Former Indians pitcher Score dies

Nov 11, 2008 - 4:32 PM CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Former Cleveland Indians pitcher and broadcaster Herb Score, whose promising career was cut short after getting struck by a line drive, died Tuesday. He was 75.

The Indians said Score died Tuesday morning at his home in Rocky River, Ohio. The cause of death was not immediately known.

In 1955, Score joined an Indians' rotation that included future Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Early Wynn.

Score was named Rookie of the Year that season, winning 16 games and striking out an American League-high 245.

The following year, he won 20 games, led the AL with five shutouts and increased his strikeout total to 263.

But his career virtually ended on May 7, 1957 at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, when a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees infielder Gil McDougald hit the 23-year-old pitcher in the right eye.

"He was a great pitcher," former Indians right fielder Rocky Colavito told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He had a chance at becoming as good a lefty as there ever was. He had that kind of stuff.

"He had hard knocks, but he never complained. You had to respect him for that. I loved him like a brother."

Score pitched through the 1962 season, joining the Chicago White Sox in 1960, but never was the same after winning 36 games in his first two years. He finished with a career mark of 55-46 and a 3.36 ERA in parts of eight major league seasons.

Score joined the Indians' broadcast booth late in the 1963 season and became immensely popular.

It began a 34-year broadcasting career for Score - the longest tenure of any announcer in Cleveland sports history. He retired in 1997.