Frank Lary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frank Strong Lary (born April 10, 1930, in Northport, Alabama) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1954-1964), New York Mets (1964, 1965), Milwaukee Braves (1964), and Chicago White Sox (1965).
He was signed by the Tigers in 1950 and spent the next few years in the minors. He was clearly a leading prospect during strong performances with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1953 and 1954.
In 1954 he was called up at the end of the season but saw little action. In 1955 he stepped into the rotation as a starter, and was a workhorse for the next 7 years. He was a 20-game winner in 1956 and 1961. Injuries limited his action in 1962 and 1963 and during 1964 he began his trade travels through the Mets, Braves, and White Sox.
Known as "The Yankee Killer", he had a 28-13 lifetime record against the New York Yankees. In 1958 his record against the Yankees was 7-0. Yankees manager Casey Stengel once delayed the appearance of his star pitcher, Whitey Ford, by one day so Ford wouldn't have to face Lary. Stengel explained to reporters, "If Lary is going to beat us anyway, why should I waste my best pitcher?"
Lary was an All-Star in 1960 and 1961, and won the Gold Glove Award in 1961.
After finishing his pitching career, Lary went on to coach and scout for various teams. His older brother Al Lary was briefly a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs but spent most of his baseball career in the minor leagues.
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Retrosheet
| Preceded by Bobby Shantz |
American League Gold Glove Award (P) 1958, 1959, 1960 |
Succeeded by Jim Kaat |
