Ray Oyler

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Raymond Francis Oyler (August 4, 1938 - January 26, 1981) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers for the majority of his career.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Oyler was a slick-fielding, no-hit player for the 1968 World Series champion Tigers. He had previously served in the Marine Corps

Oyler made his major league debut with Detroit on April 18, 1965 and would go on to be their sometime regular, but often defensive replacement shortstop until 1968. He spent a year in the same capacity with the expansion Seattle Pilots in their only year of play in 1969 and finished his major league career with the California Angels in 1970, compiling a lifetime major league batting average of .175.

Oyler was the regular Tigers shortstop in 1968, appearing in 111 games, and was arguably the best defensive shortstop in baseball at that time. However, his .135 batting average and 12 RBIs posed a major concern for manager Mayo Smith once it became clear Detroit would make their first World Series appearance since 1945.

Smith had four great outfielders in Willie Horton (lf), Mickey Stanley (cf), Jim Northrup (rf) and Al Kaline (platoon of/1b), but only three spots to play them. With less than three weeks left until the World Series, Smith moved Stanley to shortstop for the first time in his career and played him in 9 games that September. While Stanley's performance at the new position was only adequate, Smith felt the added offense was necessary against the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. The gamble paid off. Oyler did not swing a bat in the Series, but appeared in all four Tiger wins as a defensive replacement. Stanley would go on to play 59 games at shortstop for the Tigers the following year, after Oyler was left unprotected in the expansion draft for Seattle to claim. Pilot fans organized the "Ray Oyler Fan Club" in spring training and were rewarded when Oyler homered to win the Pilots' first home game at Sick's Stadium. Oyler loved Seattle, hitting seven homers for the Pilots and upping his batting average by 30 points to .165, just 10 points below his lifetime average.

Detroit was long unable to replace the loss of Oyler's defensive skills. They slumped badly the following year and finished 19 games out of first in 1969, from 12 ahead in 1968. They would not make another World Series appearance until 1984 when Alan Trammell, another great shortstop, brought a potent bat to snare another World Series championship for the Motor City.

Things would never be the same again for Oyler either. By 1970, Seattle has lost their franchise to Milwaukee and Oyler played his final 24 games with the Angels, managing a perfect fielding average but only a .083 mark at the plate.

After Oyler retired from baseball he settled in the Seattle area, managing a bowling alley in Bellevue and working for Boeing.^{[citation needed]} He died at age 42 in Seattle, Washington from a heart attack.