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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Zach Monroe, who pitched 25 games for the New York Yankees across the 1958 and 1959 seasons, died Jan. 18 in his native Peoria, Illinois. He was 94.
Monroe made one appearance in the 1958 World Series against the Milwaukee Braves, which the Yankees won in seven games.
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A right-handed pitcher, Monroe retired with a career record of 4-2, a 3.38 ERA, and one save in 61.1 innings.
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A three-sport standout at Woodruff High School, Monroe stayed home and to pitch collegiately at Bradley University in Peoria. He went 9-4 with a 1.81 earned run average as a senior, striking out 113 batters in 94 innings. The award given annually to the Braves' best pitcher was named in his honor.
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Monroe signed with the Yankees and made his minor league debut in 1952, but missed the 1953 and 1954 seasons while serving in the Korean War.
Upon his return, Monroe needed three more seasons in the minors before making his big league debut, in a June 1958 game in Kansas City. Monroe pitched 3.1 scoreless innings against the A's — good enough to earn a start in his next appearance, in which he limited the Baltimore Orioles to one run over seven innings to earn his first career win.
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Monroe pitched mainly in relief as a rookie — and pitched well, going 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA for the eventual American League champions. His only World Series appearance that October (a mop-up inning in the Yankees' 13-5 loss in Game 2) against Milwaukee didn't go so smoothly. But the Yankees prevailed in seven games, giving Monroe his first and only World Series ring.
Monroe appeared in only three games out of the Yankee bullpen in 1959, allowing runs in each of the last two. Monroe was demoted to Triple-A, battled a shoulder injury, and didn't return to the majors again.
Traded to the Cincinnati Reds in October 1960, Monroe pitched two more seasons for the Reds' top farm team, then returned home to Peoria, where he became a sales manager for a hydraulic manufacturing company.
Monroe was inducted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame and the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame. He is survived by four daughters, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to the Peoria Journal Star.
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