Baseball Loses Ryne Duren, Fireball Pitcher from Great 1950’s Yankee Teams
Contact: Mark Jackson
mark@centralfloridasports.com
863-559-9239
For Immediate Release
Baseball Loses Ryne Duren, Fireball Pitcher from Great 1950’s Yankee Teams
Lake Wales, FL (January 7, 2011)— Ryne Duren, one of the premier relief pitchers in the Major Leagues in the late 1950s, died January 6, 2011 in his winter home of Lake Wales, Florida. He was 81. Duren was an integral part of the New York Yankees American League Championship teams of 1958 and 1960 and played a major role in defeating the Milwaukee Braves in the 1958 World Series. In addition to his wife of thirty-six years, Diane, Duren is survived by his son Steve, step children, Mark Jackson, Brian Jackson and Cynthia Newcomer, and 11 grandchildren.
Known for his ability to throw a baseball in excess of 100 miles per hour and the thick glasses he wore to correct his 20/200 vision, Duren was also famous for being a bit wild, both on and off the field, during his playing days. He parlayed his throwing speed and controlled wildness on the mound into an effective career. During his 10-year Major League career, Duren pitched for the Yankees, Orioles, Phillies, Reds, Angels, Athletics and Senators.
At the suggestion of Yankee coach, Frank Crosetti, after Duren threw a warm-up pitch into the screen behind home plate, Duren incorporated one of those pitches into the screen into every warm-up session, drawing the attention of all the fans and announcers, and making the on-deck batter apprehensive about digging in. Today, 45 years after Duren retired from the game, his name is mentioned whenever a pitcher uncorks a pitch high and wild over a batter’s head.