Mike Ryan (catcher) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Ryan |
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Ryan in 1966
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: November 25, 1941 Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Died: July 7, 2020 (aged 78) Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| October 3, 1964, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 10, 1974, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .193 | ||
| Home runs | 28 | ||
| Runs batted in | 161 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Michael James Ryan (born November 25, 1941 – died July 7, 2020) was an American baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 11 seasons. After his playing days, he became a coach and a manager in the minor leagues.
Mike Ryan played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1964 to 1974. He threw and batted with his right hand. He was tall, standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), and weighed 205 pounds (93 kg). Ryan was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he also went to high school.
The Red Sox signed Ryan in 1960. He played for their minor league teams until September 1964. That's when he joined the major league team. He played for Boston for two and a half seasons. Then, he was traded to the Phillies after the Red Sox won the American League pennant in 1967. He played 392 games for the Phillies over six years. In 1974, he was traded to the Pirates. He only played 15 games for them before retiring as a player. Later, he returned to the Phillies as a coach for 16 seasons. He was part of their team that won the World Series in 1980.
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Playing in the Major Leagues
Mike Ryan's main career in the major leagues started in 1966. He was known as a great defensive catcher. This means he was very good at catching the ball and helping his team prevent runs. However, he found it harder to hit the ball well.
In his 636 MLB games played, he got 370 hits in 1,920 tries. His batting average was .193. A batting average shows how often a player gets a hit. For players who aren't pitchers and have had at least 1,000 turns at bat since 1930, only one other player had a lower average.
During his nine full seasons in the major leagues, Ryan's batting average was above .200 only three times. In 1966, he was the main catcher for the Red Sox. He played 116 games and hit .214. Three years later, in 1969, he played 133 games for the Phillies. That year, he hit a career-high 12 home runs and batted .204. In 1973, he played less often, hitting .232 in 69 turns at bat. His strong defense was shown by his .991 fielding percentage. This means he made very few errors while catching.
Helping the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox
In 1967, Ryan played in 79 games as a catcher for the Red Sox. He helped the team, known as the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox, win the American League pennant. This was a big achievement for the team.
He was also roommates with Tony Conigliaro, another Red Sox player. Conigliaro got a serious injury on August 18 when he was hit by a pitch. This ended his season. Ryan played in Game 4 of the 1967 World Series. He came in late in the game to replace the starting catcher. He didn't get any hits in his two turns at bat against Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.
In 1974, Ryan was a backup player for the Pirates. That team won the National League Eastern Division.
Injuries on the Field
On May 2, 1970, Mike Ryan and another player, Tim McCarver, both broke their hands in a game. This happened when the Phillies played against the San Francisco Giants. Because both catchers were hurt, the Phillies had to use an outfielder as a temporary catcher.
Ryan was able to return to play two months later, on July 6. However, he got hurt again on August 15. Because of these injuries, he only played in 46 games that season.
Life as a Coach
After his playing career ended, Ryan worked as a manager and coach. He was with the Pirates' and Phillies' minor league teams from 1975 to 1979. Then, he became a coach for the main Phillies team for 16 seasons. He coached from 1980 until 1995.
After the 1993 season, he had surgery on his right shoulder. This injury was caused by many years of throwing batting practice and warming up pitchers. He continued to coach for two more seasons even with pain. He retired after the 1995 season.
During his time as a coach, Ryan was part of three Phillies teams that won the National League championship. He was also on the staff of the team that won the 1980 World Series. He worked for seven different managers during his coaching career. Ryan's time as a coach with the Phillies was the longest in the team's history for a while. Later, John Vukovich coached longer. As of 2020, Ryan's coaching time is still the second longest in the team's history.
Mike Ryan passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 7, 2020. He was 78 years old and died in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
