Jim Umbricht

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Jim Umbricht

Pitcher

Born: September 17, 1930
Died: April 8 1964 (aged 33)
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 26, 1959 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Final game
September 29, 1963 for the Houston Colt .45s
Career statistics
Win-Loss	9-5
Strikeouts	133
ERA	3.06
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1959-1961) Houston Colt .45s/Astros (1962-1963)
Career highlights and awards
Pitched in MLB despite having cancer

James Umbricht (September 17, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois - April 8, 1964 in Houston, Texas) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was an effective righthanded relief pitcher who appeared in 88 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959-61) and Houston Colt .45s (1962-63) but became known throughout baseball and the Houston area for his battle against cancer.

Umbricht underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his leg in March 1963 but was able to return to the Colt .45s to post a 4-3 won/loss record and a solid 2.61 earned run average in 35 games that season. He would play his final game, September 29, 1963, the final day of the regular season, the same game Colt .45's outfielder John Paciorek would have a career day, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, 2 walks and 4 runs scored as Houston beat the New York Mets, 13-4. This game would mark Paciorek's only major league appearance.

Umbricht succumbed to lymphoma on the eve of the 1964 campaign, at the age of 33. His uniform number (32) was immediately retired by the club (known since 1965 as the Houston Astros) and the Astros' MVP award was named in his honor. Over his career, Umbricht, a graduate of the University of Georgia, won 9 games and lost 5 with an ERA of 3.06.