Larry Dierker

Larry Dierker
Dierker in 2014
Pitcher / Manager
Born: (1946-09-22) September 22, 1946 Hollywood, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 22, 1964, for the Houston Colt .45s
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 1977, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	139–123
Earned run average	3.31
Strikeouts	1,493
Games managed	783
Win–loss record	435-348
Winning %	.556
Teams
As player Houston Colt .45s / Astros (1964–1976) St. Louis Cardinals (1977) As manager Houston Astros (1997–2001)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (1969, 1971) NL Manager of the Year (1998) Houston Astros #49 retired

Lawrence Edward Dierker (born September 22, 1946) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, manager, and broadcaster. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals. He also managed the Astros for five years (1997–2001).

Playing career

Larry Dierker's Retired Number

Signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, Dierker made his major-league pitching debut on his 18th birthday – and struck out Willie Mays in the first inning. In 1969, he became the Astros' first 20-game winner, while compiling a 2.33 earned run average, 20 complete games and 232 strikeouts over 305 innings. He was elected to the National League All-Star team in 1969 and 1971. On July 9, 1976, Dierker pitched a no hitter against the Montreal Expos.

As of 2013, Dierker is the last 17-year-old to make his major league debut.^[1]

On May 19, 2002, the Astros honored Dierker, retiring his No. 49 jersey.

Broadcasting

From 1979 to 1996, Dierker served as a color commentator on the Astros' radio and television broadcasts, a position he returned to in 2004 and 2005.

Managerial career

Dierker was elected National League Manager of the Year in 1998. Houston finished in first place in four of the five years Dierker managed the team, failing only in 2000 when the Astros placed fourth.

In 1999, Dierker had a medical scare during a game against the San Diego Padres. The Houston manager had been plagued by severe headaches for several days. During the game, Dierker had a seizure that rendered him unconscious. He required emergency brain surgery for a cavernous angioma. After four weeks of recovery, he returned to the helm of the Astros and guided the team through the duration of the season. The Astros won 97 games and a third consecutive National League Central Division title.

Later career

Dierker penned a book entitled This Ain't Brain Surgery, which detailed his baseball career as a pitcher and a manager. He later wrote My Team, in which he ruminated on the greatest players he had been witness to in his years of baseball.

After a short period where Dierker had terminated relations with the club, as of 2015, the Astros' website lists Dierker as employed by them in the role of Special Assistant to the President, Reid Ryan.

Managerial records

See also

• List of Houston Astros team records
• List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Larry Dierker Tribute Page
• Dierker, Larry and Joseph Pratt. Larry Dierker Oral History, Houston Oral History Project, July 14, 2008.