![]() He got his wish the Tigers drafted him in 1964. “I just wanted to play for the Tigers,” he said later. His goal was always to make it to the majors, and his dream was to pitch for Detroit. I went 0-for-my-lifetime against Dick Drago.” Early days - Royalsĭick was a highly regarded high school prospect in Toledo. “I faced him all through the minors and later in the big leagues, playing for other teams. “We played together in 19, sharing that great run in '75, but for most of our careers we wore different uniforms. “Dick was a very good teammate and an outstanding man,” Carbo said. I spoke with Carbo a few days ago he was as stunned as I was about Dick’s unexpected death. The Sox catcher is Carlton Fisk and the umpire is Nick Colosi. Ken Griffey drives a Dick Drago pitch into left-center for a double to score Dave Concepcion from second in the ninth inning of second World Series game at Fenway Park on Oct. It was all we talked about in the schoolyard for days.” “I was a young boy then, and my parents let me stay up to watch the game. Providence podiatrist Louis Simeone agrees. I never felt that he in any way judged me for not being a sports fan.” Drago the ballplayerĭrago is not a well-known name to most, but he pitched some of the most important innings in pre-2004 Red Sox history: the ninth, 10th and 11th innings of the famous Carlton Fisk home run game in 1975.ĭave McCarthy, executive director of the Ted Williams Museum, said, “He will always be remembered by fans for his huge role in helping the Red Sox win the greatest game ever played - Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.” Her daughter Lesley Shapiro added, “Dick shattered many of my preconceptions of professional athletes. He was just our friend, a nice person and we will miss him.” Marie Sorman from Cumberland said, “He wasn’t a famous ball player for us. He would never bring it up, but would respond expansively when asked. While Dick was fiercely proud of his 13-year major-league career, he was also very humble about it. (My own favorite kitchen appliance is the microwave, so his visits were a culinary blessing.)ĭick Drago and Frank Lennon in Boston, late 1970s Over the years, he built a network of friends here He was also an excellent cook who enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, trying new foods and recipes. ![]() I was into history and Dick was into music but as is often the case with friends, those interests rubbed off on each other. He drove up alone initially, but after a few years I’d fly to Tampa, and we’d return at a leisurely pace. He would come up in June when the heat got too much in Tampa, and would stay until the beginning of November. Later, he began spending the summer and early fall with me in Providence. ![]() ![]() I met Dick there and we hit it off immediately. We arranged autograph sessions to give players a little extra money in exchange for showing up at a mall or a car dealership. In the 1970s, in the days before the multi-million dollar player contracts, I ran a sports marketing company in Boston. I knew Dick for some 50 years, and considered him my best friend. ![]()
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