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Norman McRae: Former pitcher in major league 07/28/2003
Former pitcher Norman McRae, who played for the
Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators as well as in the Mexican League,
died Friday at his Garland home.
Mr. McRae, 55, had battled cancer for several
years. Services for Mr. McRae will be at 10 a.m. Monday
at the Eastgate Funeral Home Chapel, 1910 Eastgate Drive in Garland.
Interment will follow at Restland Memorial Park. "He just loved being a pitcher, that was his
passion," said his wife, Sandra McRae. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Mr. McRae was recruited
by the Tigers in 1965 at age 17. He began in the minor leagues but was
moved up to the majors after leading the Southern League in shutouts in
1968. He pitched 34 innings for the Tigers in 1969-70 with a 2.90 ERA.
In 1970, he was traded in the off-season to
Washington, where he played for two more seasons. After his major-league career, he played for Los
Dorados de Chihuahua in the Mexican League from 1972 to 1981. Retirement
did not pull him away from baseball; he remained with Los Dorados as a
coach from 1981 to 1984 and then became a recruiter for Tomateros de
Culiacan, also in the Mexican League. He and his wife moved to Garland in 1995, where
Mr. McRae took a job managing a Garland Long John Silvers.
He never lost his love for baseball, often
attending Texas Rangers games with friends he made in the majors and
keeping up with the teams from his home. "He watched baseball every day," Mrs. McRae said.
Besides his wife, Mr. McRae is survived by sons
Reggie McRae, Guillermo Beltran del Rio and Norman McRae Jr. of Chihuahua,
Mexico; brothers Reginald McRae, Charles McRae, John McRae and Thomas
McRae of New Jersey; and sisters Ruth Harris, Lucille Graham and Leonora
McRae, all of New
Jersey. |
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