Richard Michael Hinton is a former
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), ...
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 ...
. He pitched parts of six seasons between 1971 and 1979, including three separate stints with 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 ...
.
Draft history
Hinton was originally drafted in the 23rd round in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
by 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 ...
, but he did not sign, instead opting to attend the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
. During his tenure there, he was drafted three more times, but did not sign until the fourth, when he was selected in the 3rd round in
1969 by the White Sox.
Playing career
First White Sox stint
Hinton advanced fairly quickly to the majors, making his debut in July 1971 against the
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 ...
, pitching a perfect 8th inning in relief of
Terry Forster
Terry Jay Forster (born January 14, 1952) is a retired left-handed relief pitcher who played for 16 seasons in the Major Leagues. He played for five teams in his career and recorded 127 saves during his time in the majors.
Early life
Forster gre ...
. He would go on to pitch in 18 games that year, including three starts, winning three games and losing four.
1972: Yankees and Rangers
Shortly after the 1971 season ended, the White Sox traded Hinton to the team against whom he'd made his debut, the Yankees, in exchange for outfielder
Jim Lyttle
James Lawrence Lyttle Jr. (born May 20, 1946) is a former American professional baseball player from Logan, Indiana. He played as an outfielder for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos, and Los Angeles Dodgers of the Major Lea ...
. He started that season in the minors, coming up to the majors in May. By September, however, he would be out of the Yankees organization, as his contract was purchased by the
Texas Rangers. Altogether, Hinton pitched in 12 games in 1972, winning one and losing one.
Back to the White Sox
The Rangers traded Hinton again the following spring, sending him along with
Nate Colbert
Nathan Colbert Jr. (April 9, 1946 – January 5, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1966 to 1976, most prominently as a member of the newly formed San Diego Padre ...
to the
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 ...
for former
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
batting champion
Alex Johnson
Alexander Johnson (December 7, 1942 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), from to , for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California ...
. However, the Indians kept Hinton for just one season, during which he never appeared in the majors, before releasing him the following spring. He returned to the White Sox, signing with them less than two weeks after his release, and he spent the 1974 season in the minors again. In 1975, Hinton returned to the majors, pitching in 15 games for Chicago, but he would soon be on the move again.
Cincinnati
Hinton was dealt along with minor league catcher Jeff Sovern by the White Sox to the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
for
Clay Carroll
Clay Palmer Carroll (born May 2, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three division ...
on December 12, 1975.
Durso Joseph. "Mets Trade Staub to Tigers for Lolich," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, December 13, 1975.
Retrieved April 30, 2020 While Carroll continued on to have a couple more good years, Hinton continued to be on the fringes of the majors, pitching in just twelve games in the majors in 1976 and none in 1977, after which Hinton was granted free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
.
White Sox, take three
Once again, Hinton found himself in the White Sox organization, and for the first time he would get an extended chance at the majors. He responded by having his best season in 1978, pitching in 29 games, starting four, and pitching a pair of 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, the only ones of his career. He also picked up his first major league save on June 3 against the Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
in support of Ken Kravec
Kenneth Peter Kravec (born July 29, 1951) is an American professional baseball scout and a former Major League pitcher and front office official. The , left-hander appeared in 160 games pitched, 128 as a starter, exclusively for the White Sox ( ...
. His ERA of 4.02 was also his best since 1972.
Final season
Hinton made his 1979 major league debut in May, but he wasn't nearly as effective as he'd been the previous year. His ERA with the White Sox went up by two full runs, to 6.04, although he did pick up two more saves. In July, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
for the also-struggling Juan Bernhardt
Juan Ramón Bernhardt Coradin (born August 31, 1953 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic) is a retired professional baseball player whose career spanned 13 seasons. Bernhardt spent parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with ...
, who would not play in the majors again. Hinton pitched little better for Seattle, finishing the season with a 1–4 record and a 5.86 ERA. He never pitched in the majors again.
Personal life
Hinton is now living in Sarasota with his wife, ex-European model Rita Hinton, and six children. He works as a Green Builder. His son Robert pitched in the minor leagues from 2004 until 2013.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinton, Rich
1947 births
Living people
Major League Baseball pitchers
Chicago White Sox players
New York Yankees players
Texas Rangers players
Cincinnati Reds players
Seattle Mariners players
Denver Bears players
Iowa Oaks players
Indianapolis Indians players
Lynchburg White Sox players
Oklahoma City 89ers players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Tucson Toros players
Baseball players from Arizona
Arizona Wildcats baseball players