Jack Meyer

John Robert Meyer (March 23, 1932 – March 6, 1967) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who appeared in all or parts of seven Major League (MLB) seasons (1955–1961) with the Philadelphia Phillies. [1]

Born in Philadelphia, Meyer came from a '"well-to-do New Jersey family,"[2] was educated at the exclusive William Penn Charter School, and attended the University of Delaware and Wake Forest University. During his playing days, he was listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, weighing 175 pounds (79 kg).

Meyer signed with the Phillies in 1951[1] and steadily rose through their farm system, winning 15 games for the 1954 Syracuse Chiefs of the Triple-A International League (IL).[3] His most successful MLB season was his 1955 rookie campaign, when he led the National League (NL) in both saves (16) and games finished (36),[4] while fanning 97 batters in 110​¹⁄₃ innings pitched.[1] Meyer also made five starts, and wound up finishing second to Bill Virdon in NL Rookie-of-the-Year Award balloting.[1] However, Meyer’s effectiveness then began to fade and he spent part of 1957 back in Triple-A.[3]

Meyer rebounded to post respectable seasons in both 1958 and 1959, largely in middle relief, but his career was negatively affected by his growing reputation as a drinker and late-night carouser. He was a member — along with fellow pitchers Turk Farrell and Jim Owens — of the so-called "Dalton Gang", who received notoriety around baseball for multiple, and well-publicized, off-field incidents.[2]

Meyer, who was given the nickname of "The Bird", went on the disabled list with a herniated disk and was fined $1,200 (nine percent of his salary)[2] after a bout of post-game drinking in Pittsburgh in May 1960 led to confrontations with two sportswriters and Phillies' broadcaster Byrum Saam, then a fight with Farrell and several teammates,[2] which left Meyer injured. He missed the remainder of the 1960 season[5] and only pitched in one more game, in 1961, before leaving baseball.[1]

For his MLB career, Meyer compiled a 24–34 record in 202 appearances, most of them as a relief pitcher, with a 3.92 earned run average (ERA), and 375 strikeouts.[1]

Meyer suffered a heart attack while watching a basketball game on television and died on March 6, 1967, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Only 34 years old, he had a history of heart problems.[6] Meyer left a wife and three children.

His nephew, Brian Meyer, pitched briefly in MLB, for the Houston Astros, from 1988 to 1990.[7]