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 Boyer Family Photo Gallery
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A Salute to the Baseball Boyer Family on the Passing of Eldest Brother, Cloyd

Thanks to our reader, Brian Talley, who alerted me to the passing of Cloyd Boyer, 94, earlier this week in Webb City, Missouri. He was one of the three Boyer brothers (Cloyd, Ken, and Clete) to play in the major leagues. At the time of his passing, he was the 18^th older living former major league player. Cloyd Boyer was the eldest of 14 children in a baseball family that included seven brothers who played professionally at different minor and major league levels.

Brian mentioned to me that he had been following the Boyer family for many years and related to me how it all started:

“I was surprised back in sixth grade when I picked up a book about Ken Boyer and found out he grew up about ten miles from me. Cloyd still lived nearby at the time of his death. I always told my wife I wanted to meet him and just listen to his stories, but I never did. I ended up collecting every Tops regular season card of Ken, Cloyd, and Clete. As an adult I worked with their younger brother Lenny at the Empire District Electric Company. He too was a professional baseball player but never made it to the major leagues.”

Cloyd Boyer’s Career

As I like to say, anyone who makes it to the major leagues is special in our eyes; and even though he was overshadowed by his more famous All-Star brothers Ken and Clete, Cloyd still logged 48 years in professional baseball. Signed by the Cardinals in 1945 after serving two years in the United States Navy, he pitched five years in the majors (1949-1955) for the Cardinals (1949-1952) and the Kansas City Athletics (1955).

Over his career, Cloyd posted a 20-23 record with 198 strikeouts, 13 complete games, three shutouts, and a 4.73 ERA. Following his playing days, Cloyd served as a scout and minor league pitching coach, mainly in the Yankee organization; and was the pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves during Bobby Cox’s first tour with the team. He also managed in the Braves and Blue Jays minor league systems, finally retiring from the game in 1992.

Multiple Brothers: A Baseball Rarity

There have been over 431 sets of brothers making it to the major leagues, with 417 being two-brother sets. Three or more members from the same family is somewhat of a baseball rarity. In my “strictly unofficial” research, I counted 12 sets of three brothers, with the family names as follows:  Boyer, Alou, DiMaggio, Molina, Clarke, Cross, Drew, Edwards, High, Wright, Paciorek, and Perry. I also found one set of four brothers: O’Neil; and one set of five brothers: Delahanty.

The Boyer’s Fare Very Well

Among these sets of multiple brothers, the Boyer’s fare very well in terms of years of service. Their combined 36 years in the major leagues trails only the Alou’s (47 years), the Molina’s (currently at 46 years), and the Delahanty’s (41 years). They are ahead of the DiMaggio’s (35 years), and the O’Neil’s (28 years). There may be more to add to these lists, but that’s as far as my research went!

In terms of total home runs, they also compare very well. Together, they have hit 444 (OK…Ken and Clete hit all of them, Cloyd, a pitcher, didn’t hit any), trailing only the Aaron’s (768), and DiMaggio’s (573).

A Few Words About Cloyd’s All-Star Brothers, Ken and Clete Boyer

I’d like to use this occasion to say a few words about Cloyd’s All-Star brothers, Ken and Clete Boyer. A strong case can be made that Ken belongs in the Hall of fame, especially considering that third base is the most underrepresented position in the Hall. 

Ken Boyer’s Career

Ken played 15 years in the majors (1955-1969) for the Cardinals (1955-65), Mets (1966-67), White Sox (1967-68), and Dodgers (1968-69). Over his career, he batted .287 with 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, and 1,141 RBI. He had 11 All-Star selections, was a five-time Gold Glove winner, and was the National League MVP in 1964, leading the Cardinals to a World Series championship. Ken hit over .300 five times, hit over 20 home runs eight times, and retired with the third highest slugging average ever by a third baseman (.462). He drove in 90 runs eight times, and is still the only Cardinal to hit for the cycle twice.

Defensively, Boyer led the National League in double plays five-times and in fielding average once, and retired among the all-time leaders in games (sixth, 1,785), assists (sixth, 3,652) and double plays (third, 355). His career OPS+ of 116 places him well above average for third baseman in the Hall of Fame. Both his career WAR and WS rate him 12th all-time at the hot-corner. Baseball historian Bill James ranks him 12th all-time among third basemen.

Clete Boyer’s Career

Clete Boyer played 16 years in the majors (1955-1971) for the Athletics (1955-1957), Yankees (1959-1966), and Braves (1967-1971). Over his career he hit .242, with 162 home runs, and 654 RBIs.  

Best remembered for his years with the Yankees, he made five post season appearances with the team, including two World Series championships (1961 and 1962), hitting .221 in 30 games. The highlight of his career occurred in the first game of the 1961 World Series when, in front of a national audience, he made two spectacular plays, as the Yankees went on to defeat the Reds.

After falling out of favor with Casey Stengel, he prospered under Casey’s successor, Ralph Houk and blossomed into a stellar defensive third baseman. Often overshadowed by the great Brooks Robinson, Boyer led all American League third basemen in putouts, assists, and double plays from 1961 to 1963, yet Robinson was the recipient of the Gold Glove Award each year.

Our Condolences to the Boyer Family

So today, as we send out our condolences to the family of Cloyd Boyer, we turn our baseball spotlight on the baseball Boyer family, saluting one of the most accomplished families in the history of the game.

Gary Livacari 

Information: Excerpts edited from Cloyd Boyer obituary and Wikipedia page; Stats from Baseball-Reference.com