Joe Gaines, Journeyman by Default

 

TRIVIA WINNER: The answer to last weeks question the significance of the Frank Baumholtz in September 1952 was it was the only batter Stan Musial faced as a pitcher in the major leagues..  The Prize: 30 points toward the person's total.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However,  through the end of 2024 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after the years final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Questions will be worth anywhere from 10-25 points depending on degree of difficulty. Questions will be more difficult as the year goes on, so you are never really out of the mix. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION:  What do Jerry Grote, Ivan Murrell and Nellie Fox all have in common? TOTAL 25 POINTS. 

 Joe Gaines was one of those minor leaguers with promise who performed well enough when called upon in the big leagues, but couldn't stick. Sometimes through no fault of their own. Gaines, like many players, was a high school standout and was signed by the Reds right out of high school. 

He played well in the minors, actually hitting .349 with 14 homers and 119 RBI in one season. It got him a couple of cups of coffee with the big league club. As a back-up outfielder he'd have to compete with Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Wally Post. 

His first appearance was June 29, 1960 when he hit for Jay Hook and failed to reach base. Finally in 1962 he was getting a chance but the Orioles needed a player to spell Boog Powell and traded for him. In 1963 he hit .286 for the season, with six homers. 

Struggling early in 1964 the O's dealt him to the Houston Astros where he found a regular gig in the outfield. That is until a kid named Rusty Staub arrived, relegating Gaines to the bench. He would spend the last two seasons of his career in the minors with Kansas City and Minnesota. Joe Gaines had a journeyman's seven year career and retired at age 31. He died in 2023 in Oakland, California at age 86.

 TRIVIA CONTEST; Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at the end of the calendar year based on the total points acquired via weekly contests.

                              brillpro@gmail.com 
 ==========================================================
I've written more than a dozen books including at least two sports books. You can find these at my Amazon page or at my own website www.bobbrillbooks.com. Please take a look at the sports books, the western novel series or the "Tattoo Murder," which is a crime book set in Ventura, CA.

Use PayPal to brillpro@prodigy.net or contact us at the same email for other payment. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my books after reading this column.  

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.

 

 

Juan Pizarro; the Forgotten Lefty

 

TRIVIA WINNER: The answer to last weeks question is Roberto Clemente had at least one hit in every one of the 14 World Series games he played. He finished with 21 WS hits to match his uniform number. .  The Prize: 30 points toward the person's total.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However,  through the end of 2024 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after the years final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Questions will be worth anywhere from 10-25 points depending on degree of difficulty. Questions will be more difficult as the year goes on, so you are never really out of the mix. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION:  In a game in September, 1952, what was the significance of an At Bat, by Frank Baumholtz where he reached first base on an error by T. Brown at third base? TOTAL 75 POINTS.

One of the most underrated pitchers in baseball perhaps, but especially in the 1960s was Juan Pizarro. After a stint with the Braves in the 1950s, he moved onto the White Sox where he had most of his success. From 1961-1964 he won 61 games for the Pale Hose including 19 in the last year of that stretch. 

                                                     

An All-Star pitcher in 1964, he tossed 239 innings with a 3.23 ERA and a WHIP barely over 1.0. He went 19-9 and garnered MVP votes.  It was his final really good season. Injuries beset him the following year and he was limited to just 18 Games after starting 33 the previous year. He went 6-3. By 1966 he was used as a spot starter and reliever and the following year was shipped off to Pittsburgh, where Manager Larry Shepard used him mainly in relief, despite some starts. He went 8-10 with 9 Saves.

An Opening Day loss in relief of Jim Bunning in 1968 combined with a solo win in relief against the Cubs, was all there was for the crafty lefty. The Bucs sent him to the Red Sox for cash and before the decade was out he would also pitch for the A's and the Indians. 

His career carried over to the 1970's. He was also known for being a good hitting pitcher and beat Tom Seaver at Seaver's best with a solo shot while pitching the Cubs to a 1-0 win. He did make two World Series appearances with the Braves and an NLCS appearance with Pittsburgh, having gone back to the Bucs in his final season at age 37.

Juan Pizarro died of cancer in 2021 and is buried in his native Puerto Rico.

TRIVIA CONTEST; Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at the end of the calendar year based on the total points acquired via weekly contests.

