Spahn's 23 Wins at Age 42

TRIVIA QUESTION: Based on last week's column, in addition to being a 20 game loser, Jack Fisher gave up two very significant home runs in his career. Which were they?  

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: While Tom Seaver was the first New York Met to ever win 20 games, it was left up to teammate Jerry Koosman to become the second Met to reach the 20 win milestone, going 21-10 in 1976. Before you jump on the bandstand and call for my head, yes Tom "Terrific" did win 20 or more four times before Koosman did it once.

By the time 1960 rolled around, Warren Spahn had already won 20 or more games in a season nine times. He was 39 years old when the 1960 season began and no one could have foreseen the Braves hurler would add three more 20 win seasons to his total. No one in their right mind would expect him to match his single season record of 23 wins at the age of 42, in 1963.

The '63 season was a rather strange one for the Milwaukee Braves. The starting pitching was not bad but not spectacular, aside from Spahn. Spahn completed 22 of his 33 starts for 259 innings on his way to a 23-7 record. Overworked Denny Lemaster registered a 3.04 ERA but pitched 31 of his 46 games as a starter. His 11-14 record showed his overwork. The bullpen was a mess. 

   (Spahn's 300th win)
On the offensive side of the ledger, the usual suspects performed as usual. Hank Aaron had 44 homers again to match his uniform number, Eddie Mathews hit 23 and drew nearly as many walks (124) as hits (144).

After Aaron's .319, Joe Torre clocked in at .293 and Lee Maye hit .271, but the rest of the squad was mainly under .250.  No one on the bench batted better than .236 and most were not good defenders.

So how in the world did the ace of the staff, 42-year old Warren Spahn win 23 of his teams 84 wins. The Braves finished 84-78 in sixth place.

The Braves could score runs in bunches and while there were a couple close games early on, Spahn was 4-1 by the end of April. Included was a 4-hit shutout of the Phillies. In May he was 3-2. June saw him pick up a 4-0 record with a pair of three-hit shutouts. Again he blanked the Phillies and then shutout the Dodgers, besting Don Drysdale 1-0.

July was a little sloppy for Milwaukee but the ace still managed a 2-2 record with another shutout, this time against the Astros. He was unstoppable in August taking it to a 5-0 record. September was magnificent with a 5-2 record. There was a 3-hitter to shutout the Cubs and then on the final day of the season, with nothing hanging in the balance, he bested the Cubs and Bob Buhl just eight days after blanking the Cubs and Larry Jackson. This time it was a three hitter 2-0 in 1:38. 

He was pitching like he was double parked and ready to head on home. He did in grand fashion. Two years later he retired, having won only 13 more games, the final season with the Mets and Giants. He was 44 years old, and finished with 363-245 record. His 3.09 ERA was strong and his 363 wins is good enough for 6th all time, and of course Cooperstown.


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PItchers Who Lose 20 Games Are Good

Just a side note: this is column No. 100 in our weekly efforts "baseball in the 1960s," and we thank you for your support as loyal readers! - Bob Brill

TRIVIA QUESTION: Tom Seaver was the first Met to win 20 games. Who was the second?   

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:   While Jim Mudcat Grant was the first American League pitcher to win 20 games, the first to do it in the National League was the Dodgers Don Newcombe.

It's been said "you have to be a pretty good pitcher to lose 20 games in a season." If that were the case then both Al Jackson and Roger Craig should be put into the Hall of Fame. The statement, attributed to some baseball expert, basically means if you are good enough to be such a big part of the pitching staff that you lose 20, there must be a whole lot of guys worse than you on that staff.

It's not that Craig and Jackson were so good, or even so bad for that matter, it's just they both played for the lowly New York Mets early on. During the 1960's they each lost 20 games not once, but twice. 

Jackson, the lefty, was 8-20 in both 1962 and 1965. Craig, the Brooklyn Dodger holdover was 10-24 in the inaugural 1962 season and 5-22 in 1963.  A total of 16 times a pitcher lost at least 20 in the 60's. Craig's 24 topped the list along with Jack Fisher who lost 24 in 1965. Yes, Fisher too played for the Mets. Six times a Mets' pitcher lost 20 during the era. The other was Tracy Stallard's 20 (10-20) losses in 1964. Stallard, of course, was best known for giving up Roger Maris' 61st homer in 1961.

