MLB: Yankees reliver George Frazier passes away at age 68 after battling undisclosed
George Frazier, a relief pitcher who made two World Series appearances over a decade-long MLB career before becoming a broadcaster, passed away in Tulsa on Monday at age 68.
A specific cause of death has not been revealed, but he had been battling an undisclosed illness, according to the Denver Post.
Frazier is remembered by Colorado Rockies fans as the team’s color commentator from 1998 until 2015.
‘In a game full of charismatic characters, George had a seat at the head table,’ long-time Rockies play-by-play announcer Drew Goodman told the Denver Post.
Best known as Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage’s setup man for the New York Yankees, Frazier also pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins, winning a World Series in his final season with the latter.
George Frazier, pictured here at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, died Monday in Tulsa at 68
The Rockies also released a statement on Monday.
‘We are deeply saddened at the passing of former Rockies color analyst, George Frazier,’ the statement began.
‘A retired MLB pitcher, George was a mainstay and the voice behind many classic calls on Rockies broadcasts from 1998-2015. For a generation of Rockies fans, George Frazier was synonymous with Rockies baseball. Our thoughts are with George’s wife, Kay, and his four kids, Matt, Brian, Parker and Georgia, during this time.’
A lanky, 6-foot-5 right-hander, Frazier was a star a Springfield, Missouri’s Hillcrest High School, where he played alongside two other future major leaguers in Bob Detherage and Keith Drumright. Although he was drafted in the 13th round by the Texas Rangers, Frazier instead enrolled at the University of Oklahoma before ultimately being picked by the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth round of the 1976 draft.
A year later, he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for Buck Martinez, and soon blossomed into a reliable option out of the bullpen for manager Ken Boyer.
Frazier is remembered by Rockies fans as the team’s color commentator from 1998 until 2015
Frazier dropped his ERA to an impressive 2.74 in 1980, but had his best season in the Bronx in 1981 after being traded Rafael Santana and posting a miniscule 1.63 ERA, while serving as Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage’s setup man.
Frazier made the first of two career World Series appearances that season, but pitched poorly, yielding seven earned runs in just 3.2 innings of work against the eventual-champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Worst of all, he became the first pitcher to lose three games in a single best-of-seven World Series.
As disappointing as that was, Frazier got a literal and figurative pat on the back from cantankerous owner George Steinbrenner.
‘It wasn’t your fault, kid,’ Steinbrenner said to Frazier, as retold by the reliever to the New York Times in 2011. ‘You’ll be a Yankee next year, don’t worry about it.’
Frazier was a Yankee the following season, and remained a solid option out of the bullpen for the battalion of managers who toiled under Steinbrenner’s wrath in the 1980s: Gene Michael, Bob Lemon, Gene Michael, Clyde King, and Billy Martin.
During that time, he built a rapport with Yankee legend and Oklahoma native, Mickey Mantle.
‘Mickey walks over and says, ”Hey, I heard you’re from Oklahoma,” so we visited for 15 or 20 minutes, and after the game, we sat and talked again,’ Frazier told the Times. ‘From that time on, Mickey kind of accepted me in as one of his buddies.’
In 1984, Frazier was dealt with outfielder Otis Nixon to Cleveland, who traded him four months later along with Rick Sutcliffe to the Chicago Cubs for a package that included slugger Joe Carter.
Frazier was dealt one last time in 1987, landing in Minnesota.
George Frazier talks with catcher Rick Cerone during the 1981 World Series
He would go on to pitch two scoreless innings in a World Series loss to the Cardinals, but the Twins would ultimately win the title in the title in seven games, and Frazier would never pitch in the majors again.
Frazier later returned to the World Series as an announcer with the Rockies in 2007, as the team fell to the Boston Red Sox.
His son, Parker, also had a professional baseball career, reaching Triple-A with the Rockies, White Sox and Diamondbacks organizations.
In 2011, Frazier described himself as fortunate to the New York Times: I wasn’t entitled to pitch in the 1981 World Series. I wasn’t entitled to pitch in the 1987 World Series. It was a privilege I had an opportunity to do that, and I still feel that every day.’