Bio: Lasher, Fred - MLB Career (2022)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Lasher Gibson, Lolich, Ellingson, Aleckson

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 3/23/2022

MLB Career of Fred Lasher (2022)

A Look at the MLB Career of Fred Lasher



This Fred Lasher baseball card from the Topps Company is from 1969 and was card No. 373. Lasher played in Major League Baseball for Minnesota, Detroit, Cleveland and California from 1960-1971. Lasher pitched two scoreless innings in the 1968 World Series, when Lasher became a World Series champion with the Detroit Tigers. Garrett Aleckson/Banner Journal

By Garrett Aleckson

It’s not often that a small town can claim to be the home of a current or former professional athlete. After spending over a decade playing professional baseball for Minnesota, Detroit, Cleveland and California, Fred Lasher made Hatfield his home.

Lasher passed away Feb. 27 at the age of 80. He was born in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Aug. 19, 1941. Lasher signed to a professional contract directly out of high school, as MLB did not have the amateur draft year. The amateur draft started in 1965.

Lasher reported to the Appalachian League Class D Wytheville Senators, an affiliate for the Washington Senators, in 1960. Lasher struggled initially, as he posted a 2-2 record, 7.31 ERA (earned run average) and 21 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.

Lasher found his footing, as the Senators relocated to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. Lasher appeared in 36 games and started in 13 of them. He went 8-9 and pitched for a 4.04 ERA”, 156 strikeouts, six complete games and three shutouts in 127 innings pitched in 1961 for the Class D Fort Walton Beach Jets in the Alabama-Florida League.

Lasher left the Alabama-Florida League for the Class C Northern League when the Twins assigned him to the Bismark-Mandan Pards in North Dakota in 1962. The obituary for Lasher states that he met and married his wife Judy in 1962 while playing in Bismark.

According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Lasher was named to the Northern League All-Star game and was named player of the month. Lasher ended the year with an 8-5 record, 2.03 ERA and struck out 1.32 batters in 115 innings pitched over 41 games.

Lasher’s play in the minor league earned him an invite to spring training in 1963. His sidearm pitching motion earned him the nickname “The Whip.”

At the age of 21, Lasher made his MLB debut in Kansas City April 12, 1963. Lasher pitched a scoreless inning in his major league debut. He was sent back to the minor leagues but got called back up to the big leagues for the September roster expansion.

Lasher then spent the 1964, 1965 and 1966 seasons in the minor leagues. In 1964, Lasher played for Atlanta, Charlotte and Bismark-Mandan in the minor leagues, pitching for a 4.55 ERA, 1,568 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and struck out 103 batters in 95 innings pitched. In 1965, Lasher pitched a 1.95 ERA, 1,154 WHIP and struck out 54 batters in 6 innings fro Wilson in the Carolina League. Lasher competed again for Wilson in the Carolina League, where he pitched for a 2.15 ERA, 1,141 WHIP and struck out 82 batters over 92 innings pitched.

According to the SABR, the Detroit Tigers paid $4,000 to get Lasher from the Twins through the annual minor league draft. The Tigers assigned Lasher to the Double-A Montgomery Rebels of the Southern League, where Lasher accumulated an 8-1 record, 0.68 ERA, 0.887 WHIP and striking out 50 batters over 53 innings pitched in 35 games.

Lasher was then promoted to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens that same season. Lasher posted a great 0.53 ERA, 0.765 WHIP and stuck out 17 batters in nine games.

Lasher then made his return to the big leagues Aug. 13, 1967. His first appearance back in the majors was no small task either, as he was called of the bullpen with the Tigers holding a 3-2 lead over the Baltimore Orioles. According to SABR, Lasher retired three future Hall of Famers—Luis Aparacio Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson—and pitched two scoreless innings to record the first major league save of his career.

Just nine days later—Aug. 23, 1967—Lasher recorded the first major league win of his career against his former team the Twins. The game went to the 11th inning, with Lasher pitching three relief innings. He allowed just one hit, no walks and a stuck out four batters to secure the 2-1 win for the Tigers. Lasher would get the best of the Twins again Sept. 3, 1967, when he stuck out six batters over 3.2 innings to record another save.

Lasher experienced a pennant race for the first time in the big leagues, as the American League pennant race went down to the wire. Ultimately, the Boston Red Sox edged out Detroit for the pennant with a 92-70 record, compared to Detroit’s 91-71 record.

That experience proved to be beneficial for Lasher, who earned a job in the bullpen for the Tigers in the 1968 season. The 1968 season was a magical season for Lasher and the Tigers. Lasher recorded a5-1 record, 3.33 ERA, 1,212 WHIP and 32 strikeouts over 48.2 innings pitched in 34 games. Detroit finished the season with a 103-59 record and would face the reigning World Series champions the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lasher pitched two innings in game four of the 1968 World Series and held the Cardinals scoreless in both innings. Detroit found itself down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series after four games. The Tigers rattled off three consecutive wins, including defeating Cardinals legend Bob Gibson in game seven to win the series 4-3. According to SABR, Lasher warmed up in the bullpen to pitch in game seven, but Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich pitched a complete-game victory.

Lasher made the Tigers’ opening day roster again for the 1969 season. He recorded a 2-1 record, 3.07 ERA, 1,273 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 444 innings pitched.

In the 1970 season, Lasher pitched in nine innings over 12 games, accumulating a 5.00 ERA, 2,444 WHIP, three saves and eight strikeouts. On May 22, 1970, Detroit traded Lasher to Cleveland. Lasher appeared in 43 games for Cleveland, recording a 1-7 record, 4.06 ERA, 1,509 WHIP, five saves and 44 strikeouts in 57.2 innings.

Cleveland demoted Lasher in the offseason, but the California Angels drafted Lasher from Cleveland during the Rule 5 draft. The Rule 5 draft is an MLB player draft that occurs each year in December during the winter meetings of team general managers. The Rule 5 draft sims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other MLB teams would be willing to have them play in the majors.

Lasher pitched for California’s affiliate team in Salt Lake City to start the 1971 season. For Salt Lake City, Lasher went 3-1, recorded a 3.92 ERA, 1,163 WHIP, 10 saves and 44 strikeouts over 62 innings. Salt Lake City also won the league title. Lasher appeared in two games in the majors, pitching in 1.1 innings.

Lasher retired from Baseball after the 1971 season. His combined career stats for all professional levels were a record of 61-56, a 3.24 ERA, 1,321 WHIP, 32 saves and 879 strikeouts in 917 innings pitched over 474 games.

The obituary for Lasher states, “After baseball, Fred made his home in Hatfield, Wisconsin, where he became an independent drywaller. Among his passions were getting the biggest fish, beating his sons and friends in the game of golf, playing monsters with his grandchildren, and coaching youth baseball. Fred will be remembered for his storytelling, falling through the ice several times while ice fishing, watching the movie ‘The Thing’ hundreds of times and trying to get everyone to watch it with him, and his love for building snow slides for all the kids.”

Andy Ellingson of Black River Falls shared his experience with Lasher.

“I’ve been a big baseball fan my entire life,” shared Ellingson. “I met Fred through Little League and from time spent at Skyline Golf Course. I always thought it was cool having a former Major Leaguer in our home town. Not only that, but a guy that pitched (two scoreless) innings in the World Series. Fred was a nice guy, and I will forever treasure the autographed baseball card I have of him. Fred seemed good at everything he did—baseball, golf and fishing. I am proud to have known him.”

You may view his obituary at Obit: Lasher, Frederick Walter, Jr. (1941 – 2022)