Touring the Bases With…Dick Drago

Pitcher Dick Drago began his career with the expansion Kansas City Royals in 1969 and split time between the rotation and the bullpen, winning 11 games in 26 starts and 15 relief appearances.  He led the Royals with 17 wins in 1971, but from ’69-’74 he went only 68-80 as a starter before becoming a full-time reliever in 1975 with the Boston Red Sox.  Drago became the Red Sox’s closer and led the team with 15 saves, good for fifth in the American League.  He was outstanding in the 1975 postseason, posting a 1.04 ERA in four appearances against the defending A.L. champion Oakland A’s in the ALCS and the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

He pitched for the Angels and Orioles in 1976-1977 before returning to Boston in 1978.  He led the Sox in saves again in 1979 with 13, pitched for Boston again in 1980, and finished his career with the Seattle Mariners in 1981.  In 13 seasons, Drago went 108-117 with a 3.62 ERA in 519 games.  He also allowed the final home run of Hank Aaron’s brilliant career.

Click here to watch a video of a conversation I had with Drago .

Bob Lazzari is an award-winning sports columnist for both Connecticut’s Valley Times and NY Sports Day , where his “Sports Roundup” column is featured weekly. He is a member of the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance and host of “ Monday Night Sports Talk ,” a cable television show on CTV/Channel 14 in Connecticut.