |
| Strikeouts | 24 |
| Teams | |
Early life
Conger was born in Los Angeles, California, and was Jewish.[3][4][5][6] He attended Fremont High School in Los Angeles, for whom he played baseball, and as a sophomore won 17 consecutive games on the way to a City title.[7] He also led the team to the City Championship in his senior year in 1938.[7]
He then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where Conger also played baseball.[8][9][10] He lost only one game as a freshman for the UCLA Bruins, before signing with the Detroit Tigers in 1940.[7]
Baseball career
In the minor leagues, in 1943 with the Toronto Maple Leafs Conger was 11–6 with a 1.96 ERA (3rd in the International League).[11] In 1944 with the Los Angeles Angels he was 13–7 with a 2.88 ERA, and 5 shutouts (tied for 7th in the Pacific Coast League).[12]
Conger pitched in the major leagues from 1940 (when at 19 years of age he was the second-youngest player in the American League, behind Hal Newhouser) to 1943.[13][14][15] In his major league career he was 3–7 with a 5.14 ERA, and four complete games.[14]
From 1944 to 1946 Conger served in the Marine Corps during World War II.[16][17]
After his major league career, Conger continued to play in the minor leagues, his last season being with the Sacramento Solons (PCL) and Oklahoma City Indians (Texas League) in 1950.[18] He died at 48 years of age.[5]
On June 26, 2011, Conger was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[19]
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Dick Conger at Find a Grave
