11-year MLB veteran Doug Bird passed away late last month, according to an obituary from a North Carolina funeral home. The former Royals, Phillies, Yankees, Cubs, and Red Sox right-hander was 74 years old.
A California native in his early years, Bird was drafted by the Royals in the summer of 1969. He spent the next few years as a starter in the minor leagues before making his big league debut with Kansas City on April 29, 1973 as a reliever. His rookie season out of the bullpen was a strong one, as he pitched to an excellent 2.99 ERA in 102 1/3 innings of work. It was more of the same over the next two years, as Bird would go on to post a 3.01 ERA in 197 2/3 frames from 1974-75.
That strong resume in relief earned Bird a move into the rotation for the Royals’ 1976 season, though he still made 12 appearances out of the bullpen on top of his 27 starts that year. Bird was a solid back-of-the-rotation arm for the Royals that year, posting a 3.37 ERA that clocked in just above league average across his 197 2/3 innings of work. 1976 also saw Bird pitch in the first of three consecutive ALCS match-ups between the Royals and Yankees. He earned the win in Game 4 of the ’76 ALCS with 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in relief of southpaw Larry Gura.
In 1977 and beyond, Bird moved back into a relief role. That change suited him just fine, as he told Norman L. Macht in a 2003 interview about his career that he preferred working out of the bullpen because starting pitchers were stuck “sitting around for four days doing nothing.” He took a bit of a step back in terms of productivity over his final two seasons with the Royals, as he surrendered a 4.52 ERA in 217 innings spread across 11 starts and 82 relief appearances before being traded to the Phillies in April of 1979. Bird’s stint with the Phillies was short-lived, however, as he struggled through one season with the club before being released by the club.
That led Bird to sign on with the Yankees, and he enjoyed something of a career renaissance with the club in the early 1980’s. While he donned pinstripes for just parts of two seasons, he was nothing short of excellent out of the Bronx bullpen during that time with a 2.68 ERA in 104 dominant innings of work. He was traded to Chicago partway through the 1981 season, however, and found himself moved back into a rotation role with the Cubs. The experiment went pretty well down the stretch that year, as Bird posted an above-average 3.58 ERA in 75 1/3 innings of work across 12 starts, but the 1982 season left much to be desired as he surrendered a 5.14 ERA in 191 innings before being traded to the Red Sox for the final season of his career. He pitched 67 2/3 frames for Boston before retiring that September at the age of 33.
Across his 11 seasons in the major leagues, the right-hander went 73-60 with a 3.99 ERA in 1213 2/3 innings of work. Those of us at MLBTR extend our condolences to Bird’s family, friends, and loved ones.
I was but a wee lad when he pitched for the Royals but I remember him. He was a darn good pitcher in his day. Condolences to his family and friends.
He was a good player. RIP Doug Bird. That team in heaven must be unbelievable! I remember that 76 Royals team. Splitorf, Gura, Leonard, Willie Wilson,UL Washington, George Brett to name a few as well as Dan Quissenbery the relief pitcher.
RIP Doug…..
Remember em w/Cubs. RIP Doug Bird
RIP Mr. Bird.
Goodnight sweet prince
Another player I remember well from my childhood gone to the field of dreams. RIP Bird man of KC.
Solid pitcher. Rest in peace…
it’s sad so many of these old timers die in homes unforgotten in obscurity. game makes enough money to take care of it’s own even if the money wasn’t there for them. whatever the reason for them being broke, game generates so much money they should all get taken care of somehow. union would ask where the line is drawn but really, every mlber that ever plays an inning could live out his life at home with requisite med staff needed and union dues wouldn’t raise as much as retirement for all players with 10 years in. idk maybe I’m wrong. modern players would not feel the cost to take care of all of them
Even SAG/AFTRA has a home in Woodland Hills CA.
Awfully presumptuous on your part assuming that Doug died, broke in a nursing home and obscurity. That’s not even close to being true he did not live in the nursing home. He did not live in obscurity and he did not die broke very offensive to family and loved ones.
Doug Bird was one of the great long relievers ever.
RIP
A California native in his early years…Come on, man. Write better.
According to BBRef, he was drafted first by the Indians in 1968 from Pomona HS, then the Pilots in the January 1969 draft from Mt Sac College, a community college in California. Then, he was drafted again by the Pilots in June 1969 from DuPont Manuel High School in Louisville, KY. Then the Royals drafted him in the secondary phase of the 1969 draft from Mt Sac. He went from a community college in California to a high school in Kentucky, only to go back to a California college within the same month? I’m so confused about his education.
He pitched in the Wrigley Field slugfest in 1979. Phillies 23 Cubs 22
R.I.P. I knew he was a very good Royals pitcher but hadn’t realized he pitched for the Phillies. Interesting that Bird died at 74 and is survived by his dad.
Closer rookie year, starter another year, long man next year. Not a lot of pitchers can change roles like that.
RIP Doug.
The swing man role was more common before the 80s. I compare Dog Bird to Dick Tidrow, Darold Knowles and Paul Lindblad. No team could win without this type of pitcher.
My sincere condolences to his family