Frank Pastore
A major league pitcher who traded the mound for the microphone, becoming a compelling Christian radio voice until his life ended in a tragic accident.
1957–2012 (age 55)·American baseball player·Birthday: August 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Frank Pastore’s life unfolded in two distinct, public acts. The first was on the diamond, where the hard-throwing right-hander from California became a fixture in the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation during the early 1980s, known for his durability and a fastball that helped clinch a division title. His baseball career, which included a stint with the Minnesota Twins, was solid but unspectacular, ending with the arm injuries that so often cut a pitcher’s story short. The second act was his true legacy. After retiring, Pastore earned a graduate degree and transformed himself into a forceful, articulate host on Christian talk radio in Los Angeles. His show, 'The Frank Pastore Show,' became a platform for rigorous debate on faith, politics, and culture, where his quick wit and former-athlete credibility won a large audience. His life was cut short in 2012 following a motorcycle crash on a California freeway, a tragedy that silenced a unique voice who had successfully bridged the worlds of sports and spiritual discourse.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Frank was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2012Died at 55
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Pitched over 200 innings for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1980 season, helping the team win the National League West division.
- Hosted 'The Frank Pastore Show,' a nationally syndicated Christian talk radio program, for over a decade.
- Authored the book 'Shattered: Struck Down, But Not Destroyed,' detailing his journey from baseball to faith.
Did You Know?
He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1975 MLB draft.
He earned a Master's degree in Political Philosophy from Biola University after his baseball career.
His radio show was broadcast on the KKLA station in Los Angeles.
“My fastball got me to the mound, but my questions took me further.”
