RIVIA QUESTION: When the Giants traded Matty Alou to Pittsburgh it was because they had an abundance of outfielders. Which of those outfielders was counted on in 1966, but did not make a difference and was traded the following year to another NL city where he became the NL MVP?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: In his nine year major league career, slugging first baseman, Jim Gentile would play in six home cities, although he only played for five clubs. He spent time with the Indians, The Orioles, the Kansas City A's, the Houston Astros and both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 1965 the Pittsburgh Pirates were at a crossroads. It was a club in transition. It had a solid core but an aging core. Several key players were on the cusp while several more were in their prime and a few longtime Buc stalwarts were over the hill or ready to move on and out. On December 1, 1965, the Pirates made one of the best trades in their history They acquired outfielder Matty Alou from the Giants for reliever Joe Gibbon and catcher Ossie Virgil.
Alou was the middle brother of the major league playing Alou's. Felipe, the slugger was the oldest, Jesus the potential star was the youngest and in the middle was the fastest of the trio, Mateo. All three were good defensively and it goes without saying Felipe was the guy no one wanted to give up. The Giants had a crowded outfield and needed a left-handed arm in the bullpen.
The Pirates needed to replace the aging Bill Virdon in center-field with a swift outfielder who could cover lots of ground in spacious Forbes Field. They needed someone too who could back up Willie Stargell and Bob Bailey in left. Roberto Clemente was a fixture in right so having a center-fielder who could really go get it was essential. The problem was, while earlier in his career Matty showed some signs of a consistently good average, he'd only hit .231 in 1964 and .264 the year before that. Virdon was hitting higher for an average but still was not the lead off man the Bucs always sought.
Pittsburgh needed a guy who could get on base ahead of Clemente, Stargell, Donn Clendenon and Bailey. Could the 5'9" 160 pound Alou be that guy? New manager Harry "the Hat" Walker thought so. Walker was a solid hitter in his day and even won a batting title, but more importantly he knew how to teach hitting. He figured by using the extra hard infield in front of home plate at Forbes Field, Alou should be able to bounce his way to at least .290. With some bunt singles and his speed from the left side of the plate, there could easily be another 15 or 20 hits in the season.
No one ever dreamed what Alou really did accomplish. In the first three games little Matty had five hits in 15 at bats. By the time the end of the season rolled around he would hit .342, 111 points above his previous season's average and would take the National League batting title. He was the driving force behind a pirates club which dominated the NL hitting stats. Walker was right. By bouncing the ball off the hard turf and spraying the ball around using an oversized bat, Alou became a master hitter.
Gene Alley and Clendenon both hit .299 (Clendenon also banged 28 homers), Clemente won the MVP with a .329 average and 29 homers, Stargell hit a a .315 clip and led the team in home runs with 33, Bill Mazeroski had one of his best hitting seasons at .262 but added 16 dingers and Bailey and Jose Pagan combined for 17 home runs and an even 100 RBI. The team batting average was an amazing .279 with 158 home runs in 1966. If the pitching had not faltered so badly, they would have had more than their 92 wins and a third place finish behind the Dodgers.
Alou would go on to hit ,338, .332, .331 and .297 in the following four years. He missed out on his second batting title when he ended in a virtual tie with Pete Rose at .332 and lost by a the fourth number to the right of the decimal point. One more bunt single and he'd have had a second NL batting crown. After batting .297 he was traded to St. Louis where he had three more seasons above .300 but his defensive skills were fading and eventually played with several teams including the Yankees, A's and Padres before finishing his 15 year career in 1974. Based on his work with Harry Walker and his years in Pittsburgh, Alou concluded with a .307 lifetime average and he got to the World Series twice. In the 1972 ALCS he batted .381 for Oakland.
Gibbon had a couple of good seasons with the Giants before coming back to Pittsburgh in 1969 and having perhaps his best year, recording a 1.93 ERA in 51 innings. Virgil hit .213 for the Giants in 1966 and was out of baseball. He did come back in 1969 for one game with San Francisco. Virdon, the NL Rookie of the Year in 1955, was released by the Pirates before the 1966 season despite hitting .279 and retired. He did come back for a few games with the Pirates in 1968 but went onto a good managing career with the Yankees, Pittsburgh and Houston before calling it a career.
