Duffy Dyer: Popular Mets Catcher on the 1969 World Championship Team & 1973 NL Pennant Team (1969 - 1973)

Donald Don Dyer was born on August 15, 1945, in Dayton, Ohio. He was of English, Irish & Dutch dissent.

The Name Duffy: Donald got the name Duffy while his mother was listening to an old radio program called "Duffy’s Tavern". Mrs. Dyer was laughing while listening to the program & suddenly fainted. When she awoke, she was in in the hospital's maternity ward asking, “How’s Duffy?”. The nurses began to call him Duffy & it stuck.

The Dyer family eventually moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Dyer became a star athlete in baseball, basketball & football where he was the quarterback of the team. 

Sun Devils Baseball: Dyer attended Arizona State University, where he was the catcher on the 1965 Sun Devils College Championship teams. There he played along with future Oakland A’s stars Rick Monday, Sal Bando & Reggie Jackson. 

Dyer hit .325 with 4 HRs 38 RBIs & 15 stolen bases, making All Conference. He was an outfield there until 1966 when he converted to a full-time catcher. 

In 1965 Dyer had been drafted by the Milwaukee Braves but decided to stay in school & continued playing baseball in the off season in the Basin League. A league where a player could keep amateur status. 

In 1966 he hit .326 with ten triples, getting named to the All-Conference Team & the Sporting News College All American team.

ASU Honors: Dyer was inducted in the Arizona State University Hall of Fame.

That year he was drafted by the New York Mets in the first round of the 1966 draft, the ninth pick overall.

Dyer didn’t hit much at first but was still promoted to AAA Jacksonville by 1968 where things got better. That season he hit 16 HRs with 48 RBIs batting .230 while making the International League’s All-Star team. He was known for his standout defense behind the plate. 

MLB Debut: On September 21st, 1968 he was called up & debuted with the Mets in a 4-3 win over the Phillies at Philadelphia. He caught Mets pitcher Dick Selma & went 1-4 with a single in his second career at bat, coming off Chris Short.

In the 1969 off season, he was almost traded along with Nolan Ryan & Ed Kranepool to Atlanta for All Star Joe Torre & Bob Aspromonte. The deal never happened & Torre was sent to St. Louis. Dyer made the 1969 Mets squad out of Spring Training as a third string catcher to Jerry Grote & J.C. Martin.

1969 Championship Season: On Opening Day 1969, Dyer was called out of the bull pen by manager Gil Hodges to pinch hit in the 9th inning, with the Mets down 11-7 to the expansion Montreal Expos.  He stepped in & hit a three-run HR off the Expos Don Shaw (a former Met), bringing the Mets to within a run. 

Quotes- Duffy Dyer: "I remember walking up to bat in front of a full-house, sold out Shea Stadium & my knees were shaking. This was my first at bat in New York & I just wanted to hit hi hard. I hit the ball & right away I knew it was gone. I sprinted to first base. By the time I got to second base I realized that I had just hit a HR in the big leagues. I was flying around those bases. I was ten miles high. That was one of my biggest individual thrills in the big leagues". 

They would fall short 11-10 but for Dyer it was forever, one of his greatest thrills in the big leagues.

Quotes- Wife Lynn Dyer: "Lavonne Koosman had told me Lynn there's an apartment right down the street from where we're living.' It's so hard to find an apartment in New York & it was near Shea Stadium. So, I left the game to go see this apartment to see if it was available. Duff got to pinch hit & I hear it on the radio, that he hit a three-run pinch HR & I'm going 'Oh Yea- that was memorable."

On May 30th, in the bottom of the 8th inning, the Mets scored two run to tie up a game with the Giants. With two on & two outs, Dyer came in as a pinch hitter & connected for a base hit off Joe Gibbon, bringing in Cleon Jones in what was to be the game winning run.

In mid-June, after seeing action mostly as a pinch hitter in the first two months, he was sent back to AAA Tidewater. The Tides needed a catcher, so it was Dyer who took over the role. There he batted .313 with five HRs in 35 games, posting a perfect .1000 fielding %. 

