Larry Don Miller (June 19, 1937 – March 21, 2018) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

who appeared in 48

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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), ...

for the

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 ...

() and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

(–). Born in Topeka, he attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering in 1960. He threw and batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Miller signed with the Dodgers in 1959 and spent three years in the club's farm system, and then missed the full 1962 and 1963 seasons while performing

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service. After starting 1964 with the Albuquerque Dukes, he was recalled by the Dodgers in June after he went 8–0 with a standout 1.68

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 ...

in the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He was plugged into the 1964 Dodgers' starting rotation, with 14 starts among his 16 appearances. On August 2, he threw his only

MLB 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), ...

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 ...

, a 6–1 triumph over the first-place

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Connie Mack Stadium Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, ...

. He allowed seven

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and only one

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 ...

, and fanned five. Overall, as a

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, he fashioned a 4–8

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and a 4.18 earned run average. Then in October he was swapped to the Mets for

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Dick Smith, a former Dodger farmhand. Hurling for the tail-ending Mets, Miller appeared in 32 games (with six starts) over parts of two seasons, but won only one of seven decisions with a poor 5.35 ERA. His final

game was September 17, 1966. Miller's final major league pitching line included a 5–14 won–lost record (for a

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

of .263) and an ERA of 4.71. In 145

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

, he allowed 162 hits and 57 walks; he struck out 93. He then pitched three more seasons at the Triple-A level before leaving the game at age 32 after a nine-year professional baseball career. He settled in the Phoenix area and earned a

masters' degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in engineering at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He spent three decades as a management consultant on major construction projects.Obituary, Legacy.com
/ref> Larry Miller died March 21, 2018, in Phoenix, aged 80.

References

External links

1937 births 2018 deaths Albuquerque Dukes players Arizona State University alumni Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Kansas Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Greenville Spinners players Jacksonville Suns players Kansas Jayhawks baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers players Macon Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Phoenix Giants players Spokane Indians players Sportspeople from Topeka, Kansas University of Kansas alumni {{US-baseball-pitcher-1930s-stub