John Thomas Matchick (September 7, 1943January 4, 2022) 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 ...

infielder who played six seasons in

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), ...

(MLB). He 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, and

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 ...

from 1967 to 1972. He compiled a .215

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with four

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 ...

s and 64 runs batted in 292 major league games. He was also named the top all-star in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

on four occasions. Matchick appeared in 80 games for the

team that won the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

in 1968. The

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

wrote in July 1968 that his two-run

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

against the

"looms as the biggest blow so far in the 1968 pennant races" and called him the Tigers' most unlikely hero since

Floyd Giebell Floyd George Giebell (December 10, 1909 – April 28, 2004) was an American baseball player who is best remembered as the pitcher who, in his third career start, shut out Bob Feller and the Cleveland Indians to clinch the 1940 American League p ...

in 1940.

Early life

Matchick was born on September 7, 1943, in

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,963 at the 2020 census. Hazleton is the second largest city in Luzerne County. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on Decembe ...

. His father, John Wesley Matchick, was a crane operator for

Bethlehem Steel Corporation The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

. He attended Hazleton-Freeland High School where he played football. Matchick did not play baseball in high school but was discovered playing Junior American Legion baseball.

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

In 1962, Matchick was signed by scout

Ollie Vanek Ollie Charles Vanek (August 23, 1908 — June 29, 2000) was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. He is best known as the talent-spotter who discovered future Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial for the St. Louis Cardinals ...

to a contract with 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 hav ...

and received a $17,000 signing bonus. He began his professional career with the

Brunswick Cardinals Brunswick is the historical English name for the German city of Braunschweig ( Low German: ''Brunswiek'', Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek''). Brunswick may also refer to: Places and other topographs Australia * Brunswick, Victoria, a suburb ...

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

. He appeared in 71 games for Brunswick and compiled a .311

and a .372

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

. He finished the 1962 season with the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Northern ...

of the Northern League.

Detroit Tigers

Minor leagues

In November 1962, Matchick was drafted by the

from the Cardinals in the 1962 first-year draft. He spent five years in the Tigers' farm system before making his debut with the Tigers. In the spring of 1963, his first with the Tigers organization, Matchick was assigned to the

Lakeland Tigers Lakeland is primarily a toponym. It may refer to: Places Australia *Lakeland, Queensland Canada *Lakeland (electoral district), a federal electoral district in Alberta *Lakeland County, a former municipal district in Alberta * District of La ...

where he was described as a "flashy fielder" who had good range and a powerful throwing arm. Matchick next played for the

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

in 1963 and 1964. By the end of the 1964 season, Matchick had been promoted to the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, the Tigers' Triple-A team in the

. He spent the 1965 and 1966 seasons in Syracuse, appearing in 277 games and accumulating 41 doubles, 10 triples, 19 home runs, and 115 RBIs.

1967 season

Prior to the 1967 season, the Tigers swapped Triple-A farm teams with 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 ...

, resulting in Matchick's move to the

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 ...

. During the 1967 season, Matchick appeared in 120 games for the Mud Hens, compiling a .289

and a .329 on-base percentage with 38 extra base hits, 11 home runs, and 55 RBIs. Matchick was a Triple A all-star and won a Rawlings Silver Glove Award (the minor league equivalent to the

Rawlings Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

) for his fielding during the 1967 season. Matchick was called up by the Tigers late in the 1967 season. He made his

debut with the Tigers on September 2, 1967. He appeared in eight games at the end of the 1967 season, tallying one hit and one run in six at bats.

1968 season

In 1968, Matchick appeared in 80 games for the

team that won the

1968 World Series The 1968 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1968 Major League Baseball season, 1968 season. The 65th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between American League (AL) ch ...

. While Matchick hit only four home runs in his entire major league career, three of them were hit in 1968. He compiled a .203 batting average with 14 RBIs in 227 at bats. On July 19, 1968, Matchick hit a

against the

to give the Tigers a 5–4 victory. The home run came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, a

full count In baseball and softball, the count refers to the number of balls and strikes a batter has in their current plate appearance. If the count reaches three strikes, the batter strikes out; if the count reaches four balls, the batter earns a base o ...

Bill Freehan William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers. The premier catcher in the American League for several years from the 19 ...

on first base,

Moe Drabowsky Myron Walter Drabowsky (July 21, 1935 – June 10, 2006) was an American professional baseball pitcher, best-remembered for throwing scoreless innings of relief to win Game 1 of the 1966 World Series. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

pitching, and the Tigers trailing, 4–3. Matchick was greeted at home plate by the entire Tigers team as a capacity crowd of 53,208 "roared its approval." At the time, the UPI referred to Matchick as the Tigers' most unlikely hero since

(who pitched the pennant-clinching game for the 1940 Tigers in just his third major league start), and wrote that Tommy's walk-off home run "looms as the biggest blow so far in the 1968 pennant races and could be the blow the Tigers look back on as the one that put them 'home free'." Matchick also participated in a

triple play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

for the Tigers on September 1, 1968. Detroit pitcher

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 ...

caught a line drive off the bat of Baltimore slugger

Boog Powell John Wesley "Boog" Powell (born August 17, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from through , most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dyna ...

