Dale Roberts, who pitched in two games for the New York Yankees in 1967, died on October 8 at age 68.
Nicknamed “Mountain Man,” Roberts made his major league debut on September 9, 1967—and exactly one week later on September 16, he appeared in his second, and final, big league game.
Both appearances were similar. In both, he allowed one walk and one earned run while pitching one inning. As well, Roberts faced exactly six batters in each game.
In his first game, Roberts pitched the final inning of a 7-1 loss for the Yankees against the Boston Red Sox, allowing a double to Mike Andrews and a single to Jerry Adair, the latter of which allowed Andrews to score.
The second game was like the first. He appeared in the eighth inning of a 6-1 loss for the Yankees against the Cleveland Indians. He hit the first two batters he faced—Chuck Hinton and Leon Wagner—and then allowed a single to Joe Azcue, allowing Hinton to score.
Though Roberts’ major league career was short, his minor league career was not. He pitched mostly in relief for eight seasons in the minors—mostly in the Yankees system—going 51-52 in 368 appearances.
