Richie Zisk

Coming up in the late 1960s, Richie Zisk was a power-hitting, run-producing outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system. If he’d been in another organization, Zisk might have been fast-tracked to the big-league team. But the Pirates were stocked with talented outfielders. “Being in the Pirate organization cost me at least a year in the big leagues, probably more,” said Zisk. “My first year of Triple-A ball [1971], I hit .290, had 29 home runs and 109 RBIs and I didn’t even get a look the next spring because the Pittsburgh outfield was loaded…Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Al Oliver. Where the hell was I gonna go?”1 

Zisk’s fortunes turned on December 31, 1972, when Clemente was killed in a plane crash. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he continued his success that was honed in the minors, carving out a productive – and at times dominant – career for 11 years.

***

Richard Walter Zisk was born on February 6, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the oldest of two boys (brother John) born to Walter and Jean (née Murawski) Zisk. Walter and Jean were both of Polish heritage. Walter worked as a chemical engineer and then a supervisor for the Alliance Chemical Company in Newark, New Jersey.

Walter Zisk played semipro baseball in Brooklyn. “The Zisks have always been a baseball family, and though dad encouraged me, he never pushed me,” said Richie.2 When Zisk was 10, the family relocated from their home in Queens to a rural area of New Jersey. “It was there that I really got interested in baseball,” said Zisk, “because in the city, the majority of my time was spent chasin’ cars, and I was always in trouble. I really believe if we hadn’t moved to Jersey, I wouldn’t be playing ball today. There was no opportunity in the city. We didn’t know what grass was.”3

When Richie was 14, the Zisk family moved to Parsippany, New Jersey. At Parsippany High School, he played soccer, basketball, and baseball. Zisk was a four-year starter on the Redskins varsity. He batted .461 as a sophomore, .398 as a junior, and .325 in his senior season. He swatted 16 home runs in his high school career.4

Before the amateur draft in 1967, the Pirates sent Zisk to Dr. Albert Ferguson, an orthopedic physician. Zisk had injured his left knee in gym class when he was in seventh grade and his right knee in high school when he was playing soccer. “There is no question in my mind that Richie would have been a No. 1 pick in the free agent draft if he had two good knees,” said Pirates general manager Joe Brown. “We received a very favorable report about Zisk’s knees. Dr. Ferguson said an operation would not prevent Richie from playing baseball. Once we heard that, we decided to make Richie a high pick in the draft.”5  Indeed, Pittsburgh selected Zisk in the third round on June 6.

He began his pro career at Salem (Virginia) of the rookie Appalachian League. Zisk had little trouble adapting to professional baseball. His 16 home runs were more than the rest of his team combined (14). He ascended through the Pirates’ organization.

For 1968, he was promoted to Gastonia (North Carolina) of the Class A Western Carolinas League. After a strong start, Zisk’s season was cut short when he reinjured his left knee. “I was running to first base, and I took one long stride to touch the first base bag and the knee went again,” said Zisk.6 He had hit 13 homers and driven in 41 runs in 53 games while batting .281.

After the season, Richie’s mother, Jean Zisk, died at age 50 from a long illness.7 Zisk played for Salem again in 1969, this time in the Class A Carolina League. On May 29 Zisk married Barbara Boice, his high school sweetheart. They had three children, sons Kevin and Daniel and daughter Laura. Richie vowed that he would name his sons “anything but those awful Polish names, Walter and Stanley.”8

Zisk had a knee operation that delayed the start of his 1969 season. After joining the team in early June, he batted .317 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs in 78 games.

In 1970 at Class AA Waterbury, Connecticut, Zisk appeared in 125 games and powered his way to 34 homers, 88 RBIs, and a .296 batting average. “He has all the tools to make it – power, arm, attitude,” said Waterbury manager Red Davis. “Three knee operations in high school affected his lateral movement for a while, but he moves pretty well in the outfield now. He’s a great prospect.”9

The next two years at Class AAA Charleston, South Carolina, were more of the same. He hit a total of 55 home runs and amassed 195 RBIs in 1971 and 1972. “It may sound funny, but I don’t really go for home runs,” said Zisk. “I feel that I’m a line-drive hitter and that’s what I try for. But when they go up and out of the park, that’s something else.”10

Zisk earned a callup to the Pirates at the conclusion of both seasons, making his major league debut on September 8, 1971. Zisk subbed for Clemente in the eighth inning of a 10-1 blowout of the Cubs at Three Rivers Stadium, singling off Chicago relief pitcher Joe Decker in his first at-bat.

