The Deacon's Amazing Comeback

TRIVIA QUESTION:  The 1966 Pittsburgh Pirates were a team of sluggers but a rookie pitcher helped drive the team to nearly capturing the NL title. Who was this 12 game winner from Ewing, KY?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  In 1963 the Boston Red Sox played 17 extra inning games. Among them they went 14 innings three times and another three times took the game to 15 innings. They won nine of the 17.

 Vern Law was one of the most respected pitchers in baseball during the 1960's. Signed in 1948 as an amateur free agent, he went on to 16 big league seasons, all with Pittsburgh.  After two years of military service he came back as a workhorse starter for the Pirates and in 1958 won 14 games over 202 innings. It looked like he was on his way and he was.

In 1959 when the Pirates looked like a team on the brink, he went 18-9 with a 2.98 ERA and 266 innings pitched. He pitched 20 complete games and probably wasn't as affected by Roy Face coming in and going 18-1 out of the bullpen as teammate Bob Friend who went 8-19. 

It was in 1960 where the man they called "the Deacon" (he was a deacon in the LDS Church) really showed his stuff. The ace of the Bucs staff went 20-9 and easily won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the National League. He again was a finisher, completing 18 games. 

In the infamous World Series against the Yankees he started three games and won two, ending with 18 innings and a 2-0 record. He won games one and four and lasted five innings in the wild seventh game won by the Bucs on Bill Mazeroski's walk off homer in ninth. 

It was in that 1960 season, Law's physical problems began. Rumor has it he was injured during the celebration in Game Seven. SABR's C. Paul Rogers III writes it was a different situation which actually began much earlier.

"The Pirates clinched the pennant on September 25 while losing to the Braves in Milwaukee. Afterward the Pirates celebrated with champagne in the clubhouse and on the team bus. In the midst of the hubbub aboard the bus, several of Law’s teammates restrained him while catcher Bob Oldis playfully yanked a shoe off his foot, spraining Law’s left ankle in the process. Although Law soldiered on in the World Series, starting Games One, Four, and Seven, he injured his arm while favoring his bad ankle and thereafter struggled for several years to regain his 1960 form. It turned out that he had torn muscles in the back of his shoulder during the Series while favoring his bad ankle."

It was a major blow for the Pirates who competed but broke up the 1960 club over the next two seasons. Dick Stuart was shipped off to the AL, MVP Dick Groat was traded to the Cardinals, Don Hoak, Dick Schofield, Bob Skinner and even Bob Friend were eventually moved to other clubs. Law, Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente were kept and all retired as Pirates.

Law struggled, winning 29 games over four years until the 1965 season. Whatever it was, the presence of teammate Bob Veale (17-12), a decent bullpen or maybe his arm finally responded, but 35 year-old Vern Law was back. In an amazing comeback season, Law went 17-9 and lowered his ERA to 2.15, third only behind Sandy Koufax (2.04) and Juan Marichal (2.13). 

Considering he didn't win his first game until May 21st, losing his first five decisions, to go on and win 16 more over the rest of these season was pretty amazing in itself.  After the first win he reeled off six more wins before taking a loss. It was a season of streaks for the aging right hander who was battling Father Time. 

The Bucs contended right down to the wire, finally losing out to the Dodgers and coming in third behind San Francisco.  

In 1966 Pittsburgh pitching faltered big time and the Old Deacon could not regain the form from the previous season. He still managed a respectable 12-8 season with a 4.05 ERA as Pittsburgh contended again down to the wire, losing out to the Dodgers again. Law pitched only 97 innings in 1967 going 2-6 before calling it quits with 162 wins to his credit. He was the Pirates pitching coach for a time after that, and worked his way back to Utah where he became an assistant coach at BYU under his son Vance, who himself spent 12 seasons in the big leagues. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated. 

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!!

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Bring on the Rain! Please!

