Dick Luebke

{{Short description|American baseball player (1935–1974)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Dick Luebke

|position=Pitcher

|image=

|caption=

|bats=Right

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date|1935|4|8}}

|birth_place=Chicago

|death_date={{death date and age|1974|12|4|1935|4|8}}

|death_place=San Diego, California

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=August 10

|debutyear=1962

|debutteam=Baltimore Orioles

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 24

|finalyear=1962

|finalteam=Baltimore Orioles

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=0–1

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=2.70

|stat3label=Innings pitched

|stat3value=13⅓

|teams=

• Baltimore Orioles (1962)

}}''

Richard Raymond Luebke (April 8, 1935 – December 4, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher who threw left-handed and batted right-handed, Luebke was born in Chicago, stood {{convert|6|ft|4|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|200|lb}}. He spent a decade in minor league baseball and, in his only Major League audition, appeared in ten games as a relief pitcher for the {{baseball year|1962}} Baltimore Orioles.

Luebke was in his ninth year as a member of the Oriole farm system when he was recalled late in the 1962 campaign. After a productive season as a left-handed relief pitcher for the Rochester Red Wings of the Triple-A International League – ten wins in 17 decisions, and an earned run average of 1.77 with 43 hits allowed in 61 innings pitched[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=luebke001ric Minor league statistics] from Baseball Reference – Luebke made his Major League debut on August 10, 1962, at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. In relief of Baltimore starting pitcher Robin Roberts, a future Hall of Famer, Luebke pitched a one-two-three eighth inning, retiring Eddie Bressoud, Carroll Hardy and Carl Yastrzemski in order.[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1962/B08111BOS1962.htm Retrosheet] He was charged with his only MLB decision on September 7. He faced only one batter, Leon Wagner, who doubled and later scored the winning run in a 5–4 extra-inning win for the Los Angeles Angels. Nevertheless, Luebke performed creditably for Baltimore. In his ten appearances during August and September, he pitched {{frac|13|1|3}} innings, allowed four earned runs, 12 hits and six bases on balls, with seven strikeouts.

During the offseason, however, the Orioles traded Luebke and minor-league infielder Willard Oplinger to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Joe Gaines. Luebke was not listed on the Reds' 40-man spring training roster for 1963,[https://books.google.com/books?id=gLYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3 Baseball Digest, April 1963, page 117] and spent the year with their Triple-A affiliate, the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, before leaving baseball.

He died at age 39 in San Diego in December 1974.