Bill Virdon took over for Danny Murtaugh as the Pirates manager in 1972. Most managers would love to have Virdon’s problem of a surplus of talent in the outfield. “I know Zisk doesn’t agree with me,” said Virdon. “He feels he’d be better off on the bench with us. I feel he would be better off playing every day.”11

After the 1972 season, Zisk played winter ball in Puerto Rico. On December 31, the players were having a New Year’s Eve party at the apartment of Pirates pitcher Bob Johnson. Located on the 27th floor, the apartment overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. “We had heard about a plane crash,” said Zisk. “We saw the search crews searching for bodies and debris in the light of huge spotlights. We started to talk about how terrible it was for the people in the plane, but we had no idea Roberto was involved. In fact, we had no idea what kind of a plane fell.”12

“Once I got the opportunity to play, I made the most of it,” Zisk said. “With the tragic death of Clemente, I was kept in a Pirate uniform and elevated to the major leagues. Otherwise, no telling where I’d be.”13  Zisk had been used sparingly, appearing in only 12 games as an outfielder for the Pirates in 1972.

Zisk began the 1973 season in left field, while Manny Sanguillen was positioned in right, which had been Clemente’s spot for 18 years. However, Sanguillen’s transition from catcher to right field was unsuccessful. By June 13, the Pirates had slipped to fifth place in the NL East. It was an uncustomary place in the standings for the club, which had finished first in the NL East for three straight years. Virdon made the necessary changes, moving Sanguillen back behind the plate; he used Gene Clines and rookie Dave Parker in right field until Zisk was moved there in mid-July.

Zisk appeared in 103 games. He was the only Pirate player to bat over .300 (.324). However, his power numbers, compared to his minor league stats, took a dip (10 homers and 54 RBIs).

In 1974, Zisk played primarily in right field, starting 128 games. He hit for the cycle on June 9, going 4-for-6 with five RBIs and four runs scored in a 14-1 rout of the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. Heading into the top of the ninth inning, Zisk still needed a triple to complete the cycle. “How often do I hit a triple?” he asked. “Sure, I might get one once in a while, but it’s usually because the outfielder fell down or something else strange happening.”14

Zisk ripped a line drive to right-center field off Giants reliever Charlie Williams. “When I came into second and saw they hadn’t come up with it, I figure I’d try for three.”15

From August 6-28, Zisk put together a 20-game hitting streak, going 35-for-88 (.398). He also hit two home runs and totaled 17 RBIs. He led the team in RBIs with 100, hit 17 home runs and batted .313. The Sporting News named Zisk to its National League All-Star team for 1974.

The Pirates (88-74) reclaimed first place in the NL East, finishing 1½ games ahead of St. Louis (86-75). It was the first of two more seasons in which the Pirates won the division title. However, they were dispatched in the League Championship Series both seasons. In 1974 the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Pirates in four games. In 1975, they were swept in three games by Cincinnati. In the series against the Reds, Zisk went 5-for-10 with two walks and a double.

Parker had been an outfield reserve in 1974, but he became the starting right fielder in 1975. Zisk was again moved to left field, with Stargell moving to first base. The switch did not affect Zisk at the plate (20 home runs, 75 RBIs, and .290 batting average). On August 23, he set a career-high for RBIs in a game with six. His effort was in a losing cause, as the Pirates lost to Cincinnati, 12-7.

