11-year MLB veteran Doug Chicken handed away late final month, in accordance with an obituary from a North Carolina funeral residence. The previous Royals, Phillies, Yankees, Cubs, and Crimson Sox right-hander was 74 years outdated.
A California native in his early years, Chicken was drafted by the Royals in the summertime of 1969. He spent the following few years as a starter within the minor leagues earlier than making his massive league debut with Kansas Metropolis on April 29, 1973 as a reliever. His rookie season out of the bullpen was a powerful one, as he pitched to a wonderful 2.99 ERA in 102 1/3 innings of labor. It was extra of the identical over the following two years, as Chicken would go on to put up a 3.01 ERA in 197 2/3 frames from 1974-75.
That sturdy resume in aid earned Chicken a transfer into the rotation for the Royals’ 1976 season, although he nonetheless made 12 appearances out of the bullpen on high of his 27 begins that 12 months. Chicken was a strong back-of-the-rotation arm for the Royals that 12 months, posting a 3.37 ERA that clocked in simply above league common throughout his 197 2/3 innings of labor. 1976 additionally noticed Chicken pitch within the first of three consecutive ALCS match-ups between the Royals and Yankees. He earned the win in Recreation 4 of the ’76 ALCS with 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in aid of southpaw Larry Gura.
In 1977 and past, Chicken moved again right into a aid position. That change suited him simply wonderful, as he advised Norman L. Macht in a 2003 interview about his profession that he most well-liked figuring out of the bullpen as a result of beginning pitchers had been caught “sitting round for 4 days doing nothing.” He took a little bit of a step again by way of productiveness over his closing two seasons with the Royals, as he surrendered a 4.52 ERA in 217 innings unfold throughout 11 begins and 82 aid appearances earlier than being traded to the Phillies in April of 1979. Chicken’s stint with the Phillies was short-lived, nevertheless, as he struggled via one season with the membership earlier than being launched by the membership.
That led Chicken to signal on with the Yankees, and he loved one thing of a profession renaissance with the membership within the early 1980’s. Whereas he donned pinstripes for simply elements of two seasons, he was nothing wanting wonderful out of the Bronx bullpen throughout that point with a 2.68 ERA in 104 dominant innings of labor. He was traded to Chicago partway via the 1981 season, nevertheless, and located himself moved again right into a rotation position with the Cubs. The experiment went fairly nicely down the stretch that 12 months, as Chicken posted an above-average 3.58 ERA in 75 1/3 innings of labor throughout 12 begins, however the 1982 season left a lot to be desired as he surrendered a 5.14 ERA in 191 innings earlier than being traded to the Crimson Sox for the ultimate season of his profession. He pitched 67 2/3 frames for Boston earlier than retiring that September on the age of 33.
Throughout his 11 seasons within the main leagues, the right-hander went 73-60 with a 3.99 ERA in 1213 2/3 innings of labor. These of us at MLBTR lengthen our condolences to Chicken’s household, buddies, and family members.
