Dyar Miller: Early 1980's Mets Pitcher (1980-1981)

Dyar Miller was born on May 29, 1946, in Batesville, Indiana. The Indiana farmer attended Utah State University and got signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1968.

The tall right hander was soon released & then signed on with the Baltimore Orioles. He was 12-10 with a 3.23 ERA at AA Dallas / Fort Worth in 1970 but remained at that level until 1973 due to the talented Orioles pitching depth at AAA. At AAA Rochester in 1974 he won another 12 games & then was 5-0 in 1975 posting a 2.20 ERA. 

MLB Career: He finally got a call up to the Orioles staff at age 29 that season.

Orioles Career: As an Orioles reliever out of Earl Weaver’s bullpen, Miller was 6-3 with eight saves and a 2.72 ERA. 

In 1976 Miller was second to O's reliever Tippy Martinez in saves with seven. Martinez saved eight. Miller made 49 appearances & finished off  29 games, going 2-4 while posting a 2.94 ERA. He returned in 1977 posting a 5.64 ERA up to the trade deadline when he was traded to the California Angels for Dick Drago.

Angels Career: He closed out the year going 4-4 in 41 games & four saves. In 1978 Miller pitched

well in out of the bullpen, with the second place Angels, going 6-2 with a save & a 2.66 ERA. 

His contract was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays then he was sent to the Montreal Expos to complete an earlier deal. He was released after Spring Training 1980 & then signed as a free agent with the New York Mets that April.

Mets Career: He pitched 31 games as a middle reliever for the 1980 Mets, posting a strong 1.93 ERA going 1-2 with one save. 

He finished off 12 games for the last place team. Miller was usually good for two or even three innings of solid relief work. On September 17th, he pitched three scoreless innings against the Expos to earn his first Mets win. 

In 1981 the strike shortened season, he appeared in 23 games going (1-0) with a 3.23 ERA. He blew a chance to save a game at Wrigley Field, giving up a two run double to Bobby Bonds. But the Mets Mike Jorgensen saved him with an RBI hit in the next inning, giving Miller his only win of the year.

During the '81 baseball strike he worked on his Indiana farm, returning to the team after play resumed. Miller pitched his final game in the majors by early September.

Bout with Cancer: Since the baseball strike, he had felt pains in his stomach. He was later diagnosed with colon cancer & had two feet of colon removed. Quotes- Dyar Miller: "Its like facing George Brett or Reggie Jackson, you either have it or you don't. There's nothing much you can do about the situation".

Career Stats: Miller returned & pitched in the minor league until 1984. In his seven year career he went 23 -17 with 22 saves, a 3.23 ERA & 235 strike outs in 465 innings pitched over 251 appearances.

Retirement: Miller began a long career of coaching in 1985 starting within the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He became a coach for the 1987 & 1988 Chicago White Sox under Jim Fregosi.

In 1996 he began a long stretch coaching in the St. Louis Cardinals organization where he would work with his old friend Tony LaRussa. After a stint as manager of the AAA Memphis Rd Birds, Miller became Cardinals minor league pitching coordinator. 

In 2012 he had a brief stint as Cardinals bullpen coach. After that he was let go by the organization for no apparent reason. In 2013 he began a six-year coaching career in the Houston Astros organization. In 2014 he was named their minor league pitching coordinator. In 2019 he moved on to the Baltimore Orioles organization. He was finally retired in 2021 after 53 years in uniform.

Family: Miller has been married twice. He & his second wife Bertha live in Indianapolis.