My First Cards

Besides having a unique first name, Dyar Miller has a really interesting career to me. Through no fault of his own, he was stuck in the Orioles farm system for 6 years, 'til he was 29. If he was in any other team's minor league teams, there's a great chance he'd have reached the majors long before he was 29.

When he was 27, he posted a 2.75 ERA for the AAA Rochester Red Wings. Of course, Baltimore was filled with excellent pitching, so they just left him there in the minor leagues. They had no room for him on the major league roster.

When he was 28, he trimmed that ERA down a little to 2.70. Just like the previous season though, he was left in AAA 'cause there was no room for another good pitcher in Baltimore.

When he was 29, in 1975, he spends 2 full months in AAA, putting up a 5-0 record with a slim 2.20 ERA and finally gets called up in June. He proceeds to prove he belongs in the American League by posting a 2.72 ERA in 46 IP. After 7 1/2 seasons in the minors, he finally gets his shot that should've come sooner. He made good use of it.

He was a good relief pitcher for most of his career, except for a short stretch with Toronto in 1979 when he was smacked around for a 10.57 ERA. He bounced back in 1980 with a 1.93 ERA. Interestingly, he never got any Cy Young votes, as he was never the closer or the starter... just the middle man.

1979 was weird for him. He played for the Angels, Blue Jays, and the Expos AAA club in Denver. He pitched GREAT in Denver (which we know is a tough trick), tossing a 1.80 ERA in limited innings. But here's the oddity—When did he pitch in Denver? According to Miller's Baseball Reference page, he wasn't sent to the Expos organization until October 24, 1979. I'm sure the AAA season was finished by then.

His final major league season was 1981, playing for the Mets. Interestingly, he seems to have been the pitcher on the mound when the photo for Junior Kennedy's card was shot. I doubt this photo was from the same game, because it's unlikely a pitcher would be wearing a long sleeve undershirt in August.

After '81, he apparently didn't pitch anywhere during 1982, but suddenly shows up in the Cardinals organization pitching in Louisville in 1983. He didn't do so well in his two seasons there. Since then, he's done some managing and been a pitching coach. Currently (2009), he's the Cardinals minor league pitching coordinator.

A few random Dyar Miller facts—

• Career 113 ERA+ (he was 13% better than the average pitcher during his time)
• He threw more innings against the Brewers than any other team
• He had a 2.49 ERA against the Brewers
• Robin Yount had the most PA's (22) against Miller, and only hit a .200 OBP
• So did Jim Rice (20 PA's)
• Carlton Fisk couldn't hit him either, only having a .267 OBP in 15 PA's