By August 12th he was back with the Mets, finishing a game as a defensive replacement. On August 17th, with the Mets down 2-0 to the Padres at Shea in the first game of a double header sweep, Dyer hit a three run HR off Joe Niekro leading the Mets to a 3-2 win. This was at the start of a six-game win streak that would lead to the Mets winning 14 of 16 games.

He would see action in 16 more games at catcher, thru the end of the regular season, hitting another HR & driving in five more runs.

Overall, in 1969, he played in 29 games, hitting .257 with 3 HRs 3 doubles, a triple & 12 RBIs.  He posted a .741 OPS. He caught 19 games behind the plate making one error & throwing out 27% of would-be base stealers.

1969 Post Season- World Series: Dyer made one appearance in the 1969 World Series. In the Game #1 loss at Baltimore, he pinch-hit for Tom Seaver, in the 6th inning & grounded out to short stop Mark Belanger. 

After the Championship: After the Championship season, the Mets parted ways with J.C. Martin trading him to the Cubs for Randy Bobb. Over the next five seasons Dyer became Jerry Grote’s backup catcher. The hard playing, aggressive Dyer became one of the league's best defensive back ups.

Walk Off Hit: On May 31st, The Mets swept a double header with the Astros at Shea Stadium. In the first game Dyer was the catcher, going 1-4 with an RBI double off Jim Bouton in the 14-4 win. 

In the second game, he came to bat as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 14th inning of a tie game with two on & two outs. Dyer singled off Houston's Denny Lemaster scoring Ken Boswell with the game winning run. 

On June 23rd at Wrigley Field, his two-run 10th inning HR off the Cubs Phil Regan, led the Mets to a 12-10 win in Chicago. It was his first of two HRs on the year.

His other HR came on August 14th at Atlanta as he tied the game with a two-run shot off Pat Jarvis, leading the Mets to the 4-2 win.

On September 9th his two-run single off the Phillies Grant Jackson, broke a 1-1 tie, leading to a 3-1 win at Shea Stadium.

The Mets stayed in contention in until all season, falling out of the race in late September finishing six games back. 

 

In 59 games Dyer batted .209 with 31 hits, a double, two 2 HRs, 12 RBIs, a .308 on base % & .564 OPS. In 57 games at catcher, he was excellent, handling the fine pitching staff while posting a .991 fielding %, & throwing out 40% of runners attempting to steal.

1971 Season: In 1971 the Mets were in contention until early summer then faded out, finishing third at 83-79.

Three Extra Base Hits: On May 29th, Dyer had one of his biggest games as he collected three extra base hits, two doubles & a triple at San Diego. He was the catcher, behind the plate as Nolan Ryan struck out 16 Padres in the 2-1 victory. 

Walk Off Hit: On June 20th in the first game of a double header split with the Phillies, Dyer came to pinch hit for Tug McGraw, in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Mets had hit four straight singles in the inning & were down 5-4. With the bases were loaded & no one out, Duffy singled to left field off Bucky Brandon scoring Bud Harrelson & Dave Marshall with the walk off winning runs.

Walk Off Hit: On July 27th, Dyer was the hero once again, in a tie game with the Cardinals at Shea. The Mets had three hits in the inning, with Ed Kranepool having tied up the game at two. Dyer singled off St. Louis' Frank Linzy scoring Cleon Jones with the game winning walk off run. He drove in two runs the next game as well.

He was behind the plate for 53 games, posting a 991 fielding %, while throwing out 35% of would-
be base stealers trying to steal. At the plate he raised his batting average from .209 the previous year to .231 with a pair of HRs, seven doubles 18 RBIs, a .308 on base % & .611 OPS in 59 games.

Death of Gil Hodges: Toward the end of Spring Training, Mets manager Gil Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack, shocking the organization.  Dyer as the rest of team mourned the loss of Hodges but had to carry on. Yogi Berra was named the team's manager.