Zisk’s offensive production remained consistent in 1976 (21-89-.289). However, Hardy Peterson, who had succeeded Brown as the Pirates’ GM, said that Zisk informed the club he would play out his option and not sign a contract. He played the whole season without a contract. “Richie said he would not sign with the Pirates under any circumstances,” said Peterson. “He said it was for personal reasons. He said it had nothing to with the ballclub or his teammates.”16

Zisk, influenced by talking with some players on the Pittsburgh Steelers, felt his off-field chances were limited in Pittsburgh. “There isn’t much opportunity in Pittsburgh for a professional athlete,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t want to play there anymore. I asked to be traded. I felt I was on a treadmill, that I had to make a move.”17

On October 2, right before the start of the NLCS, Zisk signed a contract for a season that had already been played. It was believed to be worth around $60,000.18  

On December 10, 1976, the Pirates shipped Zisk and right-handed pitcher Silvio Martinez to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Rich Gossage and Terry Forster. Chicago also added third baseman Eric Soderholm through free agency and outfielder Oscar Gamble through a trade with the New York Yankees.

“We started the Zisk deal before the World Series,” said Sox owner Bill Veeck. “We made a vital error trying to convert Rich Gossage and Terry Forster to starting pitchers. But what good are great pitchers if you have no starters?

“Zisk fulfilled our requirement for a guy to whack the ball around, and around whom we could build some semblance of an offense. We had to get five hitters in a row who would strike some fear into the hearts of pitchers last year. And Pittsburgh was amenable to the deal.”19

Chicago (64-97) had finished in last place in the American League West in 1976. “Well, that’s the only negative point about the trade I can see,” said Zisk. “Going from a contender to a loser. The White Sox have been notoriously bad. But, I’ll be coming to a big-league town.” 20

The 1977 Sox were given the nickname “Southside Hitmen” as they hit home runs at a tremendous pace. By the All-Star Break, Zisk had smacked 19 home runs and collected 63 RBIs while batting .297. He finished second among AL outfielders in the All-Star voting to Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski.21   

That year’s All-Star Game was played on July 19 at Yankee Stadium. In his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic, Zisk gave a good account of himself, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, but the AL dropped its sixth straight to the NL, 7-5.   

The South Side of Chicago came down with baseball fever in 1977. Behind manager Bob Lemon, the Sox were drawing fans back to Comiskey Park. Facing the Kansas City Royals in a four-game series from July 29-31, over 131,000 watched their Sox take three of four from KC. Chicago was leading Kansas City and Minnesota by 5½ games. Unfortunately, the bottom fell out on the White Sox in August as they went 11-18. Conversely, the Royals were 20-11 and took over first place. Kansas City marched through September to claim its second straight division title.

Chicago (90-72) finished in third place, 12 games off the pace. Zisk (30-101-.290) led the team in RBIs; his 30 home runs were a career high. Gamble smashed 31 homers, making it the first time in White Sox history that two teammates hit 30 home runs in a season. As a team, the Sox clubbed 192 home runs. Only Boston (213) hit more in the major leagues in 1977.

Zisk tested the free agent market at the end of the season. He found a willing suitor, signing a 10-year deal with the Texas Rangers worth a reported $2,955,000. Zisk saw better opportunities in Texas, both to win and to hit more homers. “Without exaggerating I hit at least 12 balls in Chicago that were caught where in Texas, they’d have been home runs,” Zisk said “And I don’t care how hard the wind was blowing. Those balls were to center field. You’re talking about 445 feet in Chicago. In Texas, center field is 400 feet away. I’m saying right now if I hit the ball as consistently as from a power standpoint as I did last year, I’ll hit 10 more home runs just because it’s Arlington Stadium and not Comiskey.”22     

The Rangers acquired Al Oliver and pitcher Jon Matlack as part of an 11-player, four-team trade. Besides reuniting Zisk and Oliver, the Rangers had some oomph in their lineup with Bobby Bonds, Toby Harrah, and Mike Hargrove.

With Bonds, Oliver, and Juan Beniquez in the outfield, Zisk was relegated to the designated hitter role. Despite being a DH, he started in his second straight All-Star Game, finishing second to Boston’s Jim Rice in outfield voting.23 However, the rest of the season did not go as planned. Mired in a 2-for-39 slump, Zisk was placed on the disabled list on July 21 with a sprained left wrist.24 He was sidelined for almost three weeks. Zisk initially injured his wrist on July 2, and the injury may have been the main cause for his struggles at the plate.

