The Boston Red Sox family is mourning the loss of a former pitcher whose journey from undrafted free agent to Fenway Park hero left an indelible mark on the franchise. Richard Kreuger, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1975 to 1977, passed away at age 77 in his native Michigan, according to a local obituary.

Kreuger's big-league career may have been brief—he posted a 4.63 ERA over 35 innings in a Red Sox uniform—but it included a moment that earned him a permanent place in Fenway lore. On September 21, 1976, Kreuger took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians, eventually settling for a complete-game three-hitter. The crowd rose to its feet in appreciation.

"I wondered at the time, how many people actually get a standing ovation at Fenway Park?" Kreuger recalled in a 2012 interview. "It doesn't get much better than that."

That ovation was especially meaningful given the challenges Kreuger faced along the way. As an undrafted free agent who worked his way through the minor leagues, he often found himself at the center of prejudice on the mound—a reminder of the barriers that existed in baseball during that era. His perseverance in the face of those obstacles made his Fen Park triumph all the more resonant.

After his time in Boston, Kreuger spent part of the 1978 season with the Cleveland Indians before heading to Japan to continue his career—a path that was less common at the time but has since become a familiar route for professional players seeking to extend their time on the mound.

For fans of vintage Red Sox memorabilia, Kreuger's story is a reminder of the grit and grace that defined baseball in the 1970s. His legacy lives on not just in the box scores, but in the memory of that September night when a little-known pitcher earned the respect of one of baseball's most demanding crowds.