Frank Lary obit

Frank Lary, pitcher known as ‘the Yankee killer,’ dead at 87

 

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Frank Lary, the star Detroit Tigers pitcher who was called the Yankee Killer because of his success against New York’s big-hitting lineup, has died at 87. He died Wednesday night after being hospitalized in Tuscaloosa with pneumonia, nephew Joe Lary said.

He was Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1954–1964), New York Mets (1964, 1965), Milwaukee Braves (1964), and Chicago White Sox (1965). He led the American League with 21 wins in 1956 and ranked second in the same category with 23 wins in 1961.

Lary pitched with the Tigers from 1954-64 and led the American League with 21 wins in 1956. A two-time All-Star, he won the Gold Glove Award in 1961, when he went 23-9 and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting behind Whitey Ford and Warren Spahn.

Lary got his nickname by going 27-10 against the Yankees from 1955-61, a span when they won six pennants. Joe Lary says that success was “really due to his competitive spirit” as the second youngest of seven boys growing up on a farm.

“He always said, ‘You don’t think I can do something, I’ll show you,’ ” he said. “I think that’s probably the attitude he took with the Bronx Bombers.”

Lary also played for the Mets, Milwaukee Braves and Chicago White Sox during a 12-year career in which he went 128-116.

During his years with the Tigers, Lary became known as "The Yankee Killer." He had a 27–10 record against the New York Yankees from 1955 to 1961, years during which the Yankees won six American League pennants. In 1956, he compiled a record of 5–1 against a Yankees team that had an overall record of 97–57. In 1958, he was 7–1 against a Yankees team that had an overall record of 92–62. He became the first pitcher to win seven games in one year against the Yankees since Ed Cicotte accomplished the feat in 1916. A good hitting pitcher, Lary defeated the Yankees 4–3 on May 12, 1961, by hitting a lead off home run in the top of the ninth inning. This took place immediately following the ejection of teammate, outfielder Rocky Colavito, who had bolted into the stands at Yankee Stadium when he observed a Yankee fan tussling with his father. In The Sporting News, Joe Falls wrote: "As far as Frank Lary is concerned, the war between the states never did end. There merely was an 89-year interlude between Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865 and Lary's arrival in the major leagues in 1954. The objective has remained the same: rout the Yankees." He was also 5–1 against the Yankees in 1959. Yankees manager Casey Stengel once delayed the appearance of his star pitcher, Whitey Ford, by one day so Ford would not have to face Lary. Stengel explained to reporters, "If Lary is going to beat us anyway, why should I waste my best pitcher?"

Lary was born in Northport, Alabama, and pitched for the University of Alabama. He helped lead the Crimson Tide to the College World Series in 1950. He is survived by his wife, Emma, and four children.