Uniform #10: In April 1972, when the Mets acquired Rusty Staub from Montreal, Dyer received an early morning phone call. The team asked if he would give up his uniform number 10 for Staub. At first, he said yes, but quickly called them back changing his decision to negative, after his wife informed him of the #10 displayed on his 1969 World Series ring.

1972 Season: This season, Jerry Grote battled thru injuries & gave Dyer a chance to see more action. Dyer had worked with Mets broadcaster & former HR Slugger Ralph Kiner, giving him credit for his improvement at the plate.

Four Hit Game: On May 17th, Dyer had his only four hit career game, coming in a Met in a 12-7 win over the Expos at Shea Stadium. After popping up in his first at bat, he collected four singles, including a 7th inning RBI single off John Stromayer.

On May 25th, he collected two hits with his first HR of the year in a 3-2 win at Wrigley Field.

From May 25th to June 21st, he had his hottest hitting, batting .321 with 18 hits, nine extra base hits, five HRs & 13 RBIs in that stretch of 12 games. 

Player of the Week Award: From June 11th through June 18th, he batted .385 with ten hits, three HRs & eight RBIs, winning the NL Player of the Week Award. 

During a six-game hit streak, Dyer homered in a 4-2 loss to Houston. He then hit HRs in back-to-back games in Atlanta driving in a total of five runs in that series.

For a brief period, he became the team's main catcher, as manager Yogi Berra felt Dyer was more of a HR threat than Jerry Grote. 

A Tom Seaver One Hitter: In the first game of a Fourth of July double header, at Shea Stadium, he was the catcher behind the plate, as Tom Seaver flirted with another no hitter. Sever went into the 9th inning, without giving up a hit to the San Diego Padres. With one out, Leron Lee blooped a single into center that ruined the no hit bid. 

Dyer seemed more visibly upset than Seaver, as he tossed Lee’s bat aside in anger after the hit. Then after the game he ripped off his catcher's gear in the dugout with disgust.

Quotes- Duffy Dyer: "I was all psyched up for a no hitter. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had hit a HR. But it was the right pitch & Tom threw it in the right spot".

The next batter, Nate Colbert grounded into a double play ending the inning.

On July 27th, Dyer hit a three run HR in the second game of a double header loss to the Pirates. 

On July 31st, with the Mets & Expos locked in a 2-2 tie at Shea, Dyer hit a go ahead two run HR off Steve Renko lading to a 4-2 victory.

Multi- Three RBI Game: On September 11th, Dyer matched his season high three RBIs in a game for the fourth time. He began with an RBI grounder in the 4th inning. In the 6th, he hit a solo HR off the Phillies Steve Carlton, for his 8th HR of the season. He also collected his second triple of the season, with an RBI three bagger in the 8th inning putting the Mets ahead for good in the 4-2 win.

Walk Off Hit: On September 18th at Shea Stadium, he drove in the only run of a 1-0 win, with a

walk off single off the Pirates Nelson Briles. In a classic pitcher's duel Met Rookie of the Year, Jon Matlack beat Briles 1-0 in a five-hit shutout for his 13th of the season. 

Two games later, he hit his third triple of the season, driving in two runs in a 4-2 win over the Pirates at Shea.

NL Leader in Caught Stealing: Dyer saw action in 91 games behind the plate, throwing out 51% of would-be base stealers, while leading the league in nailing 40 base runners trying to steal.

He had the third best fielding percentage in the N.L. (.993) & was fourth in put outs (690). He was also involved in helping turn over a career high 12 double plays. 

At bat he hit .231 with career highs in HRs (8) doubles (17) triples (3) & RBIs (36). He posted a.299 on base % & .675 OPS.

Off Season Hobby: In the off season, Dyer made flower arrangements in the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island, at a show called "Artistry in Flowers".

1973 Mets Pennant Season: Like many of the Mets players Dyer suffered with injuries in the 1973 NL pennant season.

On April 26th, the Mets entered the top of the 6th inning down 2-0 to the Astros. Jim Beauchamp drove in Willie Mays to tie the game. Beauchamp eventually advanced to third & Dyer brought him in with a grounder to the right side, scoring the eventual 2-1 winning run in Houston.

