- Date Of Birth: March 7, 1930
- Date Of Death: January 4, 2021
- Occupation: Baseball pitcher
- City: Narvon
- State: Pennsylvania
Thomas James Acker (March 7, 1930 – January 4, 2021) was an American baseball pitcher who played his entire career for the Cincinnati Reds in four seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1956 to 1959. He batted and threw right-handed and served primarily as a relief pitcher.
Acker was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Giants in 1948 and played for two of their minor league affiliates until 1950, when the Buffalo Bisons drafted him in that year’s minor league draft. After spending one season with the organization, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in October 1951, the same month he drafted into the US Army. As a result, he missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Upon his return from the army, he pitched in the minors until 1956, when the Redlegs promoted him to the major leagues. He played his last game on September 20, 1959, and subsequently worked at the Meadowlands Racetrack from its opening in 1976 until 1992.
Acker married his first wife, Trudy, during his stint in the military. Together, they had two daughters: Nancy and Janice. He also had three stepsons from his subsequent marriage to Barbara. They remained married until his death. Acker died at the age of 90 on January 4, 2021, at his house in Narvon, Pennsylvania. – Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License from Wikipedia.
