Former pitcher Dick Tidrow died Saturday. He served in the Giants organization for many years after his career ended:

“Our entire organization is heartbroken by the news of Dick’s passing,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said. “So much of our success over these past three decades is directly linked to Dick’s contributions. He will be truly missed by all of us and our thoughts are with Mari Jo and his entire family during this difficult time.”

ESPN.com

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

I remember Tidrow as a long reliever when teams actually carried pitchers capable of coming into games early and and finishing the job. His best season was his rookie year of 1972 in which he posted a 2.77 ERA for the Indians in 237 1/3 innings, good only for a 14-15 record on a poor team. He was good at keeping the ball in park for his career.

I also remember him being part of a major deal that helped make the Yankees a strong team in the middle 1970s. The Indians traded Tidrow, Chris Chambliss, and Cecil Upshaw to the Yankees for Fred Beene, Tom Buskey, Steve Kline, and Fritz Peterson. Chambliss and Tidrow would be major players in the Yankees success over the next few seasons.