The Pirates asked Ott to become a catcher during the 1974 season, and while he initially opposed the move, he eventually agreed as it presented him with the easiest path to return to the major leagues.[2] Ott spent the 1975 season as a full-time catcher learning the trade in the minor leagues before being recalled to the major leagues on September 16, 1975, at Wrigley Field in Chicago against the Chicago Cubs in a late-season September call-up.[7]
Known as a tough, no-nonsense player, Ott was a former Muncy High School star wrestler who was not afraid to use those skills on a baseball diamond. In an August 12, 1977, game against the New York Mets, Ott slid hard into Mets' second baseman Felix Millán trying to break up a double play.[2] Millán shouted at Ott and hit him with a baseball in his hand. Ott answered this by picking Millan up in a wrestling move, upending him, and then slamming him into his extended knee at Three Rivers Stadium, severely injuring Millan's shoulder.[10] The incident effectively ended Millan's MLB playing career.[2]
Ott appeared in 112 games for the Pirates in 1978 as, the team battled from being 11.5 games behind on August 25 to finish the season 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.[11] He won the National League Player of the Week Award for the week of September 3 and, his batting average improved to .269.[12]
With young catcher Tony Peña ready to take over the catching duties, the Pirates traded Ott to the California Angels in April 1981 with Mickey Mahler for Jason Thompson.[18] Ott had a down year in 1981, batting just .217. Ott tore his rotator cuff and underwent surgery, causing him to miss the entire 1982 season.[2] He appeared briefly as a first baseman in the Angels minor-league organization in 1983 and 1984 before retiring as a player at the age of 32.[2]
Career statistics
In an eight-year major league career, Ott played in 567 games, accumulating 465 hits in 1,792 at bats for a .259 career batting average along with 33 home runs and 195 runs batted in and a .311 on-base percentage.[1] He posted a .983 career fielding percentage.[1]
Coaching career
Ott later became a coach with the Houston Astros, serving under manager and former Pirates teammate Art Howe, from 1989 to 1993, where he is remembered for his role in an on-field altercation against the Cincinnati Reds. In 1991, Reds reliever Rob Dibble ignited a brawl when he threw a pitch behind the back of the Astros' Eric Yelding, late in the game of a 4–1 Reds loss. A melee ensued and the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 230 lb (100 kg), Dibble wound up on the bottom of a pile with the relatively diminutive Ott having put Dibble in such a chokehold that Dibble's face turned blue.[19][20] Ott later served as a bullpen coach for the Detroit Tigers (2001–2002).[21]
