The New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants have lost a giant of a man in Dick Tidrow. Tidrow was a huge factor in the rebuilding of the Yankees from 1974 to 1979. He would eventually be the senior advisor to the president of baseball operations for the Giants at the time of his unexpected death on Wednesday.
Tidrow pitched parts of 13 major league seasons for the Indians, the Yankees, Cubs, White Sox, and Mets. The 6-foot-4 right-hander had a 100-94 career record with a 3.68 ERA over 620 appearances with 138 starts. With the Yankees, he was 41-33 with a 3.61 ERA over six years of starts.
He spent most of his baseball life with the Giants over 27 years. Tidrow joined the Giants in 1994 as a scout and quickly became a special assistant to the general manager and then director of player personnel. He’s credited with being a key part of the Giants spectacular run of drafting and development that featured Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, and so many others. In addition, he was a key factor in the Giants 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Championships.
At the time of his death, he was senior advisor to the president of baseball operations.
Tidrow was born on May 14, 1947, in San Francisco. He was a former Marine; he attended high school and college in the East Bay suburb of Hayward, graduating from Mount Eden High in 1965 and Chabot Junior College two years later.
His wife, Mari Jo, is survived by three children: Andy, Matt, and Richelle. The baseball world has lost a true baseball man that will be missed by many.
“Dick was a unique and special person whose influence and impact was legendary throughout the game and whose fingerprints are all over our three World Series trophies,†said Brian Sabean, the Giants; executive vice president and senior adviser. “On a personal level, we shared some incredible highs and lows together and I’m forever grateful for his 40 years of friendship and support.â€
As of this writing, the New York Yankees have not released an official statement regarding the death.