| Dick Conger | |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 1921 4, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | April 22 |
| Debutyear: | 1940 |
| Debutteam: | Detroit Tigers |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | September 14 |
| Finalyear: | 1943 |
| Finalteam: | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 3–7 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 5.14 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 24 |
| Teams: | |
Richard Conger (April 3, 1921 – February 16, 1970) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies.[1] His key pitch was the fastball.[2]
Conger was born in Los Angeles, California, and was Jewish.[3] [4] [5] [6] He attended Fremont High School in Los Angeles, for whom he played baseball, and as a sophomore won 17 consecutive games on the way to a City title.[7] He also led the team to the City Championship in his senior year in 1938.[7]
He then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where Conger also played baseball.[8] [9] [10] He lost only one game as a freshman for the UCLA Bruins, before signing with the Detroit Tigers in 1940.[7]
In the minor leagues, in 1943 with the Toronto Maple Leafs Conger was 11–6 with a 1.96 ERA (3rd in the International League).[11] In 1944 with the Los Angeles Angels he was 13–7 with a 2.88 ERA, and 5 shutouts (tied for 7th in the Pacific Coast League).[12]
Conger pitched in the major leagues from 1940 (when at 19 years of age he was the second-youngest player in the American League, behind Hal Newhouser) to 1943.[13] [14] [15] In his major league career he was 3–7 with a 5.14 ERA, and four complete games.[14]
From 1944 to 1946 Conger served in the Marine Corps during World War II.[16] [17]
After his major league career, Conger continued to play in the minor leagues, his last season being with the Sacramento Solons (PCL) and Oklahoma City Indians (Texas League) in 1950.[18] He died at 48 years of age.[5]
On June 26, 2011, Conger was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[19]