Richard James Midkiff (September 9, 1914 – October 30, 1956) was a

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), ...

. He pitched in thirteen games for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

in 1938, receiving two decisions (one win and one loss). He also pitched for Boston's

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

affiliate, the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, that season and was a teammate of

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...

there. In the mid-1950s, Midkiff contracted

squamous cell carcinoma Squamous-cell carcinomas (SCCs), also known as epidermoid carcinomas, comprise a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...

of the tongue which later spread to his neck and carotid artery. He died at the age of 42 on October 30, 1956 from a massive hemorrhage of his right carotid artery as a result of his cancer.

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1914 births 1956 deaths Boston Red Sox players Baseball players from Texas Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Longhorns baseball players Minor league baseball managers Rocky Mount Red Sox players Syracuse Chiefs players Little Rock Travelers players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Memphis Chickasaws players Birmingham Barons players Vicksburg Hill Billies players Natchez Indians players Del Rio Cowboys players People from Gonzales, Texas Deaths from cancer in Texas {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub