James Umbricht (September 17, 1930 — April 8, 1964) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was an effective right-handed relief pitcher who appeared in 88 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959-61) and Houston Colt .45s (1962-63) but became known throughout baseball and the Houston area for his battle against cancer. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the University of Georgia.

Jim Umbricht was honored alongside the retired numbers of the Houston Astros in 1965.

Umbricht underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his leg in March 1963 but was able to return to the Colt .45s to post a 4-3 won/loss record and a solid 2.61 earned run average in 35 games that season. He would play his final game, September 29, 1963, the final day of the regular season, the same game Colt .45's outfielder John Paciorek would have a career day, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, 2 walks and 4 runs scored as Houston beat the New York Mets, 13-4. This game would mark Paciorek's only major league appearance.

Umbricht succumbed to lymphoma on the eve of the 1964 campaign in Houston at the age of 33. His uniform number (32) was immediately retired by the club (known since 1965 as the Houston Astros) and the Astros' MVP award was named in his honor. He began his professional baseball career as an infielder before converting to pitcher. Over his MLB career, Umbricht won 9 games and lost 5 with an ERA of 3.06.

[edit] External links

• Smith, Loran (February 20, 2003). "Big League ball was always Umbricht's goal". OnlineAthens. Athens Banner-Herald. http://onlineathens.com/stories/022103/spo_20030221068.shtml. Retrieved 2007-04-23. 
• Jim Umbricht at Find a Grave