Frank Hiller

Frank Walter Hiller
(Dutch)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
• School Lafayette College
• High School Irvington (NJ) High School
• Debut May 25, 1946
• Final Game June 23, 1953
• Born July 13, 1920 in Newark, NJ USA
• Died January 8, 1987 in West Chester, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Twenty-two year old Frank Hiller was signed as an amateur free agent before the 1943 season by the New York Yankees. "Dutch" as he was sometimes called was out of Lafayette College in Pennsylvania where he starred on the mound with a 22-2 record and also played football and basketball. "Dutch" started out his career with his hometown Newark Bears of the International League and won 39 games for the locals from 1943 to 1945.

After a short trial with the Yankees in 1946 where he went 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA. "Dutch" was a 15-game winner with the Kansas City Blues of the American Association in 1947 before heading back to Yankee Stadium and going 5-2 for the Yankees in 1948. He was back in New York in 1949, going 0-2 in four appearances with a 5.87 ERA and finished out the year with the Kansas City club again, finishing at 11-8 with a 5.79 ERA.

On February 10, 1950, he was purchased by the Chicago Cubs from the Bronx Bombers and proceeded to have his best year going 12-5 for the Cubs in 1950, but fell to 6-12 for the Chicago team in 1951. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Willie Ramsdell on January 3, 1952. Hiller spent the year with the Reds winning but 5 and losing 8 with a 4.63 ERA and at the end of the season the Reds would dealt him to the New York Giants for Gail Henley.

Hiller pitched 19 innings for the Giants in 1953, going 2-1 with a 6.15 ERA. This wwas the end of his seven-year major league run. He finished out at 30-32 with a 4.42 ERA. "Dutch" at age 33 gave it one more shot with the San Francisco Seals in 1954, had a 11-8 record but a 5.79 ERA and decided it was time to seek other avenues. He finished out his eight seasons in the minor leagues with an 82-54 record and a 3.18 ERA.

After baseball Hiller became a regional manager for the Massachusetts Life Insurance Company, retiring from there in 1981 and passed away January 8, 1987, at age 66 in West Chester, PA.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• FRank Hiller at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page