In the end when it came to career batting average, Matty bested his brothers, finishing at .307 to .305 for Jesus, although Felipe finished with 206 home runs and a near .290 average.
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.
A Blog about Baseball in the 1960's. From the trivial to the trades to the major moments which made major league baseball in the 1960's so fascinating. This weekly blog, is a must read for any boomer or just anyone who loves the game. Bob Brill is an expert and knows how to relay those tiny little details to make a good story.
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Saturday, December 16, 2017
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The O's Slugger Hits Two Grand Slams
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: It was Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese born player to pitch in the major leagues who save the game when Juan Marichal was ejected for hitting Johnny Roseboro with a bat. Murakami went on to a limited but brilliant career in MLB, and was known for his strikeout ratio.
Jim Gentile spent nine seasons in the big leagues and had a lot of big games, but none bigger than against the Twins on May 9, 1961. It was one of those games the Baltimore Orioles slugger would remember for the rest of his life. It put him into the conversation for the best in the league and the MVP award.
He was batting clean-up that day, behind all-star Brooks Robinson. The Twins sent Pedro Ramos to the mound against Chuck Estrada. It was early in the season but neither team was playing impressive baseball. The Twins were at .500 and the O's were just two games over.
The game had a great start for Baltimore. The 4514 fans at the game were frustrated right off the bat. Whitey Herzog opened with a walk and Jackie Brandt followed with a double. Robinson walked to load the bases, bringing up the slugging Gentile. Gentile, who would finish with 46 homers that year, sent a Ramos pitch to deep center and over the wall at Metropolitan Stadium to clear the bases. The Grand Slam gave the O's an instant 4-0 lead.
The Twins failed to score in the bottom of the inning but the top of the second it was more of the same for the O's including more Gentile. Marv Breeding opened with a flyout but then Ramos did the unthinkable. He gave up a single to the opposing pitcher, Estrada which was followed by a walk to Herzog. That was enough for Ramos who was replaced by Paul Geil.
Brandt then hit a ground ball back to Geil which could have been a double play, but the pitcher made an errant throw and Estrada scored to make it 5-0. Robinson walked again, again bringing up Gentile with the bases load. For the second straight inning Gentile blasted the ball into the seats. This time to right for his second straight grand slam and a 9-0 O's lead.
The rest of the game was pretty much uneventful. Gentile would draw a walk and go down on a strikeout in two subsequent at bats, but in the eighth he came up with a runner on third. A sac fly gave the slugging first sacker nine RBI on the day and the Orioles defeated Minnesota 13-5. It was a day the left handed hitting Gentile would never forget. Two grand slams in consecutive innings and a sacrifice fly to boot.
He'd finish the season with 46 homers, a league leading 141 RBI, a .302 batting average and a .646 slugging percentage. He would finish third in the MVP voting behind Roger Maris who hit 61 home runs and Mickey Mantle who belted 54. His outstanding defensive skills helped him be involved in 129 double plays which was good for second in the American League.
With 179 homers in his career, 1961 was far and away his best season. The Orioles that season would finish third despite winning 95 games. They closed the season 14 games behind New York as the Yankees went on to have the second greatest Yankee team of all time.
But on this day, Jim Gentile ruled the baseball world.
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.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Now Batting; Juan Marichal
TRIVIA QUESTION: Which pitcher got the Save in the game highlighted in the article below?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Jim Maloney was 12-5 in 1969 for the Cincinnati Reds but never won another game in the big leagues. He was 0-1 in 1970 and ended up losing all three of his decisions with the Angels the following year. He twice won 20 games for Cincinnati peaking with 23 in 1963. He had a record of 134-84 in a 12 year career. He retired at age 31.
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 and at any speed.
Yet, despite all of this he is best remembered for the time he went off the warpath and smacked the Dodger's Johnny Roseboro over the head with a bat, while standing in the batters box.
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 third 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 back to Koufax which came 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. The 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 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.
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.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Jim Maloney was 12-5 in 1969 for the Cincinnati Reds but never won another game in the big leagues. He was 0-1 in 1970 and ended up losing all three of his decisions with the Angels the following year. He twice won 20 games for Cincinnati peaking with 23 in 1963. He had a record of 134-84 in a 12 year career. He retired at age 31.
