Dick Radatz was born on Friday, April 2, 1937, in Detroit, Michigan. Radatz was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 10, 1962, with the Boston Red Sox. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Dick Radatz baseball stats page.
"He (Jack Hiatt) stood there lookin' at it (a home run) and, boy, I was hot. I came off the mound and was yellin' at him, 'Keep lookin' ... go ahead, keep lookin' ... just keep lookin'.' First pitch (next time up), I nail him right in the neck and down he goes. I came off the mound and yelled at him, 'There you go! Stay down there and take a look at that one!' " - Dick Radatz in Baseball Digest (September 1996)
Dick RadatzDick 'The Monster' Radatz Autograph on a 1966 Topps Baseball Card (#475 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dick RadatzDick Radatz Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1962 | 25 | Red Sox | 62 | 0 | 53 | 9 | 6 | .600 | 2.24 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 124.2 | 506 | 95 | 31 | 32 | 9 | 40 | 2 | 144 | 4 | 4 | 0 | - |
1963 | 26 | Red Sox | 66 | 0 | 58 | 15 | 6 | .714 | 1.97 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 132.1 | 541 | 94 | 29 | 31 | 9 | 51 | 13 | 162 | 5 | 5 | 0 | - |
1964 | 27 | Red Sox | 79 | 0 | 67 | 16 | 9 | .640 | 2.29 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 157.0 | 635 | 103 | 40 | 44 | 13 | 58 | 9 | 181 | 1 | 7 | 0 | - |
1965 | 28 | Red Sox | 63 | 0 | 56 | 9 | 11 | .450 | 3.91 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 124.1 | 526 | 104 | 54 | 57 | 11 | 53 | 11 | 121 | 1 | 5 | 1 | - |
1966 | 29 | Red Sox | 16 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 4.74 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19.0 | 92 | 24 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1966 | 29 | Indians | 39 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 4.61 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 56.2 | 253 | 49 | 29 | 33 | 6 | 34 | 6 | 49 | 5 | 3 | 0 | - |
1967 | 30 | Indians | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 6.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1967 | 30 | Cubs | 20 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 6.56 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 23.1 | 111 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 0 | - |
1969 | 32 | Tigers | 11 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 3.37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 | 74 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1969 | 32 | Expos | 22 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 5.71 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34.2 | 152 | 32 | 22 | 22 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
7 Years | 381 | 0 | 297 | 52 | 43 | .547 | 3.13 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 693.2 | 2,906 | 532 | 241 | 260 | 65 | 296 | 46 | 745 | 25 | 30 | 1 | - |
Dick RadatzDick Radatz Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1962 | 25 | Red Sox | 62 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .097 | .125 | .097 |
1963 | 26 | Red Sox | 66 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .069 | .100 | .103 |
1964 | 27 | Red Sox | 79 | 37 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .162 | .184 | .189 |
1965 | 28 | Red Sox | 63 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .185 | .214 | .333 |
1966 | 29 | Red Sox | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1966 | 29 | Indians | 39 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .111 | .111 | .111 |
1967 | 30 | Indians | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1967 | 30 | Cubs | 20 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .250 |
1969 | 32 | Tigers | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1969 | 32 | Expos | 22 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .400 | .250 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
7 Years | 381 | 145 | 6 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 79 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .131 | .160 | .172 |
Dick RadatzDick Radatz Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1962 Red Sox | P | 62 | 0 | 374 | 14 | 0.2 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .929 | 0.94 |
1963 Red Sox | P | 66 | 0 | 397 | 15 | 0.2 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .867 | 0.88 |
1964 Red Sox | P | 79 | 0 | 471 | 18 | 0.2 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .889 | 0.92 |
1965 Red Sox | P | 63 | 0 | 373 | 20 | 0.3 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .950 | 1.38 |
1966 Red Sox | P | 16 | 0 | 57 | 2 | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .500 | 0.47 |
1966 Indians | P | 39 | 0 | 170 | 5 | 0.1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.79 |
1967 Indians | P | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.00 |
1967 Cubs | P | 20 | 0 | 70 | 3 | 0.2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.16 |
1969 Tigers | P | 11 | 0 | 56 | 5 | 0.5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.41 |
