A member of the 1976 “Big Red Machine” championship team reportedly passed away earlier this month at his Florida home.
Rich Hinton was 78, according to the report by Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star.
More news: MLB News: 12-Year Veteran Pitcher, Brother of Dodgers’ Owner, Passes Away
Hinton also pitched for the New York Yankees (1972), Texas Rangers (1972), Chicago White Sox (1971, 1975, 1978-79), and Seattle Mariners (1979) over parts of six major league seasons. He finished his MLB career with a 9-17 record and 4.87 ERA (79 ERA+).
In 1976, Hinton made 12 appearances for the eventual champion Reds, starting one game and going 1-2 with a 7.64 ERA. He did not pitch in the National League Championship Series or the World Series, but was fondly remembered as a contributor to the Reds’ dynasty years.
More news: Former World Series Champion Passes Away
Hinton appeared with Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster and other members of the Reds’ 1976 championship team in Cincinnati in June.
According to Hansen, Hinton was able to spend time late in his life with former Reds pitcher Pat Darcy, who was also a Tucson native.
A standout on the baseball and football teams at Marana (Ariz.) High School, Hinton made a name for himself as a pitcher at the University of Arizona. From 1967-69, Hinton went 32-8 with a 1.84 ERA for the Wildcats. His win total still ranks fourth, and his ERA ranks third (minimum 100 innings), in the history of the Arizona baseball program.
Hinton signed his first professional contract with the White Sox after being drafted in the third round of the 1969 draft.
More news: Former Tigers Pitcher Passes Away
Two years later, Hinton debuted with a scoreless relief inning against the Yankees in Chicago. Coincidentally, the White Sox traded Hinton to the Yankees after the season for Jim Lyttle.
Hinton would pitch only seven games for the Yankees before he was traded to the Texas Rangers late in the 1972 season for cash. The following year, Hinton was traded by the Rangers to the Cleveland Indians in spring training; he spent the entire 1973 season at Triple-A.
More news: Former Mets Pitcher Passes Away
After returning to the White Sox organization prior to the 1974 season, and spending the entire year in Triple-A, Hinton would not return to the majors again until July 1975.
Hinton split the 1976 season between Cincinnati and the Reds’ top farm team in Indianapolis, Indiana.
More news: Former Angels Third Baseman Passes Away
After spending all of the 1977 season pitching professionally in Mexico City, Hinton returned to the White Sox for 1978. He would go on to make 29 appearances that season and another 30 in 1979 for the White Sox and Mariners — doubling his major league appearance total over the span of two years.
However, those would be Hinton’s last seasons in the majors. After retiring as a player, Hinton moved to Sarasota, Florida and worked as a general contractor well into his 1970s.
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