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 and at any speed.
Yet, despite all of this he is best remembered for the time he went off the warpath and smacked the Dodger's Johnny Roseboro over the head with a bat, while standing in the batters box.
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 third 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 back to Koufax which came 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. The 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 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.
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.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
The Day Big Red Became a Machine
TRIVIA QUESTION: The Big Red Machine was not known for its pitching. Which Reds long time starting pitcher and twice a 20 game winner, continued to pitch for one more season although his career was pretty much over after the 1969 season?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: On July 3, 1966 Tony Cloninger, batting ninth for the Atlanta Braves, twice came to bat with the bases loaded. On both occasions he hit grand slam home runs. The first off the Giants Bob Priddy and the second off Ray Sadecki. He would end up 3 for 5 with 9 RBI. He picked up his ninth win in going the distance to win 17-3. He would finish the season 14-11 and led the league in walks issued with 116.
May 20th, 1969 was a famous day in Cincinnati because it can reasonably be considered the day the Reds officially became The Big Red Machine. In 1968 they started to build the future and the future was the arrival of Johnny Bench behind the plate. However, the Reds needed pitching and acquired Jim Merritt from the Twins in the off season to solidify what was a pretty shaky starting staff.
On Tuesday night on the 20th of May, 1969, though the Reds really began what became a mini-dynasty and the hitting prowess to rival the best batting clubs in MLB history. They were mired 8.5 games back of first place when they took the field at home to begin a quick two game set with the Phillies. Only 4191 fans packed tiny Crosley Field. Interestingly enough, 4191 was the same number of hits Ty Cobb had in his career. A number a few years later (as a Phillie) the most famous Reds player of all time, and who started at second base in this game would eclipse. Pete Rose would eventually surpass Cobb's 4191 to become baseball's all-time hits leader.
It should be noted that today Cobb is credited with 4189 hits, but back then before a change was made it was 4191.
The fans would be treated to a 1:42 minute game this night with Tony Cloninger taking the mound against Rick Wise. It was a magic game for Tony C., facing only 27 batters in allowing a pair of singles and a walk in picking up his second win in seven decisions. A real masterpiece for the former Brave's ace.
Rose would single and score a run, Bench and Alex Johnson added a pair of hits and Tony Perez hit one of his 37 homers on the year. When the dust settled Wise had given up four runs, three earned and the Reds pulled off a 4-0 win.
The win was the kick off for a nine game winning streak with victories over Montreal, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Cloninger and Merritt each won two games during the streak and Clay Carroll won four more in relief. George Culver picked up the other win. Bench would rack up 16 hits and belt four homers during the nine game streak.
When the streak was over they had picked up five games in the standings and were now only 3.5 games back of division leading Atlanta. They would go on to finish third on the year but Manager Dave Bristol had built his team into a contender. Turning the corner into the 70's the Big Red Machine had arrived.
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.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: On July 3, 1966 Tony Cloninger, batting ninth for the Atlanta Braves, twice came to bat with the bases loaded. On both occasions he hit grand slam home runs. The first off the Giants Bob Priddy and the second off Ray Sadecki. He would end up 3 for 5 with 9 RBI. He picked up his ninth win in going the distance to win 17-3. He would finish the season 14-11 and led the league in walks issued with 116.
May 20th, 1969 was a famous day in Cincinnati because it can reasonably be considered the day the Reds officially became The Big Red Machine. In 1968 they started to build the future and the future was the arrival of Johnny Bench behind the plate. However, the Reds needed pitching and acquired Jim Merritt from the Twins in the off season to solidify what was a pretty shaky starting staff.
On Tuesday night on the 20th of May, 1969, though the Reds really began what became a mini-dynasty and the hitting prowess to rival the best batting clubs in MLB history. They were mired 8.5 games back of first place when they took the field at home to begin a quick two game set with the Phillies. Only 4191 fans packed tiny Crosley Field. Interestingly enough, 4191 was the same number of hits Ty Cobb had in his career. A number a few years later (as a Phillie) the most famous Reds player of all time, and who started at second base in this game would eclipse. Pete Rose would eventually surpass Cobb's 4191 to become baseball's all-time hits leader.
It should be noted that today Cobb is credited with 4189 hits, but back then before a change was made it was 4191.
