Fred Cambria

Who is Fred Cambria?

Frederick Dennis Cambria is a retired American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in six Major League games — five as a starting pitcher — for the 1970 Pittsburgh Pirates. He stood 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 195 pounds and attended St. Leo University.

He was born in Cambria Heights, Queens, New York, and graduated from St. Pascal's High School in neighboring St. Alban's. Chosen by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft, Cambria was assigned to the Double-A York Pirates, where he won nine of 11 decisions with a low 2.16 earned run average. In his 14 appearances, he threw three shutouts. The following season he won 12 of 19 decisions for the Triple-A Columbus Jets before his recall to Pittsburgh in August 1970.

On Wednesday, August 26, he made his Major League debut as a starting pitcher against the Padres at San Diego Stadium. The first-place Pirates were embroiled in a three-team race with the Chicago Cubs and Cambria's boyhood team, the New York Mets, for the National League East Division championship.