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The Pirates introduced as we speak that former main league catcher Ed Ott handed away as we speak on the age of 72. “We’re saddened by the lack of such a beloved member of the Pirates household,” mentioned Pirates President Travis Williams in an announcement. “Ed spent seven of his eight years within the Main Leagues with the Pirates and was a valued member of our World Sequence Championship group in 1979. It was nice to see him final summer season when he was in Pittsburgh to assist former teammate Kent Tekulve at our Corridor of Fame induction ceremony.”
Born in Muncy, Pennsylvania in 1951, Ott was a part of each the soccer and wrestling groups at his native highschool though he didn’t play baseball there on account of the varsity not having a baseball group. As an alternative, Ott participated in American Legion Baseball in the course of the summers as a 3rd baseman earlier than being drafted within the twenty third spherical of the 1970 draft by the Pirates, at which level the membership transformed him from the infield to the outfield. Ott spent three seasons as an outfielder within the Pirates’ minor league system earlier than the membership as soon as once more requested him to alter positions, this time transferring him behind the plate.
Whereas Ott had beforehand made his main league debut in 1974 as a bench bat with a quick two-game cameo in proper subject, he’d spend the following six seasons of his profession as a catcher for the Pirates. After making simply 10 journeys to the plate throughout his first two massive league seasons mixed, Ott impressed in a 27 sport stint as an emergency catcher behind injured backstops Manny Sanguillén and Duffy Dyer. Whereas his enjoying time remained restricted, Ott made the many of the alternative by slashing .308/.349/.359, an above common slash for the period. That winter, the Pirates shipped Sanguillén to the A’s as compensation for hiring away supervisor Chuck Tanner, a deal that opened the door for Ott to tackle main catcing duties within the 1977 season.
In his first season as a significant league common, Ott carried out effectively with a good .264/.334/.395 slash line in 347 journeys to the plate throughout 104 video games whereas spending 712 2/3 innings behind the plate. That mixture of reliability behind the plate and roughly league common offense continued for the remainder of Ott’s time with the Pirates, as he slashed .268/.316/.383 throughout the following three seasons whereas showing in no less than 112 video games throughout every season. Ott is most well-known for his function as a key piece on Pittsburgh’s 1979 group, which gained 98 video games earlier than sweeping the Reds within the NLCS and being topped World Sequence champions after beating the Orioles in a seven-game set. It’s the fifth and most up-to-date championship in franchise historical past. Ott went 7-for-25 throughout that postseason, knocking in three runs in the course of the World Sequence and scoring the game-winning run towards Baltimore in Recreation 2.
Ott’s time in Pittsburgh got here to an finish following the 1980 season when he was traded to the then-California Angels alongside southpaw Mickey Mahler in change for All Star first baseman Jason Thompson. Ott appeared in 75 video games for the Angels in 1981, although he batted simply .217 with .545 OPS earlier than present process surgical procedure on his rotator cuff that winter, inflicting him to overlook the 1982 marketing campaign. Ott spent the following two seasons within the Angels’ minor league system earlier than retiring in 1984. Following his enjoying profession, Ott went on to function a minor league supervisor within the Pirates group and an enormous league coach with the Astros and Tigers.
We at MLBTR be part of the remainder of the baseball world in sending our condolences to Ott’s household, pals, family members, and former teammates and colleagues across the league.
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