Barry Latman
Latman won 59 games in an eleven-year career pitching for the White Sox, Indians, Angels and Astros. His best season was 1961, when he went 13-5 and was an All-Star. A religious Jew, he spent his honeymoon in Israel.
Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 21, 1936
Career Highlights:
Born in Los Angeles, Latman pitched a perfect game in high school and was invited to play in the All-Star High School game in 1954. He was offered a major league contract, but decided to attend the University of Southern California instead. After a year at USC though, Latman signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox. He pitched in the minors in 1956 and 1957 before being called up to the Sox at the end of the 1957 season. He appeared in seven games that year.
In 1958, he played in 13 games with Chicago and went 3-0 with a dazzling ERA of 0.76 (four earned runs in 47.2 innings). Latman's first full season in the majors was 1959, when he appeared in 37 games, including 21 starts (he had five complete games), and finished 8-5 with a 3.75 ERA. The White Sox won the American League pennant but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series (Latman did not pitch in the Series).
After being traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1960, Barry had his best season in 1961 when he went 13-5 (including nine straight victories), and made the All-Star team. His .722 winning percentage was fourth best in the league. He remained with the Indians for two more seasons, and was then traded to the Angels after the 1963 season.
In 1965 with California, he had an ERA of 2.84; the next year, with the Houston Astros, it was 2.71. Latman retired after the 1967 season. He was 20-16 lifetime as a reliever, with 16 saves. His teammates on the 1967 Astros included three fellow Jewish players: pitchers Bo Belinsky, and Larry Sherry, and outfielder Norm Miller.
Career Dates:
Latman pitched for the Chicago White Sox, 1957-59, the Cleveland Indians, 1960-63, the Los Angeles and California Angels, 1964-65, and the Houston Astros, 1966-67.
Position:
Pitcher
Physical description:
6'3", 220 pounds
Right-handed
Career Statistics:
Wins: 59
Losses: 68
Winning pct.: .465
ERA: 3.91
Games: 344
Games Started: 134
Complete Games: 28
Innings Pitched: 1219
Hits Allowed: 1130
Bases-on-Balls: 489
Strike Outs: 829
Shut-outs: 10
Relief Pitching
Wins: 20
Losses: 16
Saves: 16
Batting
At-bats: 332
Hits: 48
Home Runs: 2
Batting Average: .145
Fielding Statistics
Put-outs: 79
Assists: 152
Errors: 20
Double Plays: 10
Total Chances per Game: 0.7
Fielding avg: .920