TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Henry Millster of St. Louis, MO who correctly stated Lou Brock struck out 100 times in a season, nine different times. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Johnny Roseboro was the catcher who played most of the games during the mid 1960's for the Dodgers and always faced right handed hitters. Who was the right handed hitting catcher who spelled Roseboro during those years?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Lou Brock did hit home runs but is known mainly for his other attributes. He struck out 100 or more times in a season in nine different years.
To say Juan Marichal was an enigma is an understatement. In the 10 years of the 1960's he started and completed 197 games for the San Francisco Giants. Six times he won 20 or more games including 26 in 1968 and 25 in 1963. Three times he pitched over 300 innings and twice more hit marks of 299 and 295. From 1963-1969 his ERA never exceeded 2.76 and twice it was in the 2.1 range (2.13 and 2.10).
Five times the man with the most varied pitches in his arsenal, completed at least 20 games and pitched 30 complete games in 1968. Five times he issued less than 50 walks and six times he struck out over 200 batters. Amazingly his WHIP was under 1.0 four times during the stretch. He never lost more than 13 and in 1965 he tossed 10 shutouts. He would throw at any angle, any speed.
It was a Sunday afternoon on August 22, 1965 and my father and my God Father and I were on our way to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles to see wrestling. My father was a major fan of "wrastlin'" and the Olympic Auditorium was the place to be for that sort of thing. We were listening to the Dodger game on the radio and were appalled and shocked at what we heard as we pulled into the parking lot.
Up in the Bay Area, the Giants were hosting the Dodgers with Sandy Koufax facing Marichal. Two of the best pitchers of the era and of all-time as it would turn out, in a game both teams wanted to win as they battled it out in the closing days of the 1965 NL pennant race.
The game started off tense. Maury Wills laid down a bunt single and the second time around, Marichal decked him. Koufax returned the favor by sending Willie Mays to the ground with a high fastball. When Marichal decked Ron Fairly, umpire Shag Crawford warned both teams. An ejection was coming the next time a pitch was too tight.
What happened next is documented by both players. It was such an important game for both teams, both sides were making sure their pitcher would not be the one ejected for throwing at a hitter. They were not. It was Marichal and it came as a hitter.
In the 3rd inning Koufax sent a pitch inside. Roseboro dropped the ball on purpose to get a good angle on Marichal who was at the plate. He positioned himself and whipped a throw to Koufax, coming dangerously close to Marichal's face. The Giant's ace said it actually did clip his nose.
Juan
confronted Johnny and the two had heated words. Roseboro moved closer.
Then it got ugly. Marichal clubbed Roseboro over the head with his bat.
Roseboro went down and both benches emptied. A bloodied Roseboro went
after Marichal and kept the pounding up until Willie Mays came out and restrained him, bringing some peace to the party. Marichal, bat in hand, was tackled by the umpire.
"I was afraid he was going to hit me with his mask, so I hit him with my bat," Marichal said in an apology a day later.
No one was in a forgiving mood. Bat versus mask. Hmmm. Doesn't seem like a match.
Roseboro
got 14 stitches, Marichal was fined $1750 and was suspended for 10
games. Roseboro did sue and the case was eventually settled for $7500.
As
for the game itself, a visibly shaken Koufax gave up four runs to the
Giants, including homers by Mays and Cap Peterson. The final was 4-3 but
Marichal was not the recipient of the win. Ron Herbal was. The Dodgers
would go on to win the pennant and the World Series over the Twins.
Believe
it or not the two men later became friends. When Roseboro died in 2002
at age 69, Marichal was one of the pallbearers and a speaker at the
funeral. Marichal actually spent his last season at age 37, with the
Dodgers in 1975.
TRIVIA CONTEST; After reading this column you can enter the weekly trivia contest for a chance to win a Starbucks Gift Card. 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.
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