Bob “Butch” Heffner, a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and California Angels in the 1960s, passed away on Wednesday at his home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was 86.
A right-handed pitcher, Heffner made a memorable debut in Boston en route to a five-year career in the big leagues.
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On June 19, 1963, Heffner threw all nine innings in the Red Sox’s 9-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, allowing only seven hits, two runs, and striking out six. His father, Curtis, took the day off work from a General Electric small appliances plant in Allentown to watch his son in person, fortuitously getting permission from his boss — who was himself the father of a major league pitcher, Curt Simmons.
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Heffner went on to compile an 11-21 record, 4.51 ERA, and five saves in 114 games for the Red Sox (1963-65), Indians (1966) and Angels (1968).
Heffner was an accomplished two-sport star in high school, graduating from Allen High School as the basketball team’s all-time leading scorer. Heffner was voted Allen’s Athlete of the Year in 1957 — an honor his son Terry would receive in 1979.
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The Red Sox signed Heffner to his first professional contract in June 1957, an era before Major League Baseball’s draft existed, and received a $4,000 bonus. He would pitch 218 games in the minor leagues before his first promotion to the majors.
Hefner’s time with the Red Sox ended when he was selected by Cleveland in the 1965 Rule 5 draft. Although he made only five major league appearances in an Indians uniform, he spent the entire season with the organization, going 15-8 with a 2.85 ERA for Cleveland’s top farm team in 1966.
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That earned him another selection in the Rule 5 draft, this time by the New York Mets in October 1966. Before he could suit up for the Mets, however, Heffner temporarily retired because of a contract dispute. He resurfaced a year later with the Angels, for whom he pitched his final seven regular season games before retiring.
In 2012, Heffner and other Red Sox alumni returned to Fenway Park to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its opening in 1912.
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After retiring as a player, Heffner returned to Allentown and worked for the Banko Beverage Company for more than 30 years, retiring in 2006.
“It’s nice that people recognize you, but I never was too fond of people saying stuff about me,” Heffner told the Allentown Morning Call in 2012. “It makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know what the reason is. Janet always wondered how I could be out there in front of 30,000 people. Well, when you’re out there, you forget about it. When the bell rings, you don’t care how many people are up there watching. When it’s over, it’s over. You go out and get a pizza and a beer.”
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