Werner Joseph Birrer (July 4, 1928 – November 19, 2013) was an American

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. Listed at 6' 0", 195 lb., Birrer batted and threw right handed. He was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. Graduated from Kensington High School in

(1947). Signed by

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Scout "Cy" Williams, not the ball player in 1947. Birrer pitched for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in all or parts of three seasons spanning 1955–1958. He posted a combined record of 4–3 and a 4.36

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in 56 pitching appearances, including three starts, one

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

and four saves, giving up 39 runs (37 earned) on 129 hits and 29

base on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

, while

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

28 in 119 innings of work. His career highlight came on July 19, 1955, at

Briggs Stadium Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown, Detroit, Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of U. ...

, when he belted two three-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s off

George Zuverink George Zuverink (August 20, 1924 – September 8, 2014) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of eight Major League Baseball seasons (1951–1952, 1954–1959) with the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Redl ...

and

Art Schallock Arthur Lawrence Schallock (born April 25, 1924) is an American former left-handed pitcher who played with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles from 1951 to 1955. Early life Art Schallock was born in 1924, the fourth child and second son of ...

, while pitching four scoreless innings in a 12–4 win over the

. Besides, Birrer had a long time career in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

between 1947 and 1966, most prominently with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. In an 18-year career, he compiled a 139–145 record and a 4.01 ERA in 518 games. In 1957, while pitching for Triple-A

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, he hurled a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

against his former team the

Vancouver Mounties The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first tw ...

. Birrer also gave five seasons of good service in the

Venezuelan League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

, while pitching for four teams, and starring in the

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...

. He went 30–34 with a 2.87 ERA in 84 games, including 40 complete games, 114 walks, and 282 strikeouts in 566 innings. In addition, he posted the best ERA in the league during the 1959–1960 (1.89) and 1960–1961 (1.64) seasons. Birrer then made the 1959 Caribbean Series All-Star team, after going 2–0 with a 1.25 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 21 innings, including a 13-inning victory. He also set a Series record with his 13 innings pitched in a single game, which still remain intact. Birrer spent the last years of his life at a nursing home in

Clarence, New York Clarence is a town located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States, northeast of Buffalo. The population was 32,950 according to the 2020 census estimate. This represents an increase of 7.4% from the 2010 census figure. ...

, where he died in 2013 at the age of 85.

References

External links

Cronología de la Serie del Caribe
(Spanish)
Pura Pelota
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics {{DEFAULTSORT:Birrer, Babe 1928 births 2013 deaths Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Buffalo, New York Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Buffalo Bulls baseball players Caribes de Oriente players Detroit Tigers players Durham Bulls players Hagerstown Owls players Indios de Oriente players Industriales de Valencia players Jamestown Falcons players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Licoreros de Pampero players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Royals players San Antonio Missions players Vancouver Mounties players Williamsport Grays players

See also

References

External links