Dick Dietz

Positions: Catcher and First Baseman
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-1, 195lb (185cm, 88kg)
Born: September 18, 1941 in Crawfordsville, IN us
Died: June 27, 2005  in Clayton, GA
Buried: Woodlawn Memorial Park, Greenville, SC
High School: Greenville HS (Greenville, SC)
Debut: June 18, 1966 (12,494th in major league history)
vs. LAD 3 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 30, 1973
vs. HOU 2 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Full Name: Richard Allen Dietz
Nicknames: Mule
Pronunciation: \DEETZ\
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

Signing for $90,000 in 1963, Dietz and his roommate, fellow bonus catcher Randy Hundley, became known as “The Gold Dust Twins.” Called up late in 1966, he hit a 410-foot homer off Sandy Koufax. Playing just 56 games in 1967, he was named the Topps all-star rookie catcher, but didn’t become a regular until 1970. That year, he peaked in every offensive category (.300, 22 HR, 107 RBI), and homered in the ninth inning of the All-Star Game. Beaned in mid-1971, Dietz played down the stretch in a tight race with L.A. with his head heavily bandaged. When the Giants clinched, Dietz grabbed a radio microphone to shout, “The Dodgers can go to hell!” Because of a clerical error, the Giants lost Dietz to the Dodgers in 1972, but he broke his finger in his first start for Los Angeles.