Former Phillies pitcher Fryman dies of Alzheimer's

Former Phillies pitcher Woodie Fryman, who pitched 18 seasons in the major leagues, and was inducted into the Montreal Expos' Hall of Fame in 1995, has died. He was 70.

Fryman, a lefthander, played for the Phillies from 1968 to 1972 and went 46-52 with a 3.76 ERA in four-plus seasons. In '68, he went 12-14 and posted a 2.78 ERA in 32 starts and two relief appearances en route to his first All-Star selection.

Overall, Fryman was 141-155 from 1966-83 with the Phillies, Expos, Pirates, Tigers, Reds and Cubs. He pitched primarily in relief late in his career, saving 17 games for Montreal in 1980.

Fryman died Friday at his home in Ewing, Ky. - where he was a tobacco farmer - after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Fryman had four career one-hitters - including a nearly perfect game when he was a Pittsburgh rookie. He gave up a leadoff hit to the New York Mets, the runner was caught stealing and Fryman didn't allow anyone else on base.

He pitched for the Pirates his first two major league seasons. On Dec. 15, 1967, the Phillies traded Jim Bunning to Pittsburgh for Fryman, Bill Laxton, Don Money and minor leaguer Harold Clem.

Fryman pitched for the Phillies until 1972 when he was selected off waivers by Detroit in midseason. He went 10-3 with a 2.06 ERA in 14 starts for the Tigers, including winning the American League East Division clincher on the next-to-last day of the season.

"I remember [then-Phillies general manager] John Quinn told me Woodie might be the kind of guy who could take us down the stretch," then-Tigers GM Jim Campbell once told the Detroit Free Press. "But we got more than we bargained for."

Fryman pitched two more seasons in Detroit before joining the Expos. In 1976, he went 13-13 with a 3.37 ERA in 34 games, including 32 starts, for Montreal to earn his second All-Star selection.

He went on to pitch with the Reds (1977) and Cubs ('78) before returning to Montreal, where he pitched until '83.