Dick Welteroth
From BR Bullpen
Richard John Welteroth
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Right-hander Dick Welteroth was signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Senators before the 1945 season. The 17-year-old would spend his initial season with two different teams, the Hagerstown Owls of the Interstate League and the Williamsport Grays of the Eastern League. He would have a combined 3-3 record and a 5.61 ERA.
Dick, who would do a lot of pitching in the next couple of years with the Charlotte Hornets, Chattanooga Lookouts, Scranton Miners and the Richmond Virginians, recalls his major league debut. "I started against Boston and was taken out in the ninth with a 7-1 lead. The only run I gave up was a home run by Ted Williams. The Red Sox rallied, but we held on to win, 7-6." Welteroth was with the Senators his entire major league career, from 1948 to 1950 going 4-6 in 90 appearances, all but four from out of the bullpen.
Throughout his career, Dick struggled with his control, averaging nearly one walk per inning, like the similarly named Dick Weik. In a game at Yankee Stadium on September 11, 1949, New York beat Washington by a score of 20-5 as four Senator pitchers walked 17 batters, including a major league record 11 in a 55-minute bottom half of the third inning. Welteroth came on in relief of starter Paul Calvert and gave up four bases-on-balls and two hits before being sent to the showers.
Dick would spend 10 seasons in pro baseball (1945-54), eight of those in the minors, winning 31 encounters and losing 55 with a 4.30 ERA. After baseball, Dick took over as the owner of J.J. Welteroth Roofing and Sheet Metal in Williamsport, PA, a company originally owned by his father.
[edit] Sources
Baseball Players of the 1950s
Minors Page
