Bob Welch Former Pitcher Dies At 57

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Death like five o'clock came too early for Bob Welch.

Welch died this afternoon at his home in Seal Beach, California.  A long-time employee of the Dodgers said it was a heart attack but the coroner in California is waiting for toxicology reports to release the cause of the 57-year old's death.

Welch, a Detroit native, was drafted by the Dodgers out of Eastern Michigan University and a year later was facing down Reggie Jackson with two runners on base in the 1978 World Series.

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Welch revealed that he was an alcoholic in a book titled, "Five "O'clock Comes Early: A Ballplayer's Battle With Alcoholism," in 1981 with George Vecsey.

"The fact is I was crazy when I'm drunk," Welch said in the book.  "There is every chance I'd be dead right now if I was drinking."

Former teammate Davey Lopes is currently a coach with the Dodgers in Cincinnati to play the Reds on Tuesday.

"It is absolutely bad news," Lopes said.  "It is something you don't expect to hear at any given time. I still see him in the World Series, the strikeout of Reggie Jackson. It doesn't get any better than that unless it was game seven For a 21-year old kid to be put in situation like that, facing one of the premier power hitters in the game..  He was fearless. He went right after him. Great things were expected of him but I don't know if he had a greater moment than that."

Dodger manager Don Mattingly faced him many times as a member of the New York Yankees.

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"It's tough when you hear that," Mattingly said. "The picture that comes to my head is the one with Reggie Jackson in the World Series.  I remember the great Oakland teams that he was part of. It is a loss for this organization."

Welch pitched 10 years for the Dodgers before being traded to the Oakland A's in 1988.  He was on that A's team that won three consecutive pennants.  In 1990, the year that the Reds swept the heavily favored A's.  Welch won the Cy Young Award that year with a 27-6 record and a 2.95 ERA that year.

Welch had a 211-146 record and a 3.47 ERA in 17 seasons.  He was the pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 when they won the World Series.  Recently, he served as a special instructor for the A's.

The Reds former manager, Dusty Baker, often relied on Welch's opinion on players.  They were close when they played together in Los Angeles.  Welch told Baker about Mike Leake prior to Leake's first spring training with the Reds in 2010.

Baker told the media that Welch said, "You'll like this kid.  He keeps the cheese at the knees."

Leake, Tuesday's starting pitcher remembers him from his days at Arizona State.  "He was around a lot," Leake said.

"He was a good teammate. I didn't hang around him. There was a great discrepancy in age. He was a pitcher and they kind of wander off in their own direction anyhow. He was a colorful character, very well liked. He was extremely knowledgeable. He loved talking about pitching. He was just a fun guy to be around."

Lopes remembered the relationship that Baker had with Welch.

"Dusty kind of took him under his wing, and tried to look out after him both on and off the field. They were close," Lopes said