Baseball in the 1960's: April 2023

Monday, April 24, 2023

The Consistent Braves

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Jacob Kribel of Canonsburg, PA, who correctly identified Tommy Davis as the 1969 Astro who previously won a batting title and it happened with the Dodgers. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: By answering the TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY you are automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a Starbucks Gift Card. YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN. Don't forget to put your mailing address in with the answer so if you win we can send you the gift card in the mail.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Tommy Davis was the 1969 Astro player who previously won a batting title and he did it with the Dodgers.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Name the three Braves "losing pitchers" in the 1969 NL Playoffs.

Throughout the 1960s the Milwaukee-then-Atlanta Braves were about the most consistent in the big leagues. From 1960-1969 they won 851 games or 85 games a season. They never lost more than 77 (1967) and they never won more than 93 (1969). They finished in fifth place, 5 times in the middle of the pack. First once, Second once, 4th, 6th and 7th one time each. They consistently hovered around 85 wins and when you toss out the best and the worst, you still get 85 wins a season. Remarkable.

Throughout the years there were a couple of constants but none more constant than Henry Aaron. During the decade he hit 40 or more homers in a season five times and 39 in another season. He also hit .300 or better seven of those 10 seasons. He never had an off 1960s season and five times his RBI total was from 120-130.

There were others who were there for much of that time including Eddie Mathews (1960-66), Joe Torre (1960-68), Felipe Alou (1964-69), Tony Cloniger (1961-68) , Warren Spahn (1960-65), Phil Niekro (1964-69) and Claude Raymond (1961-63 & 1967-69). Others who dipped in were Mack Jones, Frank Bolling, Roy McMillan, Rico Carty, Ken Johnson, Denny Lemaster and Clay Carroll.

Spahn won at least 21 games three times for the Braves in the 1960s and Cloniger did it once while Niekro also scored his first 20 win season in the 1960s.

Bobby Bragan led the club for four of those seasons before while a host of managers ran the club for a couple of seasons each. Lum Harris took over for the last few years and carried that over into the 1970s.

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Monday, April 17, 2023

The Impossible Astros of 1969

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Tim Nathan of Madison Heights, MI, who correctly identified at least three of the six players who played for the 1960 Pirates and who played in at least one other World Series against the Yankees. The six were Gino Cimoli, Don Hoak, Clem Labine, Rocky Nelson, Dick Groat and Bob Skinner. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: There were actually six players who appeared in at least two different World Series against the Yankees, and who played for the 1960 Pirates. Gino Cimoli, Don Hoak, Rocky Nelson and Clem Labine did it as Brooklyn Dodgers, while Dick Groat and Bob Skinner did it for the 1964 Cardinals. Any three would have entered you into the drawing.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Name a former batting champion who played for the 1969 Astros.

The following is a guest column by reader Samuel Barrett. Thank you Samuel for submitting.

The 1969 Houston Astros were a decent club that finished with a record of 81-81, good enough for 5th place in the new National League West division. It was the toughest division in baseball in 1969 as each team except for the new San Diego Padres were in the pennant race. However, this team could have and should have competed before they did. Trades by Spec Richardson leading up to the ’69 season shipped away several of their young stars such as Rusty Staub, Mike Cuellar, and Dave Giusti. For them, they acquired Jesus Alou, Curt Blefary, Denny Lemaster, Denis Menke, Marty Martinez, and Johnny Edwards to join the already stable Joe Morgan. Morgan stole 49 bases and when you add in Jimmy Wynn, who hit 33 home runs, Doug Rader, and Larry Dierker, who became the first Houston pitcher to win 20 games in a season, you had a formidable crew.

The team finished April with an abysmal 4-20 record. That 20th loss being a no-hitter by the Reds’ Jim Maloney. The next day is when the tables turned, beginning with Don Wilson no-hitting the Reds in return. Over the next two months the team had two 10-game winning streaks and set a record for most double plays in a game; first baseman Blefary had his own mark when he was involved in all seven. Doug Rader hit back-to-back walk offs against the Phillies at the Astrodome, a grand slam on May 27 and a single the next night. In a June doubleheader at Shea Stadium, Menke and Wynn hit grand slams in the same inning, Dierker hit a home run off Nolan Ryan, and closer Fred Gladding got the lone hit of his career. His batting average of .016 remains the lowest non-zero batting average of all time.