Zisk smacked 22 home runs in 1978, eight fewer than he had hit the previous year in Chicago – and well below his initial prediction. One reason for the decline may have been that Zisk’s power was to right-center field, which also happened to be the longest distance from home plate at Arlington Stadium. Zisk attempted to pull the ball more, counter to his natural tendency.25 The Rangers (87-75) had a pretty good team overall but finished tied for second place in the AL West, five games behind Kansas City.

Bonds was traded during the offseason, which resulted in Zisk moving to right field. He struggled in the first half of the year, hitting .218 at the All-Star break. But immediately following the break, he went 10-for-19, including three home runs, and was named AL Player of the Week.26  By August 11, his batting average had climbed to .277. “I feel like a born-again hitter,” said Zisk. “Never in my career have I ever experienced anything like this slump, but now that it’s a thing of the past, I feel I have learned from it and I feel I can keep it from happening again.”27 For the second straight year, he batted .262, although his home runs decreased to 18 and he drove in only 64 runs.

Zisk was moved back to DH in 1980. He did play some right field, splitting time with John Grubb, Billy Sample, and Jim Norris. Zisk raised his batting average in 1980 to .290. He hit 19 homers and totaled 77 RBIs.

On December 12, 1980, Zisk was part of an 11-player deal that sent him to Seattle. “I’m very much looking forward to playing in the Kingdome, very, very much,” said Zisk. “I think I can lend some credibility to the Mariner lineup. I’ve been with a young ballclub before – the Chicago White Sox – and I believe I can help some of the younger players with actions and advice. I’m not looking to become the new leader, but I think I can help out in that regard.

“I think I can add some fun. Maybe hit a home run in the late innings to win a game. I think I can help.”28   

Slowed by a thigh injury, Zisk was out of action from May 26 to June 10, 1981. Two days later, the players went out on strike. At the heart of the negotiations was free-agent compensation. An agreement between the team owners and the players’ union was reached on July 31, with play resuming on August 10. The season was divided into two halves on either side of the strike. The Mariners finished in sixth and fifth place, respectively. On September 7, Zisk led the league with a .354 batting average. For the season, he finished at .311 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs. He was named to The Sporting News All-Star Team for 1981.29   The Sporting News also selected him as the AL’s Comeback Player of the Year. “For Zisk, 32, the most significant factor in his season was his consistency. Until the final week of the season, he had not gone hitless in two consecutive games,” said the December 5 article in TSN.30

Zisk had another solid season at the plate in 1982, leading the Mariners in home runs (21) and batting .292. From July 6 to August 3, Zisk built his longest hitting streak: 21 games. He collected 37 hits in 88 at bats (.420), including eight home runs, and drove in 21 runs during the streak. Seattle posted a 76-86 record, finishing in fourth place. It was the team’s best showing since joining the AL in 1977.

Injuries slowed Zisk down in 1983. He pulled a rib cage muscle and missed three weeks in May.31 His left knee was giving him trouble for much of the season. Arthroscopic surgery in the offseason did not fully alleviate the source of the pain. The Mariners switched managers, firing René Lachemann on June 24 (Del Crandall took the helm). Zisk, who was friends with Lachemann, was opposed to the dismissal. As the season trudged along, the 34-year-old’s playing time diminished. “There comes a time when every ballplayer has to step aside,” he said. “I’m not the first, and I’m definitely not the last. I did always think I was going to be like Peter Pan and play forever, but that is not going to be.

“Reality has several forms, however. And this slow death of mine with the Mariners is not a clean one. Instead of one clean blow to the jugular, I’m being pushed aside a little at a time and that makes it harder to handle.”32

Zisk retired after the 1983 season. In 13 years, over 5,144 at-bats, he batted .287 with 207 home runs and 792 RBIs. His career fielding percentage as an outfielder was .981.

In retirement, Zisk hooked on with the Chicago Cubs. He served in varying capacities at the minor league level, including hitting coach and scouting from 1987 through 2012. He also served as manager of the Daytona Cubs of the Florida State League in 2000 and 2005.

