Harry Dorish

Harry Dorish (Fritz)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 206 lb.

• Debut April 15, 1947
• Final Game September 28, 1956
• Born July 13, 1921 in Swoyersville, PA USA
• Died December 31, 2000 in Wilkes-Barre, PA USA

BR page

[edit] Biographical Information

Harry Dorish was a relief pitcher and spot starter who pitched for 10 seasons in the majors with a winning percentage of .511 and 44 saves. When he was with the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox, the teams were consistently above average.

He was the last American League pitcher to steal home, on June 2, 1950 (see 'Further Reading,' final two articles). He was considered one of the first true relief pitchers, leading the AL with 11 saves in 1952.

Dorish served in the Army in World War II, and played in the minors with the Louisville Colonels and with teams in the Red Sox organization.

After his playing career ended, Dorish would return to his alma mater, the Red Sox, first as a scout from June 1959 to 1962 and then as a coach in 1963. The following season, Dorish made his senior circuit debut, scouting for the Houston Astros from 1964 to 1966. In 1967, he moved to Atlanta, initially managing their minor league affiliate in Jamestown, then joining the parent club as a coach from 1968 to 1971. Though replaced in 1972 by the Braves' 1957 World Series hero, Lew Burdette, Dorish remained with the organization, primarily as a coach in their farm system, although also executing the occasional scouting assignment. In 1974, he would return to his league of origin, serving as Cleveland's roving minor league pitching instructor for the next three seasons. He would assume exactly the same duties within the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1977 and then in 1982 with Cincinnati, with whom he'd remain until his retirement in 1987.

[edit] Further Reading

• (AP): "Colonels Select Dorish To Face Saints Tonight," The Milwaukee Journal (Tuesday, September 10, 1946), p. 7

• (AP): "BOSOX ROUT BROWNS: Dorish Winner As Williams Homers," The Montreal Gazette (Saturday, May 17, 1947), p. 17

• (AP): "Chicago White Sox Sign Former Browns Hurler," The Spokane Spokesman-Review (Thursday, January 4, 1951), p. 12

• (AP): "Dorish Flips 5 Hitter," The Spokane Spokesman-Review (Friday, June 8, 1951), p. 9

• (UP): Relief Hurling By Dorish Gives Sox Win Over Tigers," The Hendersonville Times-News (Saturday, May 10, 1952), p. 8

• Ben Olan (AP): "Harry Dorish Sets Pace in Earned Runs," The New London Day (Tuesday, July 14, 1953), p. 13

• (AP): White Sox Trip Tigers As Harry Dorish Stars," The Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Tuesday, April 20, 1954), p. 9

• (UP): Dorish Halts Tigers in Relief Role: 'Cosmic' pitch confounds pitcher as well as batters," The Victoria Advocate (Tuesday, April 20, 1954), p. 9

• (AP): "Sox Get Les Moss for Harry Dorish," The Milwaukee Journal (Monday, June 6, 1955), p. 24

• (AP): "Dorish Is Given Release by Sox," The Nashua Telegraph (Thursday, October 25, 1956), p. 24

• (AP): "Four Former Big Leaguers Looking For Comeback Trail," The Milwaukee Journal (Tuesday, April 23, 1957), p. 2

• (AP): "Dorish Gets Third Win," The Ellensburg Daily Record (Wednesday, April 24, 1957), p. 8

• Jack Richards: "Big Jim Still King With 22 Rbis; Dorish earned run leader," The Vancouver Sun (Tuesday, May 7, 1957), p. 16

• "Association Playoffs Even: 'Junk dealers' help teams even series," The Warsaw Times (Thursday, September 11, 1958), p. 7

• "Dorish now scouts for former team," The Gadsden Times (Thursday, August 13, 1959), p. 19

• "Pesky Picks Dorish, Malmberg And Lakeman To Red Sox Coaching Staff," The Nashua Telegraph (Wednesday, October 24, 1962), p. 19

• (AP) "Bosox Nip Colts, 4-3; Bressoud and Yaz Homer; Pitching coach struck by line drive," The Lewiston Daily Sun (Friday, March 22, 1963), p. 23

• Bud Tucker: "A Change in Boston Baseball; Pesky engaged Dorish," The Oxnard Press-Courier (Monday, May 20, 1963), p. 13

• Harry Grayson (NEA): "Maglie Helped Radatz Become A Monster," The Florence Times (Sunday, June 30, 1963), p. 4, sec. 4

• (UPI): "Turley Becomes Red Sox Coach," The Pittsburgh Press (Thursday, October 10, 1963), p. 52

• Harry Grayson (NEA): "Red Sox Situation Normal; Still Big, Unhappy Family," The Florence Times (Friday, May 8, 1964), p. 13

• "Scouts With Astros," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Saturday, April 17, 1965), p. 10. Drag image up until highlighted story appears.

• (UPI): "Braves Announce Coaching Staff For 1967," The Rome News-Tribune (Friday, October 20, 1967), p. 9

• (AP): "Braves to Keep Entire Coach Staff," The Schenectady Gazette (Friday, October 18, 1968), p. D11

• (AP): "Braves Add Burdette To Staff," The Schenectady Gazette (Thursday, October 14, 1971), p. 46

• Ian MacDonald: "Expos, Braves: Another Major Trade?" The Montreal Gazette (Tuesday, April 25, 1972), p. 17

• (AP): "Indians Hire Dorish," The Bend Bulletin (Wednesday, October 31, 1973), p. 14

• (AP): "Dorish named pitching coach," The Tuscaloosa News (Wednesday, December 29, 1976), p. 18

• "Brewers' Fingers Grabs Historic MVP Award; Cincinnati Reds: Dorish signed as minor league pitching coach," The Palm Beach Post (Thursday, November 26, 1981), p. E2

• "TRANSACTIONS: Reds rehire Dorish," The New York Times (Thursday, January 11, 1986)

• John Kuenster: "Warm-up Tosses: Tom Browning of Reds, An Unheralded 20-Game Winner in '85," Baseball Digest (March 1986), pp. 15-16

• "TRANSACTIONS: Cincinnati Rehired Dorish," The Gettysburg Times (Thursday, January 15, 1987), p. 14

• Clay Woody: "Harry Dorish: The Pitcher Who Stole Home," Baseball Digest (November 1994), pp. 75-78

• Michael Yockel: "Harry "Fritz" Dorish, the last American League pitcher to steal home," The New York Press (Wednesday, January 24, 2001)

[edit] Related Sites

• TheDeadBallEra.com - Harry Dorish obituary