Multi - Three RBI Game: On June 5th, in a loss at Cincinnati he had a season high three RBI game with a base loaded three run triple off Don Gullet in the top of the 10th inning breaking a 2-2 tie. The Reds came back & won the game on Johnny Benches three run walk off HR off Phil Hennigan.

Jon Matlack's One Hitter: On July 10th, Dyer was behind the plate for Jon Matlack's one hit shut out over the Astros Jerry Reuss at Shea. He drove in the only run of the 1-0 win with an RBI single in the 2nd inning.

Dyer didn’t see much action as Grote returned to top form down the pennant stretch in August & September.

The Ball on the Wall Game: In a crucial September 20th game, Dyer doubled in the bottom of the 9th inning, tying the game against the first place Pittsburgh Pirates. In the game now known as “the ball off the wall game” the Mets won it 4-3 & moved within a half-game behind the Pirates, overtaking them the next night.

In the regular season, Dyer 70 games, hitting only .185 with a .245 on base %, one HR, six doubles, one triple & nine RBIs.

Behind the plate that season, he was outstanding throwing out 40% of base stealers (5th in the NL), posting a .994 fielding percentage & only making one error. 

1973 Post Season: He didn’t see any post season action as work horse catcher, Jerry Grote took the load for every inning of every post season game.

After the Pennant: In the disappointing 1974 season, he hit only .211 in 63 games (142 at bats) without any HRs, driving in ten runs. In his final two Mets games he drove in a run with a hit in each game.

Traded: At the end of October as the Mets acquired young catching prospect John Stearns, Dyer was traded to the rival Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Gene Clines. At first, he was devastated by the trade, because he loved playing in New York with the Mets family. Things were slowly changing, then with the death of owner Joan Payson the next year; everything would soon fall apart.

Mets Career Stats: In his seven-year Mets career, Dyer caught 326 games behind the plate (seventh most in team history).  Dyer batted .219 with 230 hits 82 runs scored 35 doubles 7 triples 16 HRs & 97 RBIs. He struck out 226 times with 99 walks, has a .291 on base % & .602 OPS. Dyer has four Mets Walk off career hits to his credit.

Post Mets Career- Pirates: Pirates Manager said Dyer would be a great addition to his team, serving as a more than adequate back up for Manny Sanguillen. In Pittsburgh he became Manny Sanguillen’s backup catcher, helping the Pirates win the 1974 & 1975 NL East titles. 

In 1974 he batted .211& threw out 29% of base stealer playing in 45 games. In 1975 in 36 games behind the plate, he threw out 48% of would-be base stealers, with a .990 fielding %. Overall, Dyer played in 48 games with 3 HRs & 16 RBIs in 48 games played. 

1975 Post Season: In the 1975 NLCS loss to the Reds, he got one at bat as a pinch hitter in Game #3. Dyer drew a bases loaded walk off Rawly Eastwick scoring Rookie Wille Randolph tying up the game. The Reds scored two runs in the top of the 10th to sweep the series & go on to a classic World Series win against the Boston Red Sox.

Dyer Family Welcome Back to Shea: On a Mets homestand, he returned to Shea Stadium & had his wife Lynn join him after giving birth to their second daughter. A message was posted on the large Shea scoreboard welcoming them. Mets Heritage has the photograph.

Walk Off HR vs. Mets: On August 3rd, 1975, he played both in both ends of a double header against the Mets at Three Rivers Stadium. In the second game he came on as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning with the score tied. He haunted his old teammates with a 15th inning walk off HR off Bob Apodaca to win the game.

No Hitter: On August 9th, 1976, Dyer did get to be on the receiving end of a no hitter, this one with Pirates pitcher & native New Yorker, John Candelaria. The Candy Man pitched the first Pirates no hitter in 69 years with a 2-0 win over the Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium.

Quotes- Duffy Dyer: "He didn't have real good velocity, but his fastball was moving well. The
big thing was he kept the ball down. He's usually a highball pitcher but tonight he kept it down. This is one of my biggest thrills."