1969 Expos | P | 22 | 0 | 104 | 4 | 0.2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.04 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 381 | 0 | 2,081 | 87 | 0.2 | 80 | 25 | 55 | 7 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .920 | 1.04 | |
7 Years | 381 | 0 | 2,081 | 87 | 0.2 | 80 | 25 | 55 | 7 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .920 | 1.04 |
Dick RadatzDick Radatz Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1962 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 3.60 | 10.40 | 2.89 |
1963 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 3.18 | 11.02 | 3.47 |
1964 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.9 | 9.3 | 3.12 | 10.38 | 3.32 |
1965 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 27.0 | 2.7 | 27.0 | 2.28 | 8.76 | 3.84 |
1966 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.73 | 9.00 | 5.21 |
1966 Indians | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.44 | 7.78 | 5.40 |
1967 Indians | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.50 | 3.00 | 6.00 |
1967 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.75 | 6.94 | 9.26 |
1969 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.60 | 8.68 | 2.41 |
1969 Expos | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.78 | 8.31 | 4.67 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
7 Years | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 145.0 | 1.8 | 13.2 | 2.52 | 9.67 | 3.84 |
Dick RadatzDick Radatz Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1962 Boston Red Sox | 17 | $7,500.00 | - | - |
1963 Boston Red Sox | 17 | $15,000.00 | Stats | - |
1964 Boston Red Sox | 17 | $25,000.00 | Stats | - |
1965 Boston Red Sox | 17 | $35,000.00 | - | - |
1966 Boston Red Sox | 17 | $41,000.00 | - | - |
1966 Cleveland Indians | 46 | " " | - | - |
1967 Cleveland Indians | 46 | $31,000.00 | - | - |
1967 Chicago Cubs | 43 | " " | - | - |
1969 Detroit Tigers | 14 | $20,000.00 | - | - |
1969 Montreal Expos | 22, 17 | " " | - | - |
Dick Radatz Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that Dick Radatz was the first pitcher in Major League history to have consecutive 20-save seasons? In 1962, his rookie season, he had 24 saves, and in 1963, he had 25 saves - New York Yankees manager Ralph Houk said in '63, "For two seasons, I've never seen a better pitcher."
Did you know that Dick Radatz set and still holds the Major League record for strikeouts in a season by a relief pitcher? In 1964, The Monster mowed down 181 hungry hitters, a mark that remains in tact to this date and hasn't been seriously challenged since 1986, when Mark Eichhorn finished with 166. The National League record was once held by Dick Selma who had 153 strikeouts in 1970, it was passed by Brad Lidge in 2004, who set and still holds the current National League record with 157 Ks.
Did you know that "Hall of Fame" historian John Thorn once published a landmark book called The Relief Pitchers: Baseball's New Heroes, and in that guide he shared his opinion on who were the ten best relief pitchers in baseball history? Those who made his list were: Roy Face, Rollie Fingers, Sparky Lyle, Firpo Marberry, Mike Marshall, Lindy McDaniel, Johnny Murphy, Ron Perranoski, Dick Radatz and Hoyt Wilhelm.
"Dick Radatz certainly was a horrifying site for American League batters in the 1960s. At 6 feet 5 inches and 235 pounds The Monster led the league in saves in both 1962 and 1963, helping to create a new fashion in hulking, hard-throwing relief pitching. Radatz could not only throw hard, but he combined his fastball with a varied assortment of junk pitches. It was an effective mix, and in the 1963 All-Star Game he struck out five of the six batters he faced." Matthew Silverman wrote that spot-on description of Radatz in Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (Total Sports Publishing, May 2000, Page 911).
Dick Radatz | Back of 1964 Topps Giants Baseball Card (#40) | Baseball Almanac Collection
The batters The Monster struck out during the 1963 All-Star Game were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Dick Groat, Julian Javier and Duke Snider.
How did Dick Radatz get the nickname? Let's take a look inside another great book, Talking On Air: A Broadcaster's Life in Sports (Ken Coleman, Sports Masters Publishing, July 1, 2000), "'You guys had better be ahead, because if you're not, The Big Guy will come in around the fifth or sixth inning, and if he does, that's it.' 'The Big Guy' Birdie (Tebbetts) referred to was Dick Radatz, probably the most overpowering reliever ever to pitch. Dick was called The Monster, and the man who gave him that nickname was Mickey Mantle. Radatz faced Mantle 63 times in his career and struck him out 47 times. Mantle got one hit off Radatz, and it was a home run. When Mick crossed the plate, he hollered out to the mound, which was not his style at all. 'I finally got you, Monster,' Mick yelled, laughing. Radatz nodded back. The nickname stuck."
The Fireman of the Year Award was an annual baseball award presented to the best relief pitcher in each league in Major League Baseball. It was established in 1960, by The Sporting News, and Dick Radatz was the first American League pitcher to win the award twice (1962 & 1964).