TRIVIA QUESTION:  The 1963 Red Sox only played in one rain shortened game that season but they played an amazing number of extra inning games. How many times did the 1963 Red Sox take a game into at least the 10th inning?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  In 1961 the Detroit Tigers had a marvelous season but unfortunately were outpaced by the second best team in MLB history; the 1961 NY Yankees. The Tigers finished 101-61 but were eight games back of the Yanks who won 109 to go on to the World Series.

It's been said "baseball is a funny game." If you add in the weather, since the game for the most part is played outdoors, it can get even funnier. No, just funkier. 

Take the game between the Boston Red Sox and the A's in Kansas City on May 4, 1963. It should have been a normal night game but in the Midwest in May, nothing is normal when it comes to the weather. There was a forecast of thunderstorms but at game time things seemed to be pretty nice.

(The stadium above is not the actual stadium discussed in the story, but was chosen for it's "rain" perspective only. BB)

The game started easily enough before less than 14,000 fans. It was a night game and it took all of two hours and one minute. Not bad. Except they only played FIVE Innings. At least they got to an official game before the rain came pouring down; a third of an inch.

It was a contest the Red Sox would like to forget in what turned out to be a forgettable season. In the top of the first Roman Mejias scored all the way from first when Carl Yastrzemski hit a ground ball to short which Wayne Causey threw away, a long way.  Later in the inning Lou Clinton smacked a triple and Yaz scored giving the Sox a 2-0 lead.

A confident Ike Delock took the mound for the Red Sox and quickly learned not to take the A's so lightly. Delock had nothing that night. He walked three of the first four batters he faced before Ed Charles blasted a double to clear the bases and then rode home on another double by Manny Jimenez.  Jack Lamabe came in and got one out before giving up a walk, a single and a double for two more. Chet Nichols got the final out. The A's scored six in the inning and led 6-2. They were not done.

The Sox picked up a run in the second to make it 6-3 which was where the score stayed until the third when Causey, Norm Siebern and that man Charles all drove in a total of five runs making it 11-3 A's. If the rain was going to come the boys from Boston were hoping it would come in droves. It did. Rain delays permeated the game.  It wasn't enough to call it though, at least not yet.

A long rain delay in the fourth kept A's starter Dave Thies off the mound and sent him to the showers. Bill Fischer came in when play resumed. Hal Kolstad had picked up for the three Boston pitchers after the first and continued to pitch the entire game. Sox manager Johnny Pesky must have thought Kolstad needed the work, or the game was out of hand (which it was) or perhaps wanted to see what Kolstad could do. He left him in the rest of the way.

After giving up the five runs in the third, Kolstad gave up a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth before the rains came harder and umpire Larry Napp decided to call the game, mercifully with the A's leading 14-5. Umpires love to make sure the game is official before calling it and perhaps they could have called this one earlier. The Sox wish they would have.

When the dust cleared Ed Charles had driven five with Wayne Causey driving in four more. Kolstad pitched four innings and gave up 8 earned runs on 8 hits while walking three and uncorking a wild pitch. Fischer picked up the win to go 5-0, Delock took the loss and there were NO home runs in the game despite 19 runs scored in five innings. 

The game was indicative of the Red Sox season. They finished 76-85 in seventh place in the American League. The A's finished three games behind Boston in eighth place. The game pretty much marked the beginning of the end for Kolstad. He pitched in all of seven games in 1963 after 27 the previous season. In 1963 he pitched 11 innings, gave up 16 earned runs, including four home runs. He never did win a game in the big leagues, finishing 0-4 in his career.

The end was near for Delock as well. Less than a month later the Red Sox released him and he signed with Baltimore where he started five more games going 1-3 before being released for the final time about a month after being acquired. The right-hander from Highland Park, Michigan finished his career with a mark of 84-75 over 11 seasons. Charles was a key member of the 1969 Mets World Series team. Fischer went on to go 4-6 the rest of the season to finish 9-6. He was lost to the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 Draft at the end of the season. He had one more decision and his career ended shortly afterwards.

Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated. 

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!!

Please pick up a copy of my book "Tales of My Baseball Youth; A Child of the 60's" at www.bobbrillbooks.com, or on Amazon.  
 

The Mick; Two Homer Hangover

TRIVIA QUESTION:  The 1961 Yankees were considered baseballs second greatest team of all time, behind the 1927 Yanks. Where did the Tigers finish in 1961?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  In 1966 the player who spent most of the time playing third base was bonus baby Bob Bailey. Bailey shared some of the time at third with utility super sub, Jose Pagan. Bailey played left field against left handed pitching that season. The following year he was traded to Los Angeles along with shortstop Gene Michael for Maury Wills who took over at third in Pittsburgh in 1967. It was the same Gene Michael who later became famous as the Yankees executive. 

It became common knowledge after Jim Bouton published his tell all book "Ball Four," that Mickey Mantle had been known on occasion to tie one on. Well, it was more "on" than "on occasion." Mantle's drinking and carousing became the stuff legends were made of, whether or not it was good for baseball or the player.

The story we're about to detail is based on one of these incidents. We say one because to be honest   there were six times in Mantle's career this same thing happened - with or without the hangover. The story is about his hitting two homers in a game against Detroit. Since this story was relayed by a reader of this blog we'll look at the most logical game by looking into the archives. It was a story told to him by his friend and former player Frank House. For the story we must go back to September 3rd, 1961. Mantle was in his prime and it was also the last time he'd homer twice in a game against the Tigers. It was also the final season in the big leagues for House.

Our reader found our column in the Facebook Group Growing UP in the 60's. It is a fun group dedicated to cool stuff and a cool era.

The story as told to our reader was told to him by House, who was a journeyman catcher with the Detroit Tigers. After reading the story we searched the archives and found the game in which we believe House was talking about. The story is slightly different than told to our reader so while we can't be 100 percent sure it's the same game, you get the picture.

It was September 3rd, 1961 and the Yanks had pretty much wrapped up one of the greatest seasons in baseball history. It was the season Roger Maris hit 61 and Mantle was challenging him. An injury forced Mickey out of the final games of the season and he would finish with 54.

The Tigers were 86 and 50 and the game was taking place in New York. House, who did not start that game but came in later. The catcher at the time smelled alcohol on Mantle's breath when he came to the plate in the first. It was evident from the Tiger players, Mantle had probably not even been to bed from his escapades the night before. Maris had hit no. 53 the day before while Mantle had a single and an RBI. Mantle was stuck on 49 homers at the time.

Watching from the stands were 55,676 people as Mantle stepped in to face Jim Bunning in the bottom of the first with New York trailing 1-0. With two out and Maris on first via a single Mantle promptly hit a Bunning pitch to the deepest part of right field for a two run homer. Yogi Berra followed with a solo shot and New York led 3-1.

The Tigers bench marveled how Mantle with a hangover could take one of the best pitchers in the big leagues so deep in the first. Mantle was not done. Bunning struck out Mantle in the fourth, and again  in the sixth. Meanwhile the Tigers were slowly building off Yankee pitching and took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

When Mickey led off the bottom of the ninth, the Yanks a run behind, he faced Gerry Staley. Mantle, still likely with a splitting headache, took Staley deep to right-center to tie it up. Before the inning ended New York got a three run blast from Elston Howard to walk off an 8-5 win. Ronnie Kline gave up the blast in relief of Staley.

Frank House was behind the plate in that fatal inning. He told our reader he asked Mantle after the second homer, where he went for dinner the night before, because he and some of the other players wanted to go there too. The story we are telling differs only slightly from the one retold by House to the reader, but it seems this was the most logical game, despite some minor differences in the telling.

How true the story is we'll never know. House died in 2005 at age 75, Mantle is long gone and memories have faded over the years. The interesting part of the story is you couldn't blame the old catcher if some of the dates and facts were missing or faded. Six times Mantle hit at least two homers in a game against Detroit and House was there for almost all of them.