The fans would be treated to a 1:42 minute game this night with Tony Cloninger taking the mound against Rick Wise. It was a magic game for Tony C., facing only 27 batters in allowing a pair of singles and a walk in picking up his second win in seven decisions. A real masterpiece for the former Brave's ace.
Rose would single and score a run, Bench and Alex Johnson added a pair of hits and Tony Perez hit one of his 37 homers on the year. When the dust settled Wise had given up four runs, three earned and the Reds pulled off a 4-0 win.
The win was the kick off for a nine game winning streak with victories over Montreal, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Cloninger and Merritt each won two games during the streak and Clay Carroll won four more in relief. George Culver picked up the other win. Bench would rack up 16 hits and belt four homers during the nine game streak.
When the streak was over they had picked up five games in the standings and were now only 3.5 games back of division leading Atlanta. They would go on to finish third on the year but Manager Dave Bristol had built his team into a contender. Turning the corner into the 70's the Big Red Machine had arrived.
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.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
The Milwaukee Braves Final Home Game
TRIVIA QUESTION: Braves pitcher Tony Clonigar became better know for a hitting feat than his pitching. What was that feat and when was it accomplished?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The first player to break the American League color barrier was Larry Doby with Cleveland in 1947.
September 22, 1965 saw what was pretty much a meaningless game for the two teams involved, but not for the fans. While the Milwaukee Braves were headed for a fifth place finish and the Los Angeles Dodgers were on their way to the National League pennant, for the fans, it was the end of an era.
All 12,577 faithful turned out to see the great Sandy Koufax square off against Wade Blasingame in a battle of lefty aces. Blasingame would win 16 games in 1965, Koufax would win 26. They didn't get to see much of the two pitchers. The Braves scored five runs off of an unusually shaky Koufax and Blasingame gave up six runs in 4.2 innings to the lackluster hitting Dodgers.
However, none of that mattered to the fans who were there to see the Braves last game ever as the home team in Milwaukee. The team was moving to Atlanta for the 1966 season after moving to Milwaukee from Boston in 1953. While in Milwaukee they won two NL pennants and one World Series title. Their fortunes would be better in Atlanta. In Boston they did win two World Series and three pennants dating back to 1876 when they were the Boston Beaneaters. Milwaukee was their shortest stay by far.
It was an interesting game which featured no less than six Hall of Famers, four of them on the Braves. Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Phil Niekro and Joe Torre were the Braves while Koufax and Don Drysdale were the Dodgers. Drysdale did not pitch in the game, but he did pinch-hit. He was recognized as one of the best hitting pitchers in the history of the game although he grounded out.
It was an ominous start for the Braves who saw the Dodgers open up a 1-0 lead in the first. In the second, singles by Torre, Gene Oliver and Mathews loaded the bases for light hitting Frank Bolling. Bolling belted a Koufax pitch for a grand slam to give the Braves a 4-1 lead, stunning the Dodger left-hander.
It must have really shaken the usually unshakable Sandy because he gave up a solo shot to Mack Jones to lead off the third followed by a single by Aaron, and manager Walt Alston had seen enough. Howie Reed came in to relieve Koufax. After Torre hit into a double play, Oliver hit one to left Lou Johnson could not handle and the not-so-speedy Oliver rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run. The Braves led 6-1.
In the fourth, rookie second sacker Jimmy Lefebvre homered with a man aboard to cut the lead to 6-3. In the fifth the roof caved in on Blasingame. Perhaps he was tired after hitting a double himself the inning prior and remaining at second base for what seemed like an eternity. He was stranded there and walked to the mound to take on Los Angeles in the fifth.
It was typical of the Dodgers to score low in 1965 and this time they put it all together in Dodger fashion. Three walks, a pair of stolen bases and two singles combined for three runs and it was all tied. Blasingame left with two out, giving way to Billy O'Dell.
Dodger relief ace, Ron Perranoski came in to pitch the fifth. Usually reserved for the eighth or even the ninth, Alston called on his closer to give rest to a beleaguered bullpen. All Perranoski did was pitch six (YES SIX) scoreless innings, giving up three hits and walking four.