A good trade Richardson pulled off was one during the stretch run to acquire a knuckleballer Jim Bouton, who tells of the entire 1969 season in his infamous diary Ball Four. After a win over the Dodgers on September 10, the Astros were only 2 games out of first place, the closest the franchise had ever been to first at that point. Three days later in Atlanta, an ace match up of Larry Dierker vs. Phil Niekro proved to be just that. Both men went at least 11 innings. Dierker had a no-no going into the 9th, and he was pulled in the 13th for a pinch hitter who helped score two runs.

His 20th win was almost sealed…until two former Astros; Sonny Jackson and Bob Aspromonte conspired to score three in the bottom half and send the Astros on a losing spiral. In 18 match ups in ’69, the Braves lost only three times to the Astros, but the Astros were the only team to have a winning record against the eventual World Champion New York Mets.

Without the poor front office moves, 4-20 start and struggles against Atlanta, Houston could’ve seen their first pennant. But instead, the Space City would wait 11 years before seeing the postseason for the first time.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Shaking Off A Bad Season to Rebound - 1962 Pirates

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Scott Hitchcox of Portage, MI, who correctly identified Dooley Womack as the former Yankee who was traded in a deal for Jim Bouton. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Dooley Womack was the other Yankee player who was traded in a deal for Jim Bouton.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Which three members of the 1960 Pirates played in at least two World Series against the New York Yankees?

Just two years post their World Championship year and one year after faltering to sixth place in an eight team league, the Pittsburgh Pirates were on the rebound. As strange as it was, aside from a few new faces who didn't contribute much, they had the same line-up which won the World Series two seasons earlier. However, by the end of 1962 the club would see key faces gone.

The line-up of Bill Virdon in center-field, Roberto Clemente in right and Bob Skinner in left was in tact from 1960 along with an infield of Don Hoak at 3rd, Dick Groat as SS, Bill Mazeroski at 2b and Dick Stuart at 1b (and a challenger). Smokey Burgess and four others handled the catching but not 1960 hero Hal Smith who was gone after 1961. Dick Schofield also played some shortstop as he did in 1960. Most of the bench players were gone.

The pitching was handled by sturdy Bob Friend, Vern Law, Harvey Haddix and Roy Face for the most part. The rest faded or retired including Vinegar Bend Mizell.

But the Bucs had something on this 1962 roster which would shape them through the 1960s and while they didn't contribute much to the team's rise back to 4th place and 93 wins in 161 games, fans saw what was coming, and who was going.

Donn Clendenon had the biggest impact. With part time first baseman Rocky Nelson gone and Stuart struggling to hit .228 with 16 home runs, the versatile Clendenon hit .302 with seven homers in 80 games. While Burgess, Skinner and Clemente each batted over .300, Groat was right behind at .294. Bob Bailey and Willie Stargell only played in 24 games between them and did not do well, but they would form a nucleus of Buc Batters by 1965.

On the mound Alvin McBean came alive to win 15 games, 26 year-old rookie Bob Veale made his debut and so did 20 year-old Tommie Sisk. They only tossed 60 innings between them but fans saw something in the future. Earl Francis became a starter and ate some innings.

By the start of the 1963 season Groat was gone to St. Louis and Stuart to Boston while Hoak was sent to the Phillies. Bailey took over at 3b, Schofield at SS, Jim Pagliaroni who was acquired in the Stuart trade split the catching with aging Burgess and Clendenon was the new first sacker. Jerry Lynch shared left with Stargell with Skinner relegated to the bench. Gene Alley arrived on the scene and would become the regular SS in 1964. Manny Mota came up that year as well. On the mound Joe Gibbon and Don Schwall joined the rotation going 11-24 between them.

It was said by some fans the club traded Stuart and Groat too soon. Clendenon's fine season of 17 homers and .275 did not match what Stuart did in Boston. Stuart belted 42 homers and drove in 118 and followed that up with 33 and 114. Of course, Clendenon didn't have Boston's Green Monster which favored the long ball hitting Dr. Strange Glove. Groat led the NL in doubles with 43 and batted .319. The following season he helped St. Louis win the World Series. Hoak, who was sent to Philadelphia for bench players Ted Savage and Pancho Herrera, had a lackluster season and then retired.

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