Dick Bosman

Richard Allen Bosman (born February 17, 1944) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers (1966–73), Cleveland Indians (1973–75), and Oakland Athletics (1975–76).^[1] Bosman started the final game for the expansion Senators and the first game for the Texas Rangers. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to miss a perfect game due to his own fielding error.^[2]

Baseball career

Bosman was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in . Following that season, he was drafted from the Pirates by the San Francisco Giants, and then a year later was drafted again by the Senators.^[3] After another season in the minors, Bosman made his major league debut on June 1, .

Bosman pitched for the Senators, and later the Rangers, for eight seasons. In 1969, he compiled a 14–5 mark and led the league in earned run average (2.19). He reached a career-high 16 victories in 1970, one of which was a one-hit, 1-0 shutout against Minnesota on August 14. César Tovar gave him the Twins' only hit, a single.^[4]

Bosman was traded, along with Ted Ford, from the Rangers to the Indians for Steve Dunning on May 10, 1973.^[5] On July 19, 1974, Bosman no-hit the defending World Series Champion Oakland Athletics, a team that would go on to win the 1974 World Series to three-peat after winning the World Series in 1972 and 1973. He missed a rare perfect game due only to his own throwing error in the fourth inning, which gave the A's their lone baserunner in a 4-0 Indians victory.^[6]

The following season, Bosman would be traded to the very team he no-hit, as he was traded by the Indians, along with Jim Perry, to the A's in exchange for Blue Moon Odom.^[7] During the season, Bosman won 11 games to help Oakland to a division title. He remained with Oakland in , but was released by the A's in spring training of , bringing his baseball career to an end.

Bosman compiled 82 wins, 757 strikeouts, and a 3.67 earned run average.^[1][8] After retiring, he served as a pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox (1986–87), Rochester Red Wings (1988–91), Baltimore Orioles (1992–94), Texas Rangers (1995–2000), and was a coach in the Tampa Bay Rays' system from 2001. Known for teaching pitchers how to control the running game, Bosman had a hand in developing James Shields, Wade Davis, Jake McGee, Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb. Bosman retired after the conclusion of the 2018 season.^[9]

References

1. ^ "Dick Bosman Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
2. ^ Schneider (2005), p. 142; Robbins (2004), p. 240; Boxscore—Game Played on Friday, July 19, 1974 (N) at Cleveland Stadium. Retrosheet. Retrieved on May 30, 2010.
3. ^ "1963 Major League Baseball Transactions". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
4. ^ "Minnesota Twins at Washington Senators Box Score, August 13, 1970". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
5. ^ "Bosman Sent to Indians By Rangers for Dunning," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, May 10, 1973. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
6. ^ "Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians Box Score, July 19, 1974". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
7. ^ "Indians Send Jim Perry, Bosman to A's for Odom". The New York Times. 1975-05-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
8. ^ "Dick Bosman Baseball Stats | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
9. ^ Topkin, Marc. "Rays journal: Kevin Kiermaier breaks foot in wild 8–7 win over Yankees," Tampa Bay Times, Thursday, September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018

Sources

• Robbins, Mike (2004). Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls with Baseball Immortality (New York: Carroll & Graf). ISBN 0-7867-1335-6
• Schneider, Russell (2005). The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia, 3d ed. (Champaign, Ill.: Sports Publishing LLC). ISBN 1-58261-840-2