Defensively on the year he threw out over 40% of would-be base stealers once again. It always seemed the more playing time Dyer got, the better he was. 

In 1977 he had another outstanding defensive season, leading all NL catchers in fielding percentage (.996) making only two errors in a career high 94 games. 

At the plate he hit .241 with three HRs & 19 RBIs, posting a career best .370 on base %. In 1978 he returned for his fourth season in Pittsburgh playing in 48 games

Expos Career: For 1979 he was granted free agency & signed with the Montreal Expos. He played one season in Montreal under Manager Dick Williams for a good Expo team that won 95 games finishing second. Duffy saw action in 28 games, backing up Hall of Famer Gary Carter.

Tiger Career: In 1980 he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for future Mets manager Jerry Manuel. There he played for his fourth Hall of Fame Manager, Sparky Anderson. In 1981 Dyer would finish his playing career there playing behind another legendary catcher, Lance Parrish.

Career Stats: In his 14-year career he played in 722 Games with, 441 Hits, 74 Doubles, 11 Triples, 30 HRs, 173 RBI, 228 Walks & a .221 batting Average. 

Defensively he threw out 36% of would-be base stealers & posted an excellent .992 fielding percentage in 634 games behind the plate.

Retirement: After his playing days he was a long-time minor-league manager, serving in the Twins, Brewers and Tigers organizations. He has won two Manager of the Year awards in the Minor leagues. In 1985 & 1986 Dyer's teams won two championships with him at the helm.

MLB Coaching Career: He was a third-base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989-1995) and Oakland A’s (1996-1997) also serving as bench coach under Art Howe in Oakland. 

After that Dyer then moved on to manage the Blue Port Blue Fish (2001-2002) of the Independent League.

He was a scout in the Mets organization in 2003 & 2004 until the Omar Minaya era began. He always wanted an MLB managers job, but it never panned out. In the next two years he was once again manager in the Independent League at Erie.

He soon returned as a minor league catching coordinator for the San Diego Padres in 2007. In 2008, while visiting the Padres club in the Dominican Republic, his World Series ring was stolen from his locker. 

In 2014 Dyer was announced to be the inaugural manager for the Kenosha Kingfish of the Northwoods Collegiate Summer League, he would manage there for four seasons.

Honors at Donovan's Pub in Queens: Back during his playing days Dyer had a popular fan base at the popular local bar in Woodside Queens, Donovan's. The traditional Irish Pub fell in love with him from his Opening Day 1969 HR & supported him until he left New York. 

Quotes- Donovan's Pub Bartender: "We haven't had a fight in here in a long time. But if somebody puts the knock-on Duffy in here, look out."

The popular Pub is still going strong today.

Amazing Mets Reunions: Dyer was proudly on hand for the 1969 Mets 40th Anniversary reunion at Citi Field in 2009 & once again for the 50th Anniversary in 2019.

Dyer was also on hand for the 20th Anniversary of the 1973 Mets, a reunion at Shea Stadium in 1993.

Family: Duffy & his wife Lynn, have been married over fifty years. Together they have four children & seven grandchildren. They live in Phoenix Arizona.

Duffy's son Brian was coaching with him while at Kenosha.

Quotes- Lynn Dyer on her baseball life: "I'm telling you the positives outweigh the negatives. We've met so many wonderful people in baseball & I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I don't think our kids would either, even though they were yanked out of school & put in different schools."

Cami Lee Dyer: The Dyer's oldest daughter, Cami is a writer, producer & self-proclaimed baseball enthusiast. She has written an interesting story about her father & his former Mets roommate / teammate pitcher, Jim McAndrew. 

In the 1960's Duffy & Jim McAndrew both married girls named Lynn. The two couples also had their first children around the same time period. The two families, including Cami Dyer & Jamie McAndrew- daughter of Jim McAndrew, have been lifelong friends. Here is a link to her amazing story: https://nysportscene.com/2016/mcandrew-dyer-battery-strikes/