It is difficult even now to imagine how bad New York was and for how long. It wasn't until the 1969 break out year when the Mets finally moved into the first division, people began to look at the club in a different light. 

October 2, 1966 was a monumental day in Met-dom. The club would finish for the very first time NOT in last place. In typical Mets fashion however, they lost a double header to Houston on that final day of the season to do it. Their 66-95 record placed them 28.5 games behind the Dodgers, and the Cubs would be the only club behind them at 59-103. The Cubs got the dubious distinction of being the first club to ever in history finish lower than the Mets.

Craig, for his part had a career in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, winning 49 games for the Dodgers before moving to the expansion Mets. He would win 15 with New York and another 10 before calling it a career with other teams. He'd close it out 74-98 with a respectable 3.83 ERA. Take away his NYM losses and he'd have a 74-54 record.  

Jackson, who was a big winner in the minor leagues before being called up by the Pirates for a brief pre-Mets stint, had his best season with the Cardinals. After moving to St. Louis, the 1966 season saw him at 13-15 with a 2.51 ERA. Pitching mostly out of the bullpen the following year he was 9-4 but ended back with the Mets for the 1968 season. 

After making only one appearance for the Mets in the 1969 season, he was sold to Cincinnati in June, therefore missing the chance to play in the World Series with New York. It would have been a fitting opportunity for Jackson, who was there at the beginning and was obviously one of the best pitchers those early New York teams had. It wasn't to be. He finished 67-99 with a 3.98 ERA. For a pitcher known for losses, he at least failed to reach 100 losses. 

In fact, all four of those 20 game Mets' losers were not around with the club in 1969. 

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A Most Efficient Night of Baseball

TRIVIA QUESTION: Jim Mudcat Grant was the very first black pitcher to win 20 games in the American League. Who was the first black pitcher to win 20 games in the National League? 

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  The two players aside from Stan Musial, who hailed from Donora, PA, were none other than Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr.

 "EFFICIENCY; the state or quality of being efficient, or able to accomplish something with the least waste of time and effort; competency in performance.

That's how the dictionary defines the word "efficiency." In May 15, 1963 in Cleveland the word "efficiency" was described in four other words; Mudcat Grant - Orlando Pena. When the two pitchers squared off in Cleveland Stadium that warm spring night, few of the 3300 people in the stands expected to be out of the ballpark and on their way home 1:57 later.

If they walked in a shade late, they missed all the action. The A's were 18-13, a single game back of the league leaders. The Indians were were 12-13 and seven back. Pena was the ace of the A's staff on a team which would go on to a 73-89 record and an eighth place finish, 31 games back of the pennant winning NY Yankees. The Indians were not much better, 79-83, and 25 games back, for a fifth place finish.

However, this night was something special; at least for two guys going in opposite directions. Grant opened the game putting down the A's in order, 1-2-3. It was something he would do six times that evening. Pena would do it four times. 

The only scoring came in the bottom of the first when the Tribe's Vic Davalillo reached on a single to right to lead off the inning. Al Luplow followed with a single to right sending Davalillo to second. Pena struck out Woodie Held and got Joe Adcock on a weak pop out to the infield. Tito Francona then laced a single to center to score the speedy Davalillo with the only run of the game, giving Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Pena walked Johnny Romano but got Max Alvis to ground out to end the inning. 

A lead off walk to Norm Siebern in the third and a two out double by Wayne Causey in the third were the only other opportunities Grant afforded Kansas City, until the eighth when Chuck Essegian led off with a single.

Pena was just as magnificent before giving way to John Wyatt in the ninth. When the dust settled each side sent only 30 men to the plate, or three batters over the minimum. Grant pitched a complete game shutout, giving up two hits and walking one while striking out three.

For his part, Pena gave up four hits in eight innings of work, walked two and struck out five in facing 27 batters. Wyatt took out the Tribe in a 1-2-3 ninth to also face the minimum of three. Pena finished the night at 4-3 on his way to a 20 loss season. Grant was 3-3 at the time and would finish 13-14 on the year. Two years later he would win 21 with the Twins and help Minnesota to the AL title.

That night in Cleveland however, was a night when the word "efficiency" would become a pitching coaches dream.

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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.