Roric Edward Harrison (born September 20, 1946) 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 was the last

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 ...

pitcher to hit a

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 ...

in an American League game (October 3, ) before the introduction of the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

Early years

Harrison signed with the Houston Astros out of Westchester High School in

Westchester, California Westchester is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles and the Westside Region of Los Angeles County, California. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport, Loyola Marymount University, Otis College of Art and Design, and Westchester E ...

in . Harrison amassed a 13–28 record in Houston's farm system and pitched just two innings for the

Oklahoma City 89ers Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in when he was dealt to the Seattle Pilots with Dooley Womack for

Jim Bouton James Alan Bouton (; March 8, 1939 – July 10, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. Bouton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves between 1 ...

. He pitched for the franchise's (now known as the Milwaukee Brewers) triple A affiliate, the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

in , and went 6–11 with a 5.57

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 ...

. During Spring training the following season, he and Marion Jackson were traded to 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

for

Marcelino López Marcelino Pons López (September 23, 1943 – November 29, 2001) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in and from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynas ...

Baltimore Orioles

Harrison improved to 15–5 with a 2.81 ERA for the Orioles' triple A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings in . The best pitcher in the International League that year, he attended spring training with the Orioles in 1972. He made the team, but as a

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 th ...

, as Baltimore's four starters had each won 20 or more games the previous year. He did, however, make two emergency starts in the second games of doubleheaders, going 1–1 with a 6.75 in his two starts. For the season, he went 3–4 with a 2.30 ERA and four saves.

Atlanta Braves

After just one season in Baltimore, Harrison was traded 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 ...

Pat Dobson Patrick Edward Dobson, Jr. (February 12, 1942 – November 22, 2006) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers (1967–69), San Diego Padres (1970), Baltimore Orioles (1971–72), Atla ...

and

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

to the

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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

for Earl Williams and Taylor Duncan 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. Harrison was used as both a starter and reliever in Atlanta, compiling an 11–8 record and 4.16 ERA in both roles. He also added two home runs to his career total despite having only three hits all season (the other was a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

). Harrison was 20–23 with a 4.45 ERA in his career for Atlanta when he was dealt 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 Fi ...

during the season for pitcher

Blue Moon Odom Johnny Lee "Blue Moon" Odom (born May 29, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from through , most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won t ...

.Indians Deal Odom In Roster Shuffle
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Journeyman

Harrison went 7–7 with a 4.79 ERA in nineteen starts for the Indians in 1975. During Spring training , he was dealt to 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 ...

for Harry Parker. After one season playing triple A ball for the franchise, he was released. He played minor league ball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers before seeing major league experience again with the Minnesota Twins in . In nine games, he was 0–1 with a 7.50 ERA.

References

External links

, o
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Roric 1946 births Atlanta Braves players Asheville Tourists players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from California Bismarck-Mandan Pards players Cleveland Indians players Cocoa Astros players Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players Evansville Triplets players Living people Llaneros de Portuguesa players Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players Oklahoma City 89ers players Portland Beavers players Rochester Red Wings players Salisbury Astros players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tigres de Aragua players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Westchester High School (Los Angeles) alumni