Dick Dietz

Richard Allen Dietz (September 18, 1941 – June 28, 2005) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1966 to 1973, most prominently as a member of the San Francisco Giants where he was an All-Star player and was a member of the team that won the 1971 National League Western Division title. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves.

Dietz made his major league debut with the Giants on June 18, 1966 at the age of 24. In September, Dietz was named to the 1967 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. In February 1968, the Giants were in need of good infielders, and with four young catching prospects in their system, including Dietz, club president Chub Feeney decided to trade Haller along with a player to be named later, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver. Dietz shared catching duties with Jack Hiatt and Bob Barton in 1968, producing a .272 batting average with 6 home runs and 38 runs batted in. The Giants were facing Dodgers' pitcher Don Drysdale, who was in the midst of a scoreless inning streak that eventually reached a record-setting innings. The Giants had the bases loaded with no outs and Dietz at bat. In 1969, Dietz continued to share the catching duties with Hiatt and Barton. Although he was not listed on the All-Star ballot and received few write-in votes, the manager for the National League All-Star team, Gil Hodges, named Dietz as a reserve player for the National League team. In the 1970 All-Star Game, Dietz replaced Johnny Bench in the top of the seventh inning and led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run off Catfish Hunter that helped spark a rally that tied the game. The National League went on to win the game in the twelfth inning with a climactic collision at home plate between Pete Rose and Ray Fosse (It was Dietz who was in the on deck circle, congratulating Rose immediately after the collision).

Dietz was an integral member of the 1971 Giants team that clinched the National League Western Division title. Dietz caught every game during the tense final stages of the season, and provided offensive support with 19 home runs and 72 runs batted in.

In 1972, Dietz fell from favor with the Giants' management for his role as player representative during the 1972 Major League Baseball strike that delayed the start of the season. Other reports stated that the Giants gave up on Dietz because of his defensive liabilities, having led National League catchers in passed balls in 1970 and 1971. Soon after the strike was settled, he was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Career statistics In an eight-year major league career, Dietz played in 646 games, accumulating 478 hits in 1,829 at bats for a .261 career batting average along with 66 home runs, 301 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .390. Although he was better known for his power hitting, he was a capable defensive catcher, ending his career with a .981 fielding percentage.

Dietz died at age 63 of a heart attack in Clayton, Georgia on June 28, 2005.