Over the last two of those innings he faced a very young Phil Niekro. Niekro pitched two scoreless as well and they went into the 11th tied at six. Chi-Chi Olivo couldn't hold Los Angeles. After Drysdale grounded out, Maury Wills laid down a beautiful bunt and legged it out. He stole second. Jim Gilliam was intentionally walked and Olivo gave way to Dick Kelley. Kelley quickly got Willie Davis to fly out but Lou Johnson singled up the middle to score Wills and the Dodgers led 7-6.
The Braves had a chance in the bottom of the inning. Bob Miller came in to save it. With one out Jones hit an infield single bringing Aaron to the plate. He hit a sharp drive to center and the quick Davis grabbed it and doubled up Jones at first to end the game.
It was the last time the Milwaukee faithful would see the Braves in County Stadium and it was fitting the great Henry Aaron would be the guy who would turn out the lights. Eleven days later the Braves would close out the season, again against the Dodgers but this time in Los Angeles. It was another loss, 3-0 with Milwaukee getting only three hits. Aaron did not play and the final recorded out by a Milwaukee Braves player was by Mike de la Hoz.
It also pretty much marked the end of the line for slugger Frank Thomas. He went 1-4 for the Braves in that final game and was released at the beginning of the 1966 season. Signed by the Cubs he appeared in five games as a pinch-hitter, going 0-5 with a strikeout. He was released in June and retired. He hit 286 homers with a lifetime .266 batting average for eight NL teams including the Milwaukee Braves twice. A fitting end.
Milwaukee would be without a team until 1970 when the Seattle Pilots, nearly bankrupt after one season, shuttered the stadium in the great northwest and headed off to the Midwest where they became the Milwaukee Brewers. Braves players who continued a few years of stardom in Atlanta of course were Aaron, Niekro, Torre, Jones, Felipe Alou, Tony Clonigar, Denny Lemaster and many more.
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.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The first player to break the American League color barrier was Larry Doby with Cleveland in 1947.
September 22, 1965 saw what was pretty much a meaningless game for the two teams involved, but not for the fans. While the Milwaukee Braves were headed for a fifth place finish and the Los Angeles Dodgers were on their way to the National League pennant, for the fans, it was the end of an era.
All 12,577 faithful turned out to see the great Sandy Koufax square off against Wade Blasingame in a battle of lefty aces. Blasingame would win 16 games in 1965, Koufax would win 26. They didn't get to see much of the two pitchers. The Braves scored five runs off of an unusually shaky Koufax and Blasingame gave up six runs in 4.2 innings to the lackluster hitting Dodgers.
However, none of that mattered to the fans who were there to see the Braves last game ever as the home team in Milwaukee. The team was moving to Atlanta for the 1966 season after moving to Milwaukee from Boston in 1953. While in Milwaukee they won two NL pennants and one World Series title. Their fortunes would be better in Atlanta. In Boston they did win two World Series and three pennants dating back to 1876 when they were the Boston Beaneaters. Milwaukee was their shortest stay by far.
It was an interesting game which featured no less than six Hall of Famers, four of them on the Braves. Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Phil Niekro and Joe Torre were the Braves while Koufax and Don Drysdale were the Dodgers. Drysdale did not pitch in the game, but he did pinch-hit. He was recognized as one of the best hitting pitchers in the history of the game although he grounded out.
It was an ominous start for the Braves who saw the Dodgers open up a 1-0 lead in the first. In the second, singles by Torre, Gene Oliver and Mathews loaded the bases for light hitting Frank Bolling. Bolling belted a Koufax pitch for a grand slam to give the Braves a 4-1 lead, stunning the Dodger left-hander.
It must have really shaken the usually unshakable Sandy because he gave up a solo shot to Mack Jones to lead off the third followed by a single by Aaron, and manager Walt Alston had seen enough. Howie Reed came in to relieve Koufax. After Torre hit into a double play, Oliver hit one to left Lou Johnson could not handle and the not-so-speedy Oliver rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run. The Braves led 6-1.
In the fourth, rookie second sacker Jimmy Lefebvre homered with a man aboard to cut the lead to 6-3. In the fifth the roof caved in on Blasingame. Perhaps he was tired after hitting a double himself the inning prior and remaining at second base for what seemed like an eternity. He was stranded there and walked to the mound to take on Los Angeles in the fifth.
