Ike Delock
From BR Bullpen
Ivan Martin Delock
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
- Debut April 17, 1952
- Final Game July 13, 1963
- Born November 11, 1929 in Highland Park, MI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Before the 1948 season Ike Delock was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent. The Sox assigned the 18 year old righthander to the class C Auburn Cayugas for his initial season and the young pitcher responded with a 5-5 record with a 5.16 ERA. In 1949 he would appear for the Oneonta Red Sox and go 12-13 in 33 games with a 4.21 ERA.
Things started to look up and Ike's record improved to 15-8 with a 2.87 ERA for the 1950 class B Roanoke Red Sox. His 1951 season was even better with a 20-4 and a 1.92 ERA for the Scranton Red Sox. In 1952 at age 22 Delock would make his first appearance in a major league uniform with the Red Sox. It was a little rough starting out and Ike went 4-9 with a 4.26 ERA his first year up. He would also spend time in '52 with the AAA Louisville Colonels where he went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA.
1953 would see him split the year again with the Red Sox, doing much better with 3 wins and 1 loss in 23 appearances and then falling a bit with Louisville, going 3-6 in 12 games. 1954 would be Delocks last year in the minors, the 24 year old would go 17-10 with a 3.29 ERA for the Louisville Squad and never look back.
When Ike put on his Boston uniform in 1955 he would remain a member of their mound corps until 1963. His eleven years in a Red Sox uniform was a longevity record for a pitcher with the team until Bob Stanley made his run from 1977 to 1989.
Delock stated, "I was a starter in the minors and preferred it to relieving." In 1956 when he had a record of 13-7 his 11 wins out of the bullpen were the most in the American League. In 1958 he started out with four straight wins in relief and was moved into the starting rotation where he won his first six starts for a 10-0 record on his way to finishing with a career high 14 victories.
Delock, who closed with the Baltimore Orioles in 1963, was 84-75 in his major league career, including a 34-15 mark in relief, with 31 saves and a 4.03 lifetime ERA. His minor league record shows that he appeared in 176 contests, winning 74 and losing 47 for a 3.52 ERA. Ike had been in pro baseball from 1948 through 1963, a total of 16 years.
After baseball Delock stayed in Boston and worked in various sales jobs before owning a small construction business. He also was head coach of Brandeis University. Ike retired in 1988 and moved with his family to Naples, FL.
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page