May 13, 1955 (3 homers), June 20, 1956, August 4, 1956, June 21, 1960, April 26, 1961 and September 3, 1961.

Here is a note from the reader regarding his friendship with Frank "Pig" House.

I had a close friend by the name of Frank "Pig" House. Today a good bit of Bessemer is named after him. He was the bonding and insurance agent for the company I worked for as a estimator for 18 years. As the estimator I was blessed to get to meet often with Frank in office visits and over lunches or dinners on a one on one basis. The stories he told over years were outstanding. Personal stories that are not recorded anywhere. The man had a picture on his desk of him tagging out Nellie Fox at home plate in Tiger Stadium.


Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated. 

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!!

Please pick up a copy of my book "Tales of My Baseball Youth; A Child of the 60's" at www.bobbrillbooks.com, or on Amazon.  

Two Saves the Day

TRIVIA QUESTION:  Based on this particular column, who was the third baseman who led his position in turning double plays for the 1966 Pirates?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  In 1978 at the age of 39 Gaylord Perry won 20 games in a season for the fifth and final time in his career. Playing for the San Diego Padres, Perry went 21-6 on his way to 314 wins. He did lose 265 games in his career but 22 years in the big leagues is a rare feat and his accomplishments put him in the Hall of Fame. He also won 19 games in two different seasons. 

Probably the most important defensive play in baseball is the "double play." The "Twin Killing," the "Pitcher's best friend," and there was never a better duo to perform this action than Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley of the mid-1960's Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1966 the Bucs pulled off what seemed impossible; 215 double plays in 162 games. 

Mazeroski was in the middle of most of them at second base. The defensive whiz ripped off 161 twin killings (an all-time record), Alley was part of 128 and the man at the end of the play at first base, Donn Clendenon took part in 182. So fluent was the Pirate infield at turning ground balls into a pair of outs the Buc's pitching staff came to rely on them in a big way.

Pittsburgh was in the race until the final weekend battling it out with the Dodgers and Giants for the NL Pennant.  The Bucs pitching was awful and if it wasn't for the hitting of MVP Roberto Clemente, Clendenon, Willie Stargell and the center field duo of batting champion Matty Alou and Manny Mota along with the improved Alley, the pitching would have put them in the middle of the pack. Except, the pitching was aided tremendously by all those double plays. 

The team ERA was 3.52 and no starting pitcher had an ERA under 3.02 which is where ace Bob Veale led them. The other starters at 3.8 were Woody Fryman and Steve Blass while the aging Vernon Law was at 4.14. He'd had a 17 win comeback season in 1965 but was now at the end of the run. Tommie Sisk was at 4.14. 

The bullpen ERA's weren't bad but the hits per innings were. The team was near the bottom of the league in giving up both walks and hits. Overall the team saw 1463 innings with 1445 hits and another 463 walks. Pirate pitchers basically had men on base every inning of every game with a WHiP of 1.3. But they did induce ground balls and ranked second in the league in giving up the least home runs.  

He may not have seemed like much of an acquisition but the man who became the all important closer for Pittsburgh in 1966 was Pete Mikkelsen. He basically shared time with Roy Face who had a decent season but was giving up the long ball. Mikkelsen, picked up from the Yankees, not only gave up eight homers in 126 innings but he induced 22 double plays trailing only starter Veale who had 28.

With the Bucs taking every game down to the wire it seemed the ace in the pen became the key to their pennant hopes in the closing months. While he did blow eight saves, getting 14 of 22 compared to Face who had 18 of 21, Mikkelsen turned out to be an important cog in the team's run for the pennant.

When the dust settled Pittsburgh would spend another winter at home. The following season Mikkelsen was released and picked up by the Cubs, known as the Deacon - Law (1960 Cy Young Award winner) retired after a short run, Face (18-1 in 1959) pitched for Pittsburgh until 1968 when he was sold to Detroit. 