Zisk was inducted in the Polish American Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Florida State League Hall of Fame in 2014. 33

As of 2026, Zisk resides in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Last revised: August 13, 2026

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and David Bilmes and fact-checked by Don Zminda.

Photo credit: Richie Zisk, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 Clifford Terry, “Hot to Swat,” Chicago Tribune Magazine, April 10, 1977: 18. On of the statistics Zisk quoted was inaccurate. In his first year at AAA Charleston, he hit 29 homers. Zisk also mentioned José Pagán and Matty Alou ahead of Clemente, Stargell, and Oliver, but Pagán played only occasionally in the outfield and Alou was gone after the 1970 season.

2 Mike Ives, “Rebels Get Power, Hustle with Trio of Collegians,” Roanoke World- News, June 13, 1969: 20.

3 Clifford Terry, “Hot to Swat,” Chicago Tribune Magazine, April 10, 1977: 16.

4 “Parsippany School Ace To Enter Seton Hall,” The Bayonne Times, June 8, 1967: 15.

5 Charley Feeney, “Slugger Zisk Puts Zing in Buc Attack,” The Sporting News, September 14, 1974: 3. 

6 Feeney, “Slugger Zisk Puts Zing in Buc Attack.”

7 “Obituaries”, Paterson (N.J.) News, November 18, 1968: 4.

8 Granberry, “A Prince in Private.”

9 Duke Deluca, “Off the Cuff,” Reading Eagle, September 1, 1970: 21.

10 A.L. Hardman, “Triple-A Stopover May Be Brief for Charleston’s Zisk,” The Sporting News, May 13, 1971: 36.

11 Charlie Feeney, “Pirates’ Outfield Cup Runneth Over,” The Sporting News, April 8, 1972: 3.

12 Charley Feeney, “Playing Games,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 5, 1973: 9.

13 Granberry, “A Prince in Private,” 10.

14 Bob Smizik, “Zisk Boom Bah! Richie Hits Cycle,” Pittsburgh Press, June 10, 1974: 23.

15 Smizik, “Zisk Boom Bah! Richie Hits Cycle.”

16 Charley Feeney, “Pirates Reveal Zisk Planned to Play Out Option,” The Sporting News, January 1, 1977: 41.

17 “Terry, How to Swat,”13.

18 “Zisk Pens Buc Pact,” Pittsburgh Press, October 3, 1975: 30.

19 Bill Gleason, “Chicago Result of Planning, Not an Accident,” The Sporting News, July 16, 1977: 13.

20 Terry, “How to Swat,” 13.

21 “Record Votes for Carew, Garvey as All-Stars,” The Sporting News, July 23, 1977: 47.

22 Randy Galloway, “Texas Wind, Sun Won’t Dim Zisk’s Star, He Says,” The Sporting News, March 25, 1978: 54.

23 “And Rod Lead All the Rest,” The Sporting News, July 22, 1978: 39.

24 Randy Gallloway, “Extra Innings,” Dallas Morning News, July 22, 1978: 3B.

25 “Top Comebacks: Knepper, Zisk,” The Sporting News, December 5, 1981: 49. 

26 “A.L. Flashes,” The Sporting News, August 4, 179: 36.

27 Randy Galloway, “Zisk’s Cold Bat Starting to Sizzle,” The Sporting News, August 25, 1979: 9.

28 Tom Kelly, “Zisk on M’s: ‘I think I can add some fun,” Seattle Times, December 14, 1980: D1.

29 Ben Henkey, “A’s Outfield Trio Tops A.L. All Stars,” The Sporting News, November 14, 1981: 42.

30 “Top Comebacks: Knepper, Zisk,” The Sporting News, December 5, 1981: 49.

31 Bob Finnegan, “Mariner shuffle continues-Zis out Maler in,” Seattle Times, May 3, 1983: D1.

32  Bob Finnigan, “Zisk troubled by ‘slow death’,” Seattle Times, August 28, 1983: C2.

33 Polish American Sports Hall of Fame  NPASHF | National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame (Last accessed August 4, 2026). Florida State League Hall of Fame, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Florida_State_League_Hall_of_Fame#2014  (Last accessed August 4, 2026).