Billy Rohr
Pitcher
Born: (1945-07-01) July 1, 1945
San Diego, California
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 14, 1967, for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
June 26, 1968, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Win–loss record3–3
Earned run average5.64
Strikeouts21
Teams

William Joseph Rohr (born July 1, 1945) is a former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), he batted and threw left-handed.

Biography

Rohr was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1963 out of Bellflower High School, but was selected by the Red Sox a year later in the Rule 5 draft. He spent the 1964 season playing for Boston teams in the New York–Penn League and Florida Instructional League.[1] He reached Triple-A with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1965.[1]

As a 21-year-old rookie, Rohr made his first MLB start at the New York Yankees' home opener on April 14, 1967.[2] The slim left-hander faced future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, and was one strike away from a no-hitter when Elston Howard hit a soft single into right-center field.[3] Rohr proceeded to retire the next batter for a 3–0 shutout.[4] His no-hit bid is also remembered for an over-the-shoulder diving catch made by left fielder Carl Yastrzemski to record the first out of the ninth inning.[5] In his next start, Rohr beat the Yankees again, this time 6–1,[6] but only won one more game in the majors after that.

In a two-season major league career, Rohr posted a 3–3 record with a 5.64 ERA in 27 appearances spanning 60+2⁄3 innings of work, including eight starts, two complete games, one shutout, 21 strikeouts, and 32 walks.[7]

Rohr spent 1969 with the Portland Beavers, and had an 11–9 record in 23 games. Before the 1970 season, Rohr was traded by the Indians to the Detroit Tigers organization. He pitched for the Toledo Mud Hens from 1970 to 1971, and was converted to a relief pitcher in his second season. He spent the 1972 season in the Tigers and Montreal Expos organizations before retiring from the game.[1]

Rohr became a medical malpractice attorney in California, close to his hometown and to where he went to law school at Western State University after his career ended.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Billy Rohr Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Boston Red Sox 3, New York Yankees 0". Retrosheet. April 14, 1967. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ Sinibaldi, Raymond (22 March 2013). ""Billy Rohr, on the Threshold, Eight Hits in the Game, All of them Belong to Boston"…..Ken Coleman". fenwaypark100.org. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  4. ↑ Wolf, Gregory H. "April 14, 1967: Red Sox's Billy Rohr misses no-hitter by one out in MLB debut". SABR. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Red Sox Vault: Yaz flies through the air". MLB.com. May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 1". Retrosheet. April 21, 1967. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Billy Rohr". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  8. ↑ Edelman, Alexander. "Billy Rohr". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 14, 2014.

Further reading

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