In the 1967 season the infield duo of Alley and Mazeroski helped in the teams 186 double plays as the team trailed off and started to decline for a couple of seasons before bouncing back. Maz loved playing with Alley who early scouting reports said "he scoops up ground balls like a vacuum cleaner." While he played alongside Dick Groat, Dick Schofield and Freddie Patek, it was Alley who was really the master.

Most people believe Mazeroski made it to the Hall of Fame because of his historic homer in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, but baseball historians realize it was his fielding which landed him in the Hall. Bill James once called him the best second baseman of all-time due to the number of runs he actually saved over his career. Eleven times he participated in 100 or more DP's and once he was involved in 96. In all he was part of 1706 twin killings. Of the top seven players with the most seasons in leading the league in double plays, Maz is the leader in three of them including nos. 1 & 3.

During his career he consistently ranked No. 1 in every defensive category at second base, won 8 Gold Gloves and played in 10 All-Star Games.  In addition, as a hitter he drove in 853 runs and scored 769 more which is pretty remarkable when you consider he only hit 138 homers in 17 seasons; all with Pittsburgh.
 
Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated. 

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!!

Please pick up a copy of my book "Tales of My Baseball Youth; A Child of the 60's" at www.bobbrillbooks.com, or on Amazon. 

The Amazing Giants

TRIVIA QUESTION:   While Gaylord Perry won 20 games twice for the Giants, he won 20 or more three other times in his career. Twice with Cleveland. What other team did he win 20 with?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  Former Philadelphia player Pancho Herrera played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. 

The San Francisco Giants were without a doubt, one of the most successful teams in the 1960's. In the 10 years of the decade they won 902 games or more than 90 wins per season, topping out with 103 in 1962. They lost the World Series to the Yankees in seven games. Despite their aforementioned success, it would be the club's only World Series appearance in the decade.

The team was always known for its sluggers. Willie Mays blasted 350 home runs in the 1960's while Willie McCovey hit 300 more. In the mid-1960's Jim Ray Hart came on the scene and added extra power twice hitting over 30 homers, while during the entire run the club had solid defensive players such as Jim Davenport and Hal Lanier.

Pitching really stood out however, led by the incredible Juan Marichal. Aside from a few social miscues Marichal was as dominant as his Los Angeles counterpart, Sandy Koufax. During the decade of the 1960's three times pitched 300 innings (299.2 in one of them), he won 191 games including 26 in 1968. He won 20 six times and 25 twice. His record in those three best years was 72-24 for an incredible .750 winning percentage.

There was Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry too. He won in double figures multiple times including a 21 win season. He pitched over 300 innings in a season in 1969 and twice tossed more than 290. Bobby Bolin had a career with the Giants. Tom Haller held up the catching duties and was strong behind the plate. 

There were other key players such as the Alou brothers who played in the same outfield for the Giants. Perhaps the Giants were too good and had too many good players. They shipped Felipe Alou off to Milwaukee/Atlanta where he enjoyed an all-star career. They sent Matty to Pittsburgh where he won the batting title in his first year there hitting .342. Jay was eventually moved to Houston.

Orlando Cepeda slugged his way around the bigs but couldn't play the outfield and wasn't going to move McCovey off first base. He was dealt to St. Louis where he won the MVP Award in leading the Cardinals to World Series twice.
 
Still they finished second five straight years to close out the '60's.  In 1962 they put it all together though. Cepeda blasted 34 homers, McCovey had 44 and Mays hit 38 while Felipe Alou added 20. Mays and Cepeda both hit over .300 while utility man Harvey Kuenn whacked .290. Marichal won 25, Jack Sanford 16 and Billy O'Dell 14 while a bullpen by committee shared 30 saves among 10 pitchers. Bolin and Billy Pierce shared the honors for the most with seven each.

 Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated. 

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!!