                              brillpro@gmail.com 
 ==========================================================
I've written more than a dozen books including at least two sports books. You can find these at my Amazon page or at my own website www.bobbrillbooks.com. Please take a look at the sports books, the western novel series or the "Tattoo Murder," which is a crime book set in Ventura, CA.

Use PayPal to brillpro@prodigy.net or contact us at the same email for other payment. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my books after reading this column.  

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.

 

Remembering Roberto

 

TRIVIA WINNER: The answer to last weeks question is nine times Robin Roberts gave up at least 30 homers in a season in his career.  The Prize: 10 points toward the person's total.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However,  through the end of 2024 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after the years final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Questions will be worth anywhere from 10-25 points depending on degree of difficulty. Questions will be more difficult as the year goes on, so you are never really out of the mix. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION:  Roberto Clemente played in 14 World Series Games. In how many of those games did  he get at least one hit? Total 30 Points.

This past week the Pirates celebrated Roberto Clemente Day. There is no doubt to his greatness and his legacy and as a Pittsburgh native, I hold him in the highest esteem. Perhaps that is why one game stands out in my life, in which I saw the Great One in person, in a setting where he did shine and he did not shine.

It was the rarest of rare events when Roberto Clemente made a major error. It was even more unusual when it cost his team a game. However, that was exactly what happened on August 14th, 1965. It was a memorable night to begin with because it was right in the middle of the Watts Riots and it happened at Dodger Stadium. Attendance was only 29, 237, mainly because people were afraid to leave their homes. The city was on fire and people were dying. Baseball however, witnessed one of it's great pitching match-ups and a game which few will remember except those who were there. I was.

Sandy Koufax squared off against Don Cardwell. The former in his prime, the latter heading toward the end of a decent career. The Bucs were headed for sixth place in a ten team league. The Dodgers would go on to defeat the Twins in the World Series. For Koufax he was looking for win no. 21 in a season where he would dominate again.

The Pirates were a good hitting team as usual back then, but a team in transition. Clemente was still in his prime and batting .342 and was backed by Donn Clendenon's 28 homers, Willie Stargell's long taters and the amazing defensive play of Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley up the middle. Catching Cardwell that night was journeyman, Jim Pagliaroni.

For Los Angeles it was the switch hitting infield of Parker, Gilliam, Lefebvre and Kennedy and the speed of Willie Davis backed by Lou Johnson and Ron Fairly. Johnny Roseboro as usual was catching Koufax.

The game was scoreless and a real pitchers duel. I remember Mazeroski getting the Bucs' first hit, a single in the second. With two out in the bottom of the second Davis hit a shot to deep right field. Clemente, the ever graceful outfielder, leaned into the ground level box seats and robbed Davis of a home run. Without that the Dodgers would have had a 1-0 lead and the game would have ended in nine. Not to be.

To show you this was the 1960's, with two out in the top of the tenth and the game scoreless, Pirate manager Danny Murtaugh let Cardwell, the pitcher, bat. He struck out. The Dodgers would have their chance in the bottom of the tenth.

The inning began harmlessly. Roseboro flied out to Clemente followed by Kennedy also hitting a line drive out to Clemente. Then came the ultimate mistake. With two out in the bottom of the 10th, Cardwell walked Koufax. The mortal sin in baseball is to walk the opposing pitcher. Koufax was not a great hitter and manager Walt Alston chose to let his ace bat. Wes Parker followed with another walk and Murtaugh did not take Cardwell (who would pitch a no-hitter in his career) out.

Jim Gilliam hit a line drive to Clemente in right. The Great Roberto charged in for what looked like a routine final out. The ball hit off his glove and bounced away for an error. Koufax, running on contact, scored easily despite a good throw to the plate. Dodgers win 1-0.

It was an amazing game, both pitchers throwing 10 innings and a lot of unusual things you will never see again, or even before that. It was a night to remember  and both men are now in the Hall of Fame.

TRIVIA CONTEST; Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at the end of the calendar year based on the total points acquired via weekly contests.

                              brillpro@gmail.com 
 ==========================================================
I've written more than a dozen books including at least two sports books. You can find these at my Amazon page or at my own website www.bobbrillbooks.com. Please take a look at the sports books, the western novel series or the "Tattoo Murder," which is a crime book set in Ventura, CA.

Use PayPal to brillpro@prodigy.net or contact us at the same email for other payment. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my books after reading this column.  

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.