Al Closter

Alan Edward Closter (June 15, 1943 – June 12, 2026) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played on the United States national baseball team during the 1964 Summer Olympics. He pitched parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball between 1966 and 1973, pitching in a total of 21 games.

Career Closter played college baseball at Iowa State University. He represented the United States in baseball at the 1964 Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport, one of seven pitchers on the team. He was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before the start of the 1965 season.

Minor leagues In 1965, Closter's first year in the minor leagues, he split his time between two teams, the Rookie league Johnson City Yankees of the Appalachian League and the Single-A Greensboro Yankees of the Carolina League. In the winter, Closter also spent time with the Yankees affiliate im the Florida Instructional League.

On November 29, 1965, the Cleveland Indians selected Closter in the Rule 5 Draft. A few months later, on April 6, 1966, before ever playing a game in the Indians organization, the Washington Senators purchased Closter's contract. He played only one game in the Senators organization, pitching of an inning against the Baltimore Orioles in his MLB debut, before being purchased again by the Yankees on May 3, 1966. After returning to the New York Yankees organization, Closter finished the season with the Greensboro Yankees.

Closter spent the entirety of the 1967 season with the Double-A Binghamton Triplets of the Eastern League. Closter pitched in only 14 games that year but pitched well, going 40 with a 1.74 ERA and 45 strikeouts.

In 1968, Closter began the season with the Single-A Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League. Playing only five games there, he was quickly promoted to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs of the International League. For the rest of his career with the Yankees, Closter would bounce between Syracuse and the Major Leagues. Between 1968 and 1973, Closter played in 249 games for Syracuse, with a 69–58 record.

Closter died in Morattico, Virginia on June 12, 2026, at the age of 82.