It was typical of the Dodgers to score low in 1965 and this time they put it all together in Dodger fashion. Three walks, a pair of stolen bases and two singles combined for three runs and it was all tied. Blasingame left with two out, giving way to Billy O'Dell.
Dodger relief ace, Ron Perranoski came in to pitch the fifth. Usually reserved for the eighth or even the ninth, Alston called on his closer to give rest to a beleaguered bullpen. All Perranoski did was pitch six (YES SIX) scoreless innings, giving up three hits and walking four.
Over the last two of those innings he faced a very young Phil Niekro. Niekro pitched two scoreless as well and they went into the 11th tied at six. Chi-Chi Olivo couldn't hold Los Angeles. After Drysdale grounded out, Maury Wills laid down a beautiful bunt and legged it out. He stole second. Jim Gilliam was intentionally walked and Olivo gave way to Dick Kelley. Kelley quickly got Willie Davis to fly out but Lou Johnson singled up the middle to score Wills and the Dodgers led 7-6.
The Braves had a chance in the bottom of the inning. Bob Miller came in to save it. With one out Jones hit an infield single bringing Aaron to the plate. He hit a sharp drive to center and the quick Davis grabbed it and doubled up Jones at first to end the game.
It was the last time the Milwaukee faithful would see the Braves in County Stadium and it was fitting the great Henry Aaron would be the guy who would turn out the lights. Eleven days later the Braves would close out the season, again against the Dodgers but this time in Los Angeles. It was another loss, 3-0 with Milwaukee getting only three hits. Aaron did not play and the final recorded out by a Milwaukee Braves player was by Mike de la Hoz.
It also pretty much marked the end of the line for slugger Frank Thomas. He went 1-4 for the Braves in that final game and was released at the beginning of the 1966 season. Signed by the Cubs he appeared in five games as a pinch-hitter, going 0-5 with a strikeout. He was released in June and retired. He hit 286 homers with a lifetime .266 batting average for eight NL teams including the Milwaukee Braves twice. A fitting end.
Milwaukee would be without a team until 1970 when the Seattle Pilots, nearly bankrupt after one season, shuttered the stadium in the great northwest and headed off to the Midwest where they became the Milwaukee Brewers. Braves players who continued a few years of stardom in Atlanta of course were Aaron, Niekro, Torre, Jones, Felipe Alou, Tony Clonigar, Denny Lemaster and many more.
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.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
The Last Player to Break the Color Barrier in MLB
TRIVIA QUESTION: Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 when he entered the game for the National Leaue Dodgers. Who was the first AL player to break that barrier?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers didn't hit many homers on their way to winning the NL Pennant and the World Series. They were a team of a walk, a stolen base, a bunt and a sac fly and then win 1-0. Sweet Lou Johnson and rookie Jim Levebre tied for the team lead with 12 home runs each.
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.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers didn't hit many homers on their way to winning the NL Pennant and the World Series. They were a team of a walk, a stolen base, a bunt and a sac fly and then win 1-0. Sweet Lou Johnson and rookie Jim Levebre tied for the team lead with 12 home runs each.
Thursday, September 26, 1963, was like any other day in the history of the New York Mets. They lost to the Dodgers in Los Angeles 5-4 on their way to a second straight year of losing 100 or more games. But this story isn't about the Mets or 1963 as much as it is about what happened just a few years earlier, and it is fitting the player who is the focus of this column played his last game in the majors against the Dodgers; the team which broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson in 1947.
It is doubtful the 18,546 fans who showed up that night at Dodger Stadium and spent the next 2:15 watching a baseball game, even thought about the fact Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green was playing his final game in the majors. It was Green who became the last player to integrate the game of baseball. In 1959 he came into the lineup for the Boston Red Sox as a pinch runner and therefore the Red Sox became the very last team to employ a Black player. It only took 12 years for all teams to follow the Dodgers lead n 1947 and right an egregious wrong on an entire segment of the population.
Green spent four seasons with Boston but was never an impact player. He never batted more than 313 times, never hit more than .260 and his entire major league total was 13 home runs. However, it was this Boley, Oklahoma native who completed the cycle of breakthroughs for the great game of baseball. He was mainly a middle infielder and pinch hitter who was purchased by the Sox in 1956 at the age of 23 and had to wait three years before being called to the Show. By the end of the 1962 season the Sox decided he wasn't going to help them and packaged him up with a player to be named later and Tracy Stallard to the New York Mets for Felix Mantilla. The Boston Red Sox sent Al Moran to the New York Mets to complete the trade.