, threw to Matchick who forced out

Curt Blefary Curtis Leroy "Clank" Blefary (July 5, 1943 – January 28, 2001) was an American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1968), Houston Astros (1969), New York Yankees (1970–1971), ...

at second, and Matchick completed the play by throwing to

Norm Cash Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1933 – October 11, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. A power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an America ...

who forced out

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of bot ...

at first base. McLain recorded his 27th win of the season in the game. The play was the Tigers' first triple play since 1965.

1969 season

During the 1969 MLB season, Matchick played at all four infield positions for the Tigers, appearing in 94 games, and compiling a .242 batting average with 32 RBIs. In 16 pinch hit appearances in 1969, he had eight hits for a .500 batting average as a pinch hitter.

Boston Red Sox

In December 1969, the Tigers traded Matchick to the

for infielder

Dalton Jones James Dalton Jones (born December 10, 1943) is a former Major League Baseball player who played nine seasons in the big leagues for the Boston Red Sox (–), Detroit Tigers (–), and Texas Rangers (1972). Biography Born in McComb, Mississippi ...

. Matchick appeared in only 10 games for the Red Sox during the first month of the 1969 season. He had one hit and two

bases 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 scored two runs in 16 plate appearances.

Kansas City Royals

In May 1970, the Red Sox traded Matchick to the

in exchange for first baseman Mike Fiore. Matchick appeared in 55 games for the Royals, including 37 as the team's starting shortstop and five as the starting second baseman. He compiled a .196 batting average in 158 at bats with the 1970 Royals.

Milwaukee Brewers

In May 1971, Matchick was traded by the Royals to the

in exchange for outfielder

Ted Savage TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

. He was assigned by the Brewers to their Evansville farm club where he played at third base, shortstop, and second base, and compiled a .332 batting average in 85 games. He was called up by the Brewers in late July 1971. He appeared in 42 games for the Brewers, including 32 games as the team's starting third baseman. He compiled a .219 batting average and a .254 on-base percentage in 122 plate appearances with the Brewers.

Baltimore Orioles

On October 22, 1971, the Brewers traded Matchick and

Bruce Look Bruce Michael Look (born June 9, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and catcher who appeared in 59 games played in Major League Baseball as a member of the Minnesota Twins. The native of Lansing, Michigan, threw right-hande ...

to the

in exchange for

Mike Ferraro Michael Dennis Ferraro (born August 18, 1944) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. He played for the New York Yankees (; ) and the Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers (; ). Ferraro threw and batted right-handed, stood tall a ...

and a prospect. Matchick spent most of the 1972 season with the Orioles'

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

farm club in the

. He appeared in 126 games with the Red Wings, primarily at third base, committed only four errors, and compiled a .251 batting average with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs. He received an award as the top third baseman in the minor leagues in 1972. In September 1972, the Orioles called up Matchick from their Rochester farm club. He appeared in only three games for the Orioles, totalling two hits in nine at bats. His final Major League game was on October 3, 1972, as a member of the Orioles.

New York Yankees

In March 1973, the Orioles traded Matchick to the

in exchange for infielder

Frank Baker John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922 for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. Althoug ...

. Matchick was assigned by the Yankees to the

in the International League where he appeared in 87 games, compiling a .271 batting average and .341 on-base percentage. Matchick remained active in the minor leagues through the 1976 season.

Personal life and death

Matchick married Linda Lang, a native of

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. They had a son, Brian Thomas Matchick, on February 5, 1969. They had a daughter, Heather, the following year. Matchick and his wife settled in

Holland, Ohio Holland is a village in eastern Springfield Township, Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Holland is a suburb of Toledo. The population was 1,664 at the 2020 census. Holland is home to the J.H. Fentress Antique Popcorn Museum. History The firs ...

, where they served as foster parents to more than 30 children. Matchick worked over the years as a car salesman, in the sporting goods business, and later as an executive with Great Lakes Aerocam, an aerial photography business in

Woodville, Ohio Woodville is a village in Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,135 at the 2010 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Woodville as a Tree City USA. History Woodville was laid out and platted in 1836. It ...

. Matchick died at Regency Hospital of Toledo on January 4, 2022, after a two month battle with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was 78 years old.

References

External links

Tommy Matchick
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Matchick, Tom 1943 births 2022 deaths Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Pennsylvania Boston Red Sox players Businesspeople from Ohio Brunswick Cardinals players Charleston Charlies players Detroit Tigers players Elmira Pioneers players Evansville Triplets players Florida Instructional League Tigers players Kansas City Royals players Knoxville Smokies players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Brewers players Omaha Royals players People from Hazleton, Pennsylvania People from Holland, Ohio Rochester Red Wings players Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio Syracuse Chiefs players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toledo Mud Hens players Winnipeg Goldeyes players Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio