Ray Herbert, Detroit sandlot ace and 1962 AL All-Star, dies
By RYAN KRYSKA
AP Sports Writer
Ray Herbert, a 1962 All-Star Game winning pitcher who threw batting practice for his hometown Detroit Tigers for decades after retiring, died peacefully in Michigan five days after his 93rd birthday. Herbert started his big league career with Detroit in 1950 and pitched for four teams over 14 seasons, including a ’63 season for the Chicago White Sox in which he led the American League in shutouts. Herbert was a part of a generation of Detroiters who flocked to the city’s historic Northwestern Field, a sandlot that turned out players such as Willie Horton, Bill Freehan and Frank Tanana. Herbert died Dec. 20 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.