Fred Gladding

{{Short description|American baseball player (1936–2015)}}

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

{{more citations needed|date=May 2015}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Fred Gladding

|position=Pitcher

|image=Fred Gladding 1964.jpg

|caption= Gladding in 1964

|bats=Left

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1936|6|28}}

|birth_place=Flat Rock, Michigan, U.S.

|death_date={{Death date and age|2015|5|21|1936|6|28}}

|death_place=Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate= July 1

|debutyear= 1961

|debutteam= Detroit Tigers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=June 2

|finalyear=1973

|finalteam= Houston Astros

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=48–34

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.13

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=394

|stat4label=Saves

|stat4value=109

|teams=

• Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|1961}}–{{mlby|1967}})
• Houston Astros ({{mlby|1968}}–{{mlby|1973}})

|highlights=

• NL saves leader (1969)

}}

Fred Earl Gladding (June 28, 1936 – May 21, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He was a right-handed pitcher for all or parts of 13 seasons (1961–1973) with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. He was born in Flat Rock, Michigan, and attended Flat Rock Community High School. He was listed at {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} tall and {{convert|220|lb}}.

For his career, he compiled a 48–34 record and 109 saves in 450 appearances, all but one as a relief pitcher, with a 3.13 earned run average and 394 strikeouts in 601 innings pitched. Gladding led the National League in saves with Houston in 1969, the first season the statistic was officially recognized.{{cite news |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/05/26/ex-tigers-pitcher-fred-gladding-flat-rock-native-dies-at-78/27971677/ |title=Ex-Tigers pitcher Fred Gladding, Flat Rock native, dies at 78 |last=Paul |first=Tony |newspaper=Detroit News |date=May 28, 2015 |access-date=May 28, 2015}}

In seven seasons with the Tigers, Gladding compiled a career record of 26–11 and a 2.70 ERA in 217 games. His .703 winning percentage with the Tigers is the highest in the franchise's history for a pitcher appearing in at least 200 games for the team. He returned to Detroit in 1976 as pitching coach and served three seasons on the staff of manager Ralph Houk.

Gladding also has the distinction of having the lowest non-zero lifetime batting average in major league history. For his career he batted .016 (1 for 63).

Gladding died on May 21, 2015, in Columbia, South Carolina.{{cite web|last1=Mattingly|first1=Tom|title=Former MLB pitcher, Powell resident Fred Gladding dies at 78|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/sports/former-mlb-pitcher-powell-resident-fred-gladding-dies-at-78_54420549|website=knoxnews.com|publisher=Knoxville News Sentinel|access-date=May 26, 2015|date=May 23, 2015|url-access=subscription }}