Hal Woodeshick, 76; was All-Star pitcher

He had long been beset by health problems.

Known as a durable reliever, Mr. Woodeshick went 44-62 with 61 saves and a 3.56 ERA in 11 seasons with Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, Houston, and St. Louis. A member of the expansion Houston Colt .45s, he posted the second victory in Houston history. He was named an All-Star in 1963, and he led the National League with 23 saves in 1964.

Mr. Woodeshick had a quirk on the mound. Although he had an excellent pickoff move to first base, he had trouble throwing there after fielding comebackers. The problem became so pronounced he eventually trotted toward the bag before making a soft toss.

The left-hander made his big league debut with the Detroit Tigers late in the 1956 season, starting against the potent New York Yankees. He lost, but his first career strikeout victim was future Hall of Famer Yogi Berra.

Mr. Woodeshick threw his final pitch in the majors for St. Louis, retiring Carl Yastrzemski on a grounder late in Boston's Game 6 win during the World Series. The next day, the Cardinals won the title.

Mr. Woodeshick retired after that season and spent most of his later life in Houston, often attending banquets and get-togethers with former teammates.

"He was a great guy, well liked," said Tal Smith, president of baseball operations for the Houston team, now called the Astros.

Mr. Woodeshick was still a spot starter when he joined the Colt .45s in 1962. He moved to the bullpen in 1963 and never started again. He threw a whopping 114 innings in 55 relief appearances that year, going 11-9 with 10 saves and a 1.97 ERA. He also pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three in the All-Star game, helping preserve the NL's 5-3 win. "He was a closer when the role was a lot different than it is now," Smith said.

He was still with Houston in 1965 when the team moved into the Astrodome and took on the new name. He was traded that June to St. Louis in a four-player deal and spent the rest of his career with the Cardinals.