In news that eluded MLBTR at the time, former All-Star pitcher Bud Daley passed away last month at 92. The news was revealed via obituary from a Riverton, Wyoming funeral home.
Daley was a Long Beach native who signed with the Indians out of high school. He pitched in the minors over four-plus seasons and debuted as a September call-up in 1955. Daley pitched in a swing role for three years before Cleveland dealt him to the Orioles as part of a three-player package to reacquire Larry Doby and add lefty Don Ferrarese. Daley never pitched for Baltimore, who flipped him to the Kansas City Athletics for righty Arnie Portocarrero.
It was a nice pickup for the A’s. Daley spent the ’58 season in the bullpen but moved into the rotation the following year. He topped 200 innings and won 16 games in each of the next two seasons. Daley made four All-Star appearances — there were two All-Star Games per season at the time — and picked up some down-ballot MVP support.
The A’s traded Daley to the Yankees midway through the 1961 season, landing pitcher Art Ditmar and corner infielder Deron Johnson in return. That positioned Daley to win a pair of rings, as he remained in the Bronx on the World Series teams in 1961 and ’62. He was on both World Series rosters, combining for eight innings without allowing an earned run over three relief appearances.
Daley finished his career in 1964. He appeared in parts of 10 seasons and concluded his playing days with a 4.03 ERA through 967 1/3 innings. He recorded 549 strikeouts and posted a 60-64 record. MLBTR sends our condolences to Daley’s family, loved ones and friends.