The Mets had just come off their debut season, the worst in MLB history and while the Red Sox were not big winners, there must have been some consternation for Green who may have seen this as a chance to play more often with the lowly Mets.
On this Thursday in September he would go 1-4 driving in a run with a single off Larry Sherry with his last hit. His last at bat came against Ken Rowe and he popped out to shallow left to shortstop Dick Tracewski.
While Green's career didn't last too long, his brother Cornell's career did. Cornell was a defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys and played 13 seasons in the NFL. Interestingly enough he wasn't drafted by the NFL but rather the NBA. He chose football after an All-American career in hoops at Utah State. Their brother Credell was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
On April 17, 2009, the Red Sox honored Green with a first pitch ceremony, marking the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in Boston.
On this Thursday in September he would go 1-4 driving in a run with a single off Larry Sherry with his last hit. His last at bat came against Ken Rowe and he popped out to shallow left to shortstop Dick Tracewski.
While Green's career didn't last too long, his brother Cornell's career did. Cornell was a defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys and played 13 seasons in the NFL. Interestingly enough he wasn't drafted by the NFL but rather the NBA. He chose football after an All-American career in hoops at Utah State. Their brother Credell was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
On April 17, 2009, the Red Sox honored Green with a first pitch ceremony, marking the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in Boston.
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.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Best Pitched Game and Short Too
TRIVIA QUESTION: The 1965 Dodges were not known for hitting home runs. Which two players tied for the team lead that year in homers and how many did they each hit?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Donn Clendenon played 12 years in the big leagues and eight of them were with the team which originally signed him; Pittsburgh. Clendenon was a multi sport star before turning to baseball solely and drew interest for football and basketball as well. He also played for the Expos, the Mets and finished his career with St. Louis.
Vin Scully, the Dodger's longtime announcer used to say "Bob Gibson pitches like he's double parked." On May 25, 1965 at Dodgers Stadium, he and Don Drysdale seemed to never stop moving while the car was parked. In an unbelievably short game, these two Hall of Fame pitchers put their best foot forward for 1:41 minutes of pure pitching magnificence.
It was a fairly warm and typical Tuesday night in Los Angeles. More than 28,000 people showed up at the ballpark to see the Cardinals, who were 2.5 games behind the Dodgers. It was a matchup of real power. Don Drysdale whose side arm delivery and his giant frame could make any hitter go "jelly leg," versus the ace of the Cardinals staff; the fire balling Bob Gibson.
Gibby was on his way to a 20-12 season while Big D would finish 23-12 and in the World Series. For their part the Dodgers were pretty much a weak hitting team. The formula for winning was Maury Wills would single, steal second, get sacrificed to third and come home on a sac fly. Then send Sandy Koufax and Drysdale to the mound, or Claude Osteen and watch them pitch a shutout. It worked pretty much that way.
The Cards were laden with much better hitting including Lou Brock, Curt Flood, Bill White, Ken Boyer, Dick Groat and Tim McCarver. The pitching was good but not as sound as Los Angeles. The Dodgers had a sound defense with Ron Fairly, Wills, Willie Davis, and a blossoming rookie named Jimmy Lefebvre. Wes Parker was an outstanding first baseman and along with the light hitting John Kennedy were the defensive standouts on the corners.
This game started out pretty easily for the Cardinals. Curt Flood led off with a single and with Brock at the plate Drysdale uncorked a wild pitch. Flood stood at second but three harmless ground balls ended the inning and that was it for the Cardinals. Seriously. Drysdale didn't give up another hit, nor a walk and the only other Cardinal to reach base was when Dick Tracewski booted a Dick Groat grounder in the fifth.
Inning after inning three Cardinals came up and three Cardinal sat back down. The only problem for the Dodgers was Gibson was pretty much doing the same thing. Up and down with little fanfare until the eight when Drysdale himself really took charge. Known as one of the best hitting pitchers in the history of the game, Big Don led off the eight with a single. As per the usual course of the Dodgers actions, Lou Johnson sacrificed himi to second. Parker walked and Willie Davis popped out, leaving it up to Ron Fairly.
