Larry Demery

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Larry Demery

| position = Pitcher

| image = Larry Demery.jpg

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

| birth_date = {{birth date|1953|6|4}}

| birth_place = Bakersfield, California, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|2|20|1953|6|4}}

| death_place = Bakersfield, California, U.S.

| debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = June 2

| debutyear = 1974

| debutteam = Pittsburgh Pirates

| finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = September 24

| finalyear = 1977

| finalteam = Pittsburgh Pirates

| statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 29–23

| stat2label = Earned run average

| stat2value = 3.72

| stat3label = Strikeouts

| stat3value = 217

| teams = *Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|1974}}–{{mlby|1977}})

}}

Lawrence Calvin Demery (June 4, 1953 – February 20, 2024) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, from {{mlby|1974}} until {{mlby|1977}}, for the Pittsburgh Pirates.{{cite web |title=Larry Demery Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/demerla01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}

Early life and career

A native of Bakersfield, California, Demery was the son of fellow major leaguer Art Demery.{{cite web|author=Toni DeRosa |url=https://www.wascotrib.com/story/2020/02/27/news/remembering-a-legend-in-wasco-baseball/1182.html |title=Remembering a legend in Wasco baseball |publisher=wascotrib.com |date=February 27, 2020 |accessdate=August 28, 2021}} He played baseball at Wasco High School and later at Locke High School in Los Angeles, where he threw two no-hitters.{{cite web |title=Larry Demery |url=https://kcsportshalloffame.org/inductees/larry-demery/ |website=kcsportshalloffame.org |publisher=The Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=18 July 2021}} Demery attended Los Angeles City College, where he played college baseball.

Professional career

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Demery in the seventh round of the 1972 MLB draft.{{cite web |title=7th Round of the 1972 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=1972&draft_round=7&draft_type=jansec&query_type=year_round |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=18 July 2021 |language=en}} He began his professional career that year with the Gastonia Pirates and walked more batters than any other pitcher in the Western Carolinas League.{{cite web |title=Larry Demery Minor Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=demery001law |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=18 July 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=1972 Western Carolinas League Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/leader.cgi?type=pitch&id=6cf50d31&sort_by=BB |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=18 July 2021 |language=en}} He spent most of the following season in the Carolina League, which he led with fourteen complete games.{{cite web |title=1973 Carolina League Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/leader.cgi?type=pitch&id=83a0c0c6&sort_by=CG |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=18 July 2021 |language=en}}

Demery made his major league debut on June 2, 1974, against the Cincinnati Reds. He entered in relief of Bruce Kison at Riverfront Stadium and struck out four of the six batters he faced without allowing a run.{{cite web |title=Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, June 2, 1974 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197406020.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=18 July 2021 |language=en}} He played for the Pirates until 1977.

Later life and death

{{Asof|December 2008}}, Demery lived in Bakersfield, California.{{cite news |last1=Elliott |first1=Helene |title=Dock Ellis, former major league pitcher who counseled drug addicts, dies at 63 |url=https://www.courant.com/la-me-ellis21-2008dec21-story.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=Hartford Courant |date=December 21, 2008}} He died on February 20, 2024, at the age of 70.[https://pittsburghbaseballnow.com/former-pirates-pitcher-larry-demery-dies-at-70/ Former Pirates Pitcher Larry Demery Dies at 70]

Demery appeared in the 2014 film No No: A Dockumentary.{{cite news |last1=Gold |first1=Daniel M. |title=A Lightning Rod in a Game With Bats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/movies/no-no-a-dockumentary-looks-at-dock-ellis.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=September 4, 2014}}