Please pick up a copy of my book "Tales of My Baseball Youth; A Child of the 60's" at www.bobbrillbooks.com, or on Amazon.

42 Homers Make the Phils Difference

TRIVIA QUESTION:   Before coming to the Phillies, Pancho Herrera played for what team in the Negro Leagues?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  The Chicago White Sox pitcher who won 29 games in 1919 and was portrayed in the film "Field of Dreams" was Eddie Cicotte. Reportedly Cicotte had a claus in his contract that if he won 30 games he'd get a huge bonus. He claimed the team held him back at the behest of team owner Charlie Comiskey as they had the pennant wrapped up and he didn't want to pay the bonus. This supposedly led to Cicotte's anger and helped him decide to join the conspirators in throwing the series for money. The following year he won 21 games and then was banned from baseball for life. He won 28 in 1917. Cicotte won his 29th game on September 19, 1919. However, he did get two more starts in the last seven games. On the 25th he went seven and got a no decision but to lend some credence to the theory of being held back, in his start on the 28th, he went only two innings giving up one run before being pulled. The Sox would go on to lose 10-9 but Cicotte was gone long before the game was decided.

Can 42 home runs in a season really make a difference? It seems so. The 1961 Philadelphia Phillies were a sorry lot. The likes of Pancho Herrera, Charley Smith and Ken Walters were just not enough for the '61 Phils to win more than 47 games. Finishing 47-107 it was the last year for long time ace Robin Roberts in a Philadelphia uniform. He went 1-10 in 1961 and after six 20-win seasons was sold to the Yankees. Before his career ended in 1966 he had been sold or traded and released by the Astros, Cubs and Orioles. He still won 52 games after the Phils let him go.

The rest of the 1961 pitching staff fared poorly as well. Art Mahaffey went 11-19, John Buzhardt 6-18,  Frank Sullivan 3-16 and even youngster Chris Short was 6-12. In all two others lost at least 10 games and no starter had close to a .500 record. 

At the plate the Phillie sluggers were the Phillie softies. The team leader in homers was Don Demeter with 20, but Tony Gonzalez with 12 and Herrera with 13 were the only players in double figures. Batting averages were soft as well. Gonzalez was the highest hitting starter at .277. 

Perhaps it was the youth factor. Aside from 40 year-old Elmer Valo the team average was 25 years, with four of the starters at 25 or younger. Four of the 13 pitchers were over 30 led by Roberts, 34. 

Somehow Gene Mauch turned his club around the following year winning 81 games and finishing in 7th place. Strangely enough the team got older, now over 27 years of age with the addition of Roy Sievers who banged 21 home runs, Frank Torre who hit .310 in a part time role and the improved Tony Taylor who led the team with 20 steals and came to the plate over 700 times. 

The homers went up. Demeter slapped 29, Gonzales hit 20 and Johnny Callison was an emerging star with 23. Both, along with Demeter batted over .300. In 1962 the team hit 42 more home runs than the previous season. It probably made the difference. They went from 7th in the league in homers to 4th in 1962.

The pitching showed improvement with the hitting as Mahaffey won 19, 36 year-old Cal McLish picked up 11, Jack Baldschun and Short won 23 between them. Interestingly enough, they committed about the same amount of errors in the two seasons.  

Herrera, the first Afro-Latino player for the Phils was prone to strike out way too much and commit too many errors. He was shipped off to Pittsburgh for Ted Savage and Don Hoak but was out of baseball before ever playing for Pittsburgh. Charley Smith was sent to the White Sox for Sievers and Buzhardt in a good trade. Smith bounced around the rest of the decade. Walters was sold to the Reds.
 

It wouldn't be long before Mauch had them contending and in 1964 they almost captured the NL title, only to fail miserably down the stretch and lost out to St. Louis.


Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated. 

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!!

Please pick up a copy of my book "Tales of My Baseball Youth; A Child of the 60's" at www.bobbrillbooks.com, or on Amazon.