Fairly was no big homer hitter but he was clutch and he came through with a double to score both Drysdale and Parker. The Dodgers led it 2-0 and in the ninth Drysdale got two harmless ground balls before striking out Brock to end the masterpiece. And what a masterpiece it was. He faced two men over the minimum, 29 batters, gave up a lone single to the lead off hitter and didn't walk a man while striking out six in running his record to 7-3.
Gibson on the other hand went the full nine innings as well, giving up six hits, walking two and striking out seven. The typical Dodger fan (the joke has been they arrive in the third and leave after the seventh) barely had time to sit down with a Dodger dog and a beer. The game started at 8:00o'clock and ended at 9:41 PM. It was one of the shortest nine inning night games in the history of major league baseball. And the fans got their money's worth; those who got there in time.
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.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Donn Clendenon played 12 years in the big leagues and eight of them were with the team which originally signed him; Pittsburgh. Clendenon was a multi sport star before turning to baseball solely and drew interest for football and basketball as well. He also played for the Expos, the Mets and finished his career with St. Louis.
Vin Scully, the Dodger's longtime announcer used to say "Bob Gibson pitches like he's double parked." On May 25, 1965 at Dodgers Stadium, he and Don Drysdale seemed to never stop moving while the car was parked. In an unbelievably short game, these two Hall of Fame pitchers put their best foot forward for 1:41 minutes of pure pitching magnificence.
It was a fairly warm and typical Tuesday night in Los Angeles. More than 28,000 people showed up at the ballpark to see the Cardinals, who were 2.5 games behind the Dodgers. It was a matchup of real power. Don Drysdale whose side arm delivery and his giant frame could make any hitter go "jelly leg," versus the ace of the Cardinals staff; the fire balling Bob Gibson.
Gibby was on his way to a 20-12 season while Big D would finish 23-12 and in the World Series. For their part the Dodgers were pretty much a weak hitting team. The formula for winning was Maury Wills would single, steal second, get sacrificed to third and come home on a sac fly. Then send Sandy Koufax and Drysdale to the mound, or Claude Osteen and watch them pitch a shutout. It worked pretty much that way.
The Cards were laden with much better hitting including Lou Brock, Curt Flood, Bill White, Ken Boyer, Dick Groat and Tim McCarver. The pitching was good but not as sound as Los Angeles. The Dodgers had a sound defense with Ron Fairly, Wills, Willie Davis, and a blossoming rookie named Jimmy Lefebvre. Wes Parker was an outstanding first baseman and along with the light hitting John Kennedy were the defensive standouts on the corners.
This game started out pretty easily for the Cardinals. Curt Flood led off with a single and with Brock at the plate Drysdale uncorked a wild pitch. Flood stood at second but three harmless ground balls ended the inning and that was it for the Cardinals. Seriously. Drysdale didn't give up another hit, nor a walk and the only other Cardinal to reach base was when Dick Tracewski booted a Dick Groat grounder in the fifth.
Inning after inning three Cardinals came up and three Cardinal sat back down. The only problem for the Dodgers was Gibson was pretty much doing the same thing. Up and down with little fanfare until the eight when Drysdale himself really took charge. Known as one of the best hitting pitchers in the history of the game, Big Don led off the eight with a single. As per the usual course of the Dodgers actions, Lou Johnson sacrificed himi to second. Parker walked and Willie Davis popped out, leaving it up to Ron Fairly.
Fairly was no big homer hitter but he was clutch and he came through with a double to score both Drysdale and Parker. The Dodgers led it 2-0 and in the ninth Drysdale got two harmless ground balls before striking out Brock to end the masterpiece. And what a masterpiece it was. He faced two men over the minimum, 29 batters, gave up a lone single to the lead off hitter and didn't walk a man while striking out six in running his record to 7-3.
Gibson on the other hand went the full nine innings as well, giving up six hits, walking two and striking out seven. The typical Dodger fan (the joke has been they arrive in the third and leave after the seventh) barely had time to sit down with a Dodger dog and a beer. The game started at 8:00o'clock and ended at 9:41 PM. It was one of the shortest nine inning night games in the history of major league baseball. And the fans got their money's worth; those who got there in time.
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.
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