Jim Umbricht's Tenure In Houston Was Short, But Courageous

Jim UmbrichtPhoto byPittsburgh Pirates

By Russ Walsh

If the name of former Major Leaguer Jim Umbricht is not familiar to you, you can be excused. Umbricht was a journeyman pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Colt .45s from 1959-1963. He compiled a career record of 9-5 with a 3.06 ERA and three saves in 88 games, mostly as a reliever. Umbricht is present in my mind today because I ran across a story about him in an old newspaper from April 8, 1964. On that date, the 33-year-old Umbricht, just coming into his own as a Major Leaguer, died of cancer. His story is one of determination and courage in the face of devastating, and seemingly incongruous, medical challenges.

James Umbricht was born in Chicago and later moved to Duluth, Minn., where he became a star high school athlete and fell in love with baseball. From his earliest years he was determined to become a Major League Baseball player. After starring in both basketball and baseball at the University of Georgia, where he was an All-Southeast Conference shortstop, Jim paid his own way to a tryout with the Waycross Bears, an unaffiliated team in the Class D Florida-Georgia League. At Waycross he was converted to a pitcher and thus began a long march to the Major Leagues, interrupted by two years of military service in 1954-55.

After stops at Baton Rouge, Topeka, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City, Jim finally made it to the Major Leagues in 1959 as a September callup by the Pirates. He was 29 years old. He spent three years with the Pirates, going back and forth between the big club and their Triple A affiliates, until he was claimed by the expansion Colt .45s in 1962.

In Houston in 1963, Umbricht established himself as a reliable reliever. He worked in 34 games, often for multiple innings, and had a sparkling 2.01 ERA. He was a favorite of famed Houston general manager Paul Richards – they often spent off-days in Spring Training in 1963 on the golf course together (Umbricht and backup catcher Jim Campbell were regarded as the best golfers on the Colt .45s). While playing a round one afternoon, Umbricht showed Richards a bump that had developed on his leg. Richards immediately recognized it could be serious and sent him to the team physician, who in turn referred Umbricht to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston.

At the hospital he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma that had already spread. He was operated on the next day, March 7, 1963. He had tissue removed from his calf, groin, and thigh. It took 100 stitches to close the wounds. He also received an infusion of drugs through a tube inserted in his leg, in the hope the drugs would kill the cancer.

Umbricht spent one month on the disabled list but was back in the Colt .45s’ bullpen on May 9.

“No one has to feel sorry for me,” he said. “… It’s all a little embarrassing. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, though. I’m glad people are so interested in one respect, because it helps publicize cancer. Early detection of cancer is a big thing, and maybe if people read about how I was cured it might help them.”

Umbricht pitched in 35 games that season, often in great pain. He was once again a reliable reliever, compiling a 4-3 record with a 2.61 ERA. He even got to start three games. His best Major League start was his last, on July 7, when he held the Milwaukee Braves to four hits and one run over seven innings. Umbricht finished out the season with four relief appearances and 9 2/3 innings of shutout ball. His last game was on Sept. 29, 1963. He pitched two-thirds of an inning and was the winning pitcher.

In November 1963, Umbricht was told his cancer was incurable. Unwilling to give in to the disease, he underwent treatment three times a week in Houston. On Jan. 27, 1964, Umbricht was in Philadelphia to receive the Most Courageous Athlete award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.

He told the audience of 1000-plus at the awards banquet, “Having an injury or an illness can sometimes be a blessing. I spent six weeks in the hospital … so I had plenty of time to think. The next time any of you might be in the hospital, just sort of lean back and relax. You’ll probably come out of there a better human.”

In February, Umbricht tried to work out in preparation for Spring Training but was too fatigued. By mid-March he was back in the hospital. The cancer had spread to his chest. The team arranged for him to speak to his teammates through a radio connection from the Spring Training camp. It was the last time they spoke to him. Umbricht died in the hospital on April 8, 1964, five days before the opening of the Colt .45s’ season.

Paul Richards remembered Umbricht as “one of the finest competitors I’ve ever known on or off the field. He was a great inspiration to other patients and to all who came into contact with him.” The Houston team retired his uniform number, No. 32, on April 12, 1965.

In a eulogy for Umbricht. sportswriter Milton Richman told a story of standing with Houston manager Harry Craft during a team workout. Craft, a man not known for giving easy compliments, pointed to Umbricht and said, “See that fellow running in the outfield? They don’t make human beings any finer.”

Much of the information for this piece was taken from the SABR biography of Jim Umbricht written by Thomas Ayers. You can access that bio here.

Russ Walsh is a retired teacher, baseball coach, and writer living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He is a lifelong and long-suffering Philadelphia Phillies fan. He writes for the Society for American Baseball Research and for MLBReport.com. You can contact him through X (formerly known as Twitter) at @faithofaphilli1.