| Art Ditmar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1929-04-03)April 3, 1929 Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: June 11, 2021(2021-06-11) (aged 92) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1954, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 19, 1962, for the Kansas City Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 72–77 |
| Earned run average | 3.98 |
| Strikeouts | 552 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Arthur John Ditmar (April 3, 1929 – June 11, 2021) was an Americanstarting pitcher inMajor League Baseball who played with thePhiladelphia / Kansas City Athletics (1954–56, 1961–62) and theNew York Yankees (1957–61).
Ditmar batted and threwright-handed and was listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg).
Born inWinthrop, Massachusetts, Ditmar grew up in theBerkshire County city ofPittsfield, where he graduated fromhigh school.[1]
A finessecontrol pitcher, Ditmar divided his career between the Athletics and Yankees. Ditmar won 47 games for the Yankees in a span of five years, with a career-high 15 in 1960, despite not getting to pitch on a regular basis in a rotation which includedWhitey Ford,Bobby Shantz,Don Larsen andBob Turley. In a nine-season career, Ditmar compiled a 72–77 record with 552strikeouts and a 3.98ERA in 1,268innings.
Ditmar defeated the Yankees 8–6, when the Athletics played their last game atShibe Park inPhiladelphia before moving toKansas City. In the same game, Yankees regularcatcherYogi Berra played his only game atthird base in his career, and teammateMickey Mantle appeared atshortstop (September 26, 1954). Ditmar started and lost both Game 1 and Game 5 of the1960 World Series for the Yankees, lasting only1⁄3 of an inning in Game 1 and1+1⁄3 inning in Game 5.
After aBudweisertelevision commercial of the 1980s incorporated the originalradio broadcast of the1960 World Series Game 7, with announcerChuck Thompson incorrectly naming Ditmar instead ofRalph Terry as the pitcher off whomBill Mazeroski hit ahome run, Ditmar suedAnheuser-Busch for $500,000, contending his reputation was tarnished.[2]
Ditmar died on June 11, 2021, at the age of 92.[3]