George Frazier, former pitcher and Rockies analyst, dies at 68

CINCINNATI — George Frazier, a major league relief pitcher and colorful storytelling analyst for the Colorado Rockies from 1998 to 2015, died Monday in Tulsa, Okla.

Frazier, 68, passed away after battling a recent illness, according to Drew Goodman.

“In a game full of charismatic characters, George had a seat at the head table, ” said Goodman, the Rockies’ longtime play-by-play man for AT&T SportsNet who worked in the booth with Frazier from 2002-15. “He had more stories than anybody and you’d listen and walk away thinking, ‘No way that ever happened, but it’s funny as hell.’

“Some of the stories were born in truth but there was a whole lot of embellishment involved. But that’s OK. Everybody loved George and he knew everybody. And he could talk. And he was a truly giving guy. He’d do anything for you.”

Goodman and Frazier talked frequently, usually once a week.

“The first game that we did together and the first time we met was in 1988 doing a college game at Creighton University,” Goodman recalled. “This was before college facilities got really nice. We sat on a picnic bench behind the backstop at home plate doing a TV game from there. Can you imagine? I’m going to miss him.”

Rockies manager Bud Black called Frazier “a baseball guy,” a characterization Frazier would no doubt have loved.

“I loved the conversations I had with George,” Black said. “He’d come in and sit down and tell stories. It was an easy conversation and with him being an ex-pitcher like me, we shared a lot in common.”

Frazier was extremely close with a number of Rockies players, including franchise icon Todd Helton and starting pitcher Aaron Cook.

“Every time I saw George around the clubhouse he always had a smile on his face,” Cook said. “He was always willing to sit around and talk about the game. At times, I would turn to him for advice if I was struggling with things and needed to hear a different voice.  He will be truly missed.”

Frazier was born Oct. 13, 1954, in Oklahoma City and played college baseball for the University of Oklahoma. The Brewers selected Frazier in the ninth round of the 1976 draft but he was traded to St. Louis at the winter meetings in 1977. He pitched in the majors for parts of 10 seasons, from 1978-87. He played for the Cardinals, Yankees, Guardians, Cubs and Twins. He pitched in 193 games, going 35-43 with a 4.20 ERA.

Pitching for the Yankees in the 1981 World Series, Frazier posted an ugly 17.18 ERA, but he was the victim of base-hit grounders and bloopers while losing Games 3, 4 and 6. He became the first pitcher in major league history to lose three games in a best-of-seven World Series.