Pattin was born in
Charleston, Illinois, where he attended
high school; he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at
Eastern Illinois University. A member of the
Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball team, Pattin struck out 22 batters in a game. Pattin was selected in the seventh round (127th overall) by the California Angels
1965 Major League Baseball draft. He played in the minor leagues with the
Seattle Rainiers for two seasons before being promoted to the majors. He left the Angels via the
1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft and joined the Seattle Pilots, which later became the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. In Milwaukee, Pattin finished with a 14–12 record and a 3.39 ERA in 37 games (29 starts) in 1970, and was named an
All-Star in 1971, when he finished with a 14–14 record and a 3.13 ERA in 36 starts. He won 32 games in two seasons with the Red Sox, including a
no-hit bid foiled in 1972, when
A's Reggie Jackson hit a
single off him with one out in the ninth inning. According to fellow pitcher
Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Pattin had a habit of throwing up after the first inning of nearly every game he pitched with the Red Sox. Sent to the
Kansas City Royals in exchange for
Dick Drago on October 24, 1973, Pattin divided his playing time between
starting and
relieving. The
Kansas City Star named Pattin as the Royals' pitcher of the month twice during the 1975 campaign, in June as a starter and in September as a reliever. He retired after being granted
free agency following the 1980 season. After Pattin's retirement as a player, he remained involved with the sport as a
coach. He was the head coach of the
University of Kansas baseball team from 1982 to 1987. Pattin died in his sleep while visiting friends in his hometown of Charleston, Illinois on October 3, 2018. ==References==