CINCINNATI — George Frazier, a major league relief pitcher and colorful storytelling analyst for the Colorado Rockies from 1998 to 2015, died Monday in Tulsa, Okla.
Frazier, 68, passed away after battling a recent illness, according to Drew Goodman.
“In a game full of charismatic characters, George had a seat at the head table, ” said Goodman, the Rockies’ longtime play-by-play man for AT&T SportsNet who worked in the booth with Frazier from 2002-15. “He had more stories than anybody and you’d listen and walk away thinking, ‘No way that ever happened, but it’s funny as hell.’
“Some of the stories were born in truth but there was a whole lot of embellishment involved. But that’s OK. Everybody loved George and he knew everybody. And he could talk. And he was a truly giving guy. He’d do anything for you.”
The highlight of Frazier’s playing career came in 1987 when pitched out of the bullpen for the Twins during their World Series championship season.
He made 69 relief appearances with the Twins in 1986 and ’87, recording eight saves while posting a 4.83 ERA over 108 innings. He pitched two scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series at St. Louis, which turned out to be his final big-league game.
Goodman and Frazier talked frequently, usually once a week.
“The first game that we did together and the first time we met was in 1988 doing a college game at Creighton University,” Goodman recalled. “This was before college facilities got really nice. We sat on a picnic bench behind the backstop at home plate doing a TV game from there. Can you imagine? I’m going to miss him.”
Rockies manager Bud Black called Frazier “a baseball guy,” a characterization Frazier would no doubt have loved.
“I loved the conversations I had with George,” Black said. “He’d come in and sit down and tell stories. It was an easy conversation and with him being an ex-pitcher like me, we shared a lot in common.”
Frazier was extremely close with a number of Rockies players, including franchise icon Todd Helton and starting pitcher Aaron Cook.
“Every time I saw George around the clubhouse he always had a smile on his face,” Cook said. “He was always willing to sit around and talk about the game. At times, I would turn to him for advice if I was struggling with things and needed to hear a different voice. He will be truly missed.”
Frazier was born Oct. 13, 1954, in Oklahoma City and played college baseball for the University of Oklahoma. The Brewers selected Frazier in the ninth round of the 1976 draft but he was traded to St. Louis at the winter meetings in 1977. He pitched in the majors for parts of 10 seasons, from 1978-87. He played for the Cardinals, Yankees, Guardians, Cubs and Twins. He pitched in 415 games, going 35-43 with a 4.20 ERA.
Pitching for the Yankees in the 1981 World Series, Frazier posted an ugly 17.18 ERA, but he was the victim of base-hit grounders and bloopers while losing Games 3, 4 and 6. He became the first pitcher in major league history to lose three games in a best-of-seven World Series.
George Steinbrenner, of course, was the owner of the Yankees, but according to a New York Times story, Steinbrenner was supportive of the 27-year-old right-hander.
“It wasn’t your fault, kid,” Steinbrenner told Frazier as he patted him on the back. “You’ll be a Yankee next year, don’t worry about it.”
The same season, Frazier won a game in the American League Championship Series against Oakland. Before the World Series, his ERA with New York was 1.35 across 17 appearances.
Frazier made his Rockies debut as a “tryout” TV analyst and color man during the last three games of the 1997 season.
“Dave Campbell was leaving and I had a shot at replacing him,” Frazier told The Post in 2015. “I don’t remember that first game score, only that the Rockies won at home against the Reds. I was nervous. I liked Denver and wanted to work here. There was so much fan enthusiasm for the Rockies.”
The Rockies issued a statement Monday night.
“We are deeply saddened at the passing of former Rockies color analyst, George Frazier,” the statement read. “A retired MLB pitcher, George was a mainstay and the voice behind many classic calls on Rockies broadcasts from 1998-2015. For a generation of Rockies fans, George Frazier was synonymous with Rockies baseball. Our thoughts are with George’s wife, Kay, and his four kids, Matt, Brian, Parker and Georgia, during this time.”
Parker was selected in the eighth round of the 2007 draft by the Rockies. Georgia was crowned Miss Oklahoma in 2015.
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