Patrick Edward Dobson, Jr. (February 12, 1942 – November 22, 2006) was an American right-handed

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

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), ...

who played for the

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 ...

(1967–69),

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

(1970),

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 ...

(1971–72),

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

(1973),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1973–75) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1976–77). He was best known for being one of four Orioles pitchers to win 20 games in their season.

Baseball career

Dobson was born in

Depew, New York Depew () is a village (New York), village in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York. The population was 15,303 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The village is nam ...

. He signed with Detroit in . After spending seven years 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 No ...

and winter ball, pitching both in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

and starting, he made his debut with the big team in the season after starting the season 4–1 with a 1.47 ERA in six starts for the AAA

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. Dobson would spend the next years as a reliever and spot starter for the Tigers including pitching innings of relief in the team's 1968 World Series victory over the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. Unable to claim a spot in the Tigers' rotation of

Mickey Lolich Michael Stephen Lolich (born September 12, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1963 until 1979, almost entirely for the Detroit Tigers. A three-time All-Star, ...

Denny McLain Dennis Dale McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain became ...

, Earl Wilson, and

Joe Sparma Joseph Blase Sparma (February 4, 1942 – May 14, 1986) was a quarterback in collegiate football (1961–1962) and a pitcher in Major League Baseball (1964–1970). Quarterback at Ohio State Born in Massillon, Ohio, Sparma attended Ohio State ...

, Dobson was traded to San Diego in along with Dave Campbell for a young

Joe Niekro Joseph Franklin Niekro ( ; November 7, 1944 – October 27, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of former Major League first baseman Lance Niekro. Niekr ...

. After going 14–15 with 185

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s and a 3.76

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 ...

as the staff ace for the last-place Padres, he was traded along with

Tom Dukes Thomas Earl Dukes (born August 31, 1942) is an American retired professional baseball player. The native of Knoxville, Tennessee, was a right-handed relief pitcher who appeared in 161 games over six seasons (1967–1972) for the Houston Astros, ...

to Baltimore for

Enzo Hernández Enzo Octavio Hernández (12 February 1949 – 13 January 2013) was a shortstop in Major League Baseball who played from 1971 through 1978 for the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. Hernández was born in Valle de Guanape, Venezuela. Listed ...

Tom Phoebus Thomas Harold Stephen Phoebus (April 7, 1942 – September 5, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynas ...

Fred Beene Freddy Ray Beene (born November 24, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player. Beene was a right-handed pitcher who played in the Major Leagues between to . He was listed at tall and . Beene attended Brazosport High School in Fr ...

and

Al Severinsen Albert Henry Severinsen (November 9, 1944 – January 27, 2015) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the Baltimore Orioles and in and with the San Diego Padres. He batted and threw right-handed. Severinsen had a 3–7 record, ...

on December 1, 1970. In 1971 Dobson had a winning streak of 12 games (including nine consecutive complete games) and a scoreless inning streak of 23. On September 24, he recorded his 20th win, a 7–0

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

against the Indians. Dobson posted a 20–8, 187, 2.90 season record, and was part of the Orioles' "Big Four" pitching staff along with

Dave McNally David Arthur McNally (October 31, 1942 – December 1, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1962 through 1975, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dyn ...

(21–5),

Mike Cuellar Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana (; May 8, 1937 – April 2, 2010) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in 1959 and from 1964 through 1977, most prominently as a membe ...

(20–9), and

Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...

(20–10). Baltimore went on to win 101 games, with the distinction of having four 20-game winners in a season; only one other team in MLB history, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, have had four 20-game winners. On November 2, 1971, Dobson threw a 2–0

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 the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

in Tokyo. It was the first no-hit game in the Japanese-American baseball exhibition history. Dobson was an All-Star in . His 2.65 ERA was a major improvement from his 20-win season, but he went 16–18, tying for the AL lead in losses with Yankee

Mel Stottlemyre Melvin Leon Stottlemyre Sr. (November 13, 1941 – January 13, 2019) was an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played for 11 seasons in Major League Baseball, all for the New York Yankees, and coached for 23 seasons, ...

. In a transaction primarily driven by the Orioles' need for a power-hitting catcher, he was dealt along with

Davey Johnson David Allen Johnson (born January 30, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played as a second baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won four American League ...

Johnny Oates Johnny Lane Oates (January 21, 1946 – December 24, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, Coach (baseball), coach, and Manager (baseball), manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, ...

and

Roric Harrison Roric Edward Harrison (born September 20, 1946) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last American League pitcher to hit a home run in an American League game (October 3, ) before the introduction of the designated hitter. Early ...

to the

for Earl Williams and

Taylor Duncan Taylor McDowell "Dunc" Duncan (May 12, 1953 – January 3, 2004) was an American baseball infielder. Duncan, who was a college teammate of Leon Lee in Sacramento, was selected by the Atlanta Braves as the 10th overall pick of the 1971 Major Lea ...

on the last day of the

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

on December 1, 1972.Durso, Joseph. "A's Send Epstein to Rangers; Scheinblum, Nelson to Reds," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, December 2, 1972.
Retrieved April 12, 2020 After starting the 1973 season 3–7, Dobson was sent to the Yankees on June 7 for four minor league players (none of whom panned out). Escaping Atlanta, he again blossomed and finished the season with a 9–8 record for the Yankees. Dobson started the 1974 campaign weakly, achieving only a 6–11 record by mid–season. However, Dobson anchored the Yankees' pitching staff in the second half of the season, finishing with a 19–15 record and a 3.07 ERA, the best numbers that year for a Yankee pitcher. After a slumping 11–14, 4.07 in , Dobson was traded to the Indians, and recovered in with a 16–12, 3.48 record. The season proved to be his last, as Dobson compiled a 3–12, 6.16 record. He was released by the Indians during spring training of 1978. In his 11-season career Dobson had a record of 122–129, with 1,301 strikeouts, a 3.54 earned run average, 74

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 ...

s, 14 shutouts, 19 saves, and

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 ...

in 414 games.

Later life

After his playing days, Dobson became a respected pitching coach with the Brewers, Padres, Royals, and Orioles. From 1989 to 1990, he was the manager of the

Fort Myers Sun Sox The Fort Myers Sun Sox were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The club was managed by Pat Dobson, while Joe Coleman, Dyar Miller, Jerry Terrell and Tony Torchia served as ...

of the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

, leading the team to a 37–35 record and a playoff berth in his first season and an 11–14 record at the time of the league's demise on December 26, 1990. In 1997, Dobson joined the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

organization and worked as an advance major league scout and assistant to general manager

Brian Sabean Brian R. Sabean (born July 1, 1956), nicknamed "Sabes", is a former baseball executive. He was the executive vice president of baseball operations of the San Francisco Giants. He served as the team's general manager for eighteen seasons, from 1997 ...

. In 2006 Dobson died from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

at the age of 64, a day after being diagnosed with the disease.

References

External links

*
"Former Orioles 20-game winner Dobson dies at 64"
ESPN.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Pat 1942 births 2006 deaths Atlanta Braves players American League All-Stars Baltimore Orioles coaches Baltimore Orioles players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies scouts Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from leukemia Detroit Tigers players Duluth-Superior Dukes players Durham Bulls players Kansas City Royals coaches Knoxville Smokies players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Buffalo, New York Major League Baseball pitching coaches Milwaukee Brewers coaches Minor league baseball managers Montgomery Rebels players New York Yankees players Petroleros de Zulia players Portland Beavers players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants scouts Syracuse Chiefs players Toledo Mud Hens players

Baseball career

Later life

See also

References

External links