Pittsfield Native And Former Yankee Pitcher Dies

I just found out about some sad news and I thought I would pass it along just in case you were unaware of it. There's an old quote that goes, "Heroes get remembered but legends never die." Being a longtime baseball fan, Art Ditmar always seemed like a legend to me.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Ditmar, former New York Yankees pitcher, and Pittsfield native, died last week at his home in South Carolina. Art Ditmar was 92 years old.

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Ditmar was a pitcher on those great New York Yankee teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He played in three World Series, two with the Yankees, and won the 1958 World Series with the Yankees. He also pitched for the Kansas City Royals.

Art Ditmar was also one of the last surviving members of the old Philadelphia Athletics. As a matter of fact, Ditmar's first major league victory against the Yankees was also the last game ever played by the Philadelphia Athletics. The A's moved to Kansas City the following year in 1955.

According to the Society for American Baseball Research, Ditmar's pitching record for Pittsfield High School was 14-2.

Once Ditmar retired from playing, he went on to coach at American International College in Springfield for eight years. Ditmar was inducted into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 in the second class of inductees.

Also inducted that year was longtime great Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione and another former Yankee pitcher Vic Raschie of West Springfield.

There was no cause of death given in Art's obituary but said he was with his wife of 50 years when he passed. For more on his life and career, check out the full story on the Berkshire Eagle's website here.