Marty Pattin obit

Former Royals pitcher, KU baseball coach Marty Pattin dies at 75

 

He was not the list.

 

Former Kansas City Royals pitcher and University of Kansas baseball coach Marty Pattin, of Lawrence, died in his sleep Wednesday during a trip to visit friends in his hometown of Charleston, Illinois, according to family friends.

Pattin, 75, pitched in the major leagues from 1968 to 1980 for the California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox, and spent the final seven seasons of his career with the Royals.

Pattin was KU’s head baseball coach from 1982 through 1987.

He was chosen in the seventh round of the 1965 draft by the Angels after a standout college career at Eastern Illinois, his hometown university.

In 2016, the Charleston High baseball field was named after him.

“I absolutely loved Marty Pattin,” Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price said upon hearing the news. “I had a chance to watch him pitch at old Sick's Stadium for the Seattle Pilots when I was a kid. From Day 1, when I arrived on campus, he’s treated me first class. I can’t tell you how much I valued our relationship. This is a huge loss for Kansas baseball.”

In recent years, Pattin has been a mainstay at his grandsons’ baseball games at Perry-Lecompton High, where Blaine is a senior, and at Baker University, where Bailey is a junior.

“Such a great guy. Marty and his son helped us redo our (batting) cages just two weeks ago,” Baker baseball coach Ryan Goodwin said. “Marty bought the pizza and the pop and told us great stories from his days with the Royals. He was telling us how he was the grill master in the bullpen and had to hide it from Whitey Herzog, who was the Royals manager at the time.”

Pattin had undergone heart surgery this past March, but had recovered well and rejoined his weekday mornings coffee group at McDonald’s on Sixth Street.

“Family was everything to Marty,” said friend Jim Schwartzburg, who enjoyed Pattin's coffee group stories. “He was such a great grandfather, never missed his grandsons’ games. And they just adored him. His whole family loved him beyond belief. It’ll be a tremendous loss for that family.”

Pattin was a member of the 1971 American League All-Star team the night Reggie Jackson’s home run hit the light towers on the roof of Tiger Stadium. Pattin also pitched for four division winners and his final appearance in a big-league uniform came with the Royals when the Phillies clinched the 1980 World Series with a 4-1 victory in Game 6. Pattin pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning with two strikeouts.

Pattin was born in Charleston, Illinois, where he attended high school; he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Eastern Illinois University. A member of the Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball team, he struck out 22 batters in a game.

He was a 7th round draft by the California Angels in 1965 and played in the minor leagues with the Seattle Rainiers for two seasons before being promoted to the majors. He left the Angels via the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft and joined the Seattle Pilots, which later became the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. In Milwaukee, Pattin finished with a 14–12 record and a 3.39 ERA in 1970, and was named an All-Star in 1971, when he finished with a 14–14 record and a 3.13 ERA.

Pattin was part of a ten-player blockbuster trade that sent him, Tommy Harper, Lew Krausse and minor-league outfielder Pat Skrable to the Red Sox for George Scott, Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud and Don Pavletich on October 10, 1971. He won 32 games in two seasons with the Red Sox, including a no-hit bid foiled in 1972, when A's Reggie Jackson hit a single off him with one out in the ninth inning. According to fellow pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Pattin had a habit of throwing up after the first inning of nearly every game he pitched with the Red Sox.

Sent to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Dick Drago on October 24, 1973, Pattin divided his playing time between starting and relieving. The Kansas City Star named Pattin as the Royals' pitcher of the month twice during the 1975 campaign, in June as a starter and in September as a reliever. He retired after being granted free agency following 1980 season.

Some of his notable teammates, coaches, managers and club owners include: Gene Autrey, Fred Haney, Dick Walsh, Bill Rigney, Buddy Blattner, Don Wells, Steve Bailey, Jim Fregosi, Rick Reichardt, Bobby Knoop, Andy Messersmith, George Brunet, Sammy Ellis, Don Heffner, Buck Rodgers, Rocky Bridges, Dewey Soriano, Marvin Milkes, Joe Schultz, Jimmy Dudley, Bill Schonely, Don Mincher, Mike Marshall, Tommy Harper, Tommy Davis, Gene Brabender, Bud Selig, Dave Bristol, Merle Harmon, Lew Krausse, Ken Sanders, Wayne Twitchell, Mike Hegan, Frank Lane, Gus Gil, Cal Ermer, Johnny Briggs, Stan Williams, Eddie Kasko, Luis Tiant, Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Popowski, Carlton Fisk, Luis Aparicio, Ray Culp, Cecil Cooper, Gary Peters, Ben Oglivie, Rico Petrocelli, Bob Bolin, Reggie Smith, Doug Griffin, Tom Yawkey, Dick O'Connell, Ned Martin, Dave Martin, Dwight Evans, Orlando Cepeda, John Curtis, Jack McKeon, Ewing Kauffman, Cedric Tallis, Joe Burke, Buddy Blattner, Denny Matthews, Fred White, Frank White, George Brett, Steve Busby, Hal McRae, John Mayberry, Vada Pinson, Doug Bird, Cookie Rojas, Harmon Killebrew, Jamie Quirk, Dennis Leonard, Al Fitzmorris, Nelson Briles, Paul Splittorff, Larry Gura, Freddie Patek, Muriel Kauffman, Willie Wilson, Art Stewart, Al Cowens, Buck Martinez, Amos Otis, Darrell Porter, Jim Colborn, Mark Littell, Clint Hurdle, Steve Boros, Galen Cisco, Chuck Hiller, Rich Gale, Dan Quisenberry, Rance Mulliniks, Jim Frey and Willie Aikens.