Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker | |
---|---|
Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 22, 1964, for the Houston Colt .45s | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 1, 1977, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 139–123 |
Earned run average | 3.31 |
Strikeouts | 1,493 |
Managerial record | 435–348 |
Winning % | .556 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Lawrence Edward Dierker (born September 22, 1946) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, manager, and broadcaster. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964 to 1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals.
After many years as a broadcaster for the Astros, he was hired to manage the team in 1997, managing them for five seasons. He was the first Astro manager to lead the team to three consecutive playoff seasons (all through winning the Central division), and in total he led the Astros to four division titles in five years until he stepped down in 2001.
Early life
Dierker was born in
Playing career
He was signed by the
In 1969, he became the Astros' first 20-game
The 1977 season was his last season in baseball. He pitched in 11 games while garnering a 2–6 record with a 4.58 ERA and six strikeouts on 39.1 innings. He garnered his last victory on July 1 with a seven-inning, five-hit performance while allowing only one run in a 3–1 win over the Chicago Cubs. His last appearance was a one-inning performance on October 1 against the New York Mets, walking one on no hits and runs.[7] On March 28, 1978, he was released by the Cardinals.
As of 2023, Dierker is the last 17-year-old to make his major league debut.[8]
On May 19, 2002, the Astros honored Dierker, retiring his No. 49 jersey.
Broadcasting
From 1979 to 1996, Dierker served as a color commentator on the Astros' radio and television broadcasts, a position he returned to in 2004 and 2005. In 1995, Dierker alongside Pete Van Wieren called Games 1–3 of the National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies for The Baseball Network. The first two games were broadcast on NBC while Game 3 was on ABC. In 2019, he was put onto the Wall of Honor of the press box at Minute Maid Park for his broadcasting.[9]
Managerial career
On October 4, 1996, Dierker was hired as the twelfth manager of the Houston Astros, replacing Terry Collins.[10] Doubts were raised over the potential for a first-year manager replacing a fiery predecessor, but Dierker won the trust of his players as being just one of them.[11] Collins was reportedly dismissed due to disagreements with the two star players in Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. When Dierker was asked about how he would approach them, he stated that they would not be a problem under his watch; he has stated that he believes the statement helped him get the job and that it also proved to be false.[12] It was Dierker who moved Biggio to a full-time basis of batting leadoff.[13]
Houston finished in first place in four of the five years Dierker managed the team, failing only in 2000 when the Astros placed fourth.
The 1997 team won the division, making Dierker the sixth rookie manager to win a division title; it was the first division championship for Houston in eleven years.[14]
The 1998 team, bolstered by a trade for Randy Johnson at the deadline, won 102 games to set a new club record. The mark would not be passed for two decades. That year, Dierker was named National League Manager of the Year.
In 1999, Dierker had a medical scare during a game against the
Dubiously, he has the most postseason appearances for a manager without winning a single postseason series (four). Dierker cited a variety of issues that saw the Astros win two postseason games (Game 2 of the 1998 NLDS and Game 1 of the 1999 NLDS) in his tenure, ranging from pitching to media exposure while also believing it to be just a stroke of bad luck.[18]
On October 19, 2001, Dierker resigned, which occurred under direct urging by Astros owner Drayton McLane after he was approached by players such as Biggio about the differences they had with Dierker over baseball philosophy; Dierker acknowledged that some players were beginning to get tired of him. [19][20]
Later career
In 1998, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.[21] Dierker penned a book entitled This Ain't Brain Surgery, which detailed his baseball career as a pitcher and a manager. He later wrote My Team, in which he ruminated on the greatest players he had been witness to in his years of baseball.
After a short period where Dierker had terminated relations with the club, as of 2015, the Astros' website lists Dierker as employed by them in the role of Special Assistant to the President, Reid Ryan.
In 2017, Dierker and Benjamin Scardello created a podcast called 49's Fastball in which Dierker shares baseball stories he researched going back to the early years of baseball.
The stories include a wide range of subjects and little known "back story" narratives about Players, Stadiums, Records, Promos and Unusual Events, Pitching, Openers and Debuts, Hitting, and All-Star Games.
SABR Houston honored him by naming a chapter in Dierker's name.[22]
Personal life
Dierker, while pitching, attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and University of Houston.[23][24]
He was married to Judy Dierker for 42 years until her death in December 2017.[9] He has three children and five grandchildren.[9]
Managerial records
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
HOU | 1997 | 84 | 78 | .519 | 1st in NL Central | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost NLDS to ATL |
HOU | 1998 | 102 | 60 | .630 | 1st in NL Central | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost NLDS to SD |
HOU | 1999 | 84 | 51 | .622 | 1st in NL Central | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost NLDS to ATL |
HOU | 2000 | 72 | 90 | .444 | 4th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
HOU | 2001 | 93 | 69 | .574 | 1st in NL Central | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost NLDS to ATL |
Total | 435 | 348 | .556 | 2 | 12 | .143 |
See also
- Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
- List of Houston Astros no-hitters
- List of Houston Astros team records
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
References
- ^ "WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: LARRY DIERKER : From Mound to Mike : His Astro Days over, Taft High Product Dierker Regales TV-Radio Audiences". Los Angeles Times. June 23, 1990.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants at Houston Colt .45s Box Score, September 22, 1964".
- ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates at Houston Astros Box Score, April 10, 1968".
- ^ "An interview with Larry Dierker – Baseball: Past and Present".
- ^ "WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: LARRY DIERKER : From Mound to Mike : His Astro Days over, Taft High Product Dierker Regales TV-Radio Audiences". Los Angeles Times. June 23, 1990.
- ^ "Montreal Expos at Houston Astros Box Score, July 9, 1976".
- ^ "Larry Dierker 1977 Pitching Game Logs".
- ^ Yearly League Leaders & Records for Youngest at Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ a b c "To know Larry Dierker is to know Houston baseball". September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Larry Dierker through the years". July 9, 2016.
- ^ "April 1, 1997: Larry Dierker wins managerial debut with Astros – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "Neyer: Dierker is no dud". July 8, 2003.
- ^ "POWER AT THE TOP / Leadoff hitters like the Astros' Biggio have redefined the position". April 14, 1999.
- ^ "Astros manager Larry Dierker steps down". American City Business Journals. October 18, 2001. Archived from the original on February 16, 2006.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (June 14, 1999). "Dierker Has Seizure; Astro Game Suspended". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ reports, Staff. "Dierker returns to manage Astros tonight". The Herald-Times. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Dierker Blames Media for Astro Woes". October 9, 1999.
- ^ "Dierker pays the price, but Astros may not profit".
- ^ "Biggio helps sink Dierker". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Larry Dierker".
- ^ "SABR Houston – Larry Dierker Chapter". Sabrhouston.org. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Fimrite, Ron. "A Good One for the Books". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Pierce, Charles P. (January 29, 2007). "An Egghead in Don Zimmer's Clothing". Esquire. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Larry Dierker Tribute Page
- Dierker, Larry and Joseph Pratt. Larry Dierker Oral History, Houston Oral History Project, July 14, 2008.
- Larry Dierker's Podcast 49's Fastball