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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TRIVIA QUESTION: There was another Dave who played on the other side of Chicago a few years later than Nicholson, and who struck out a lot. Who was he?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Larry Jaster's first loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers came against Bill Singer on August 25th, 1967. Jaster pitched well but lost 2-1 and it came as he committed the ultimate pitcher's sin; he gave up a lead off double to opposing pitcher Singer. Jaster and the Cardinals were leading 1-0 in the sixth when Singer doubled and eventually came home as Lou Johnson and Willie Davis drove in runs. The Dodgers scored two in the inning and the Jaster winning streak came to an end. He had beaten them six straight times, five of them shutouts, all consecutive. It's not often a player who misses the ball about half the time sticks around for more than a couple years in the big leagues, but then again there was Dave Nicholson. Nicholson might have fit right in, in today's free swining-home runs-at any cost atmosphere. In the 1960's though, Nicholson was a rather strange player.
In 1419 major league at-bats, he struck out 573 times. It was an amazing 40 percent of the time he came to the plate and walked away without hitting the ball fair. When you consider the fact he only walked 219 times, the whiffs were problematic. He was a slugger but never really achieved slugger status.
The height of Nicholson's ineptness came with the White Sox in 1963. It was his best overall year. He did hit 22 dingers, but only managed to eke out a .229 batting average. The mess started with his coming to the plate 520 time but with only 449 official at bats. In those 449 at bats he struck out 175 to lead the AL!
He did have 123 hits and drove in 70 runs. Imagine if he'd only struck out half as many times, how many runs he could have driven in. The Sox were a pretty good team in 1963 and deserved better. They finished second with 94 wins.
The following season Nicholson saw his playing time reduced and only batted 351 times but still managed to strike out 126 times while seeing his average dip to .204. It seemed the Sox had seen enough of him but couldn't really find any takers.
In 1965 he struck out 40 times in 85 at bats and that was the end of that. He was traded to Houston in a minor deal and improved on all his statistics after moving to the National League. He did bat 280 times with 10 homers, a .246 BA and only 92 strike outs in an Astro's uniform before being shipped off again. This time to Atlanta where he played in only 10 games before his career ended for good.
Swinging Dave Nicholson finished his career with a lifetime .212 BA and 61 home runs to go along with his 573 punch outs.
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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.
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TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1967 Larry Jaster beat the Dodgers 8-4 in his first start against them in the new season. When was the first time Jaster actually took a loss from the Dodgers?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:After winning the AL Pennant with 92 victories in 1967, the Boston Red Sox fell into oblivion in 1968. They dropped to 4th place with 86 wins. In the "Year of the Pitcher" 1967's MVP Carl Yastrzemski went from his Triple Crown season of .326, 44 HR and 121 RBI to winning the batting title at .301 while belting 23 homers and driving in 74.
Larry Jaster is a name which struck fear into Dodger fans and hitters during the 1966 season. He became known as the "Dodger Killer" or the "Creeper" because of the way he handled Los Angeles. Against the rest of the league he was well, rather pedestrian. And then there was that whole "Grand Slam" thing which you may be surprised to learn was more than just a World Series match up. Jaster came to the Cardinals in 1965 as a reliever about to become a starter. The Redbirds had fine pitching including ace Bob Gibson, Nellie Briles and a young rookie by the name of Steve Carlton. Throw in Ray Washburn, Curt Simmons and Ray Sadecki and you had a formidable starting staff. Jaster got into four games, started three, completed all three, won all three and finished the season 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA.
On September 17, 1965 he made his debut in relief of Curt Simmons and tossed a perfect 1-2-3 inning. It was, as history would dictate, against the Dodgers. Before the season ended he would beat Houston twice and the Giants once. When 1966 rolled around he would take aim at the Dodgers. On April 25th he squared off against Claude Osteen. Jaster tossed a 7-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none. He was 2-1. On the July 4th weekend he would face Los Angeles again, and again he tossed a shutout allowing just three hits in beating Don Drysdale. Jaster was now 3-2. Three weeks later he beat Drysdale again with a five-hit shutout, striking out eight to run his record to 6-2.
On August 19th, another shutout against the Dodgers. This time a five-hitter and he was now 8-3. On September 28th, in his final start of the season he faced rookie pitcher and future Hall of Famer, Don Sutton. Jaster ran his record to 11-5 with another shutout on four hits. Five straight starts against the Dodgers and five shutouts which combined with his one relief appearance the previous season means Jaster shutout Los Angeles 46 consecutive innings. Against the rest of the 1966 National League he was 6-5. But it did not stop there because in the 1968 World Series Jaster came to grips with another legacy; the Grand Slam Home Run. He came in to relieve in Game 6; a game the Tigers would go on to win 13-1. The key was in a big 10 run inning, Jaster would face Jim Northrup. The significance might be lost on the average fan but not the baseball historian.
You see, Northrup came to the plate with the bases loaded against Jaster. Northrup led the majors in 1968 by hitting four Grand Slam homers. A remarkable feat when you consider the all time, life time record for Slams was set by Lou Gehrig with 23. Jaster, as history would have it, gave up two grand slams himself in 1968. It was analytics on steroids. It was the perfect match up of the guy with the most grand slams versus the guy who gave up the most grand slams, on the biggest stage in the sport. The result was to be expected; Northrup blasted a Jaster pitch into the
right field seats to clear the bases. It made the score 8-0 and Jaster
was removed.
When the series ended Jaster was gone to Montreal and he set another milestone; he threw the first major league pitch in Canada. He would finish the season 1-6 and moved onto Atlanta where by the end of 1972 his career was over. During the 1970 season it should be noted he was involved in another bit or irony. He was struggling and in a game against his old club, Montreal, he faced former Dodger Ron Fairly. Fairly hit a grand slam and a few days later Jaster was back in the minor leagues. Jaster ended his career with a record of 35-33 and forever many places in baseball history.
Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated.
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.
We wish to welcome our new sponsor;
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TRIVIA QUESTION: After winning the AL Pennant in 1967 where did the Red Sox finish the following year; 1968?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:One of the better clutch hitters of the 1960's Johnny Blanchard was a gem in the 1960 and 1961 World Series for the Yankees. In 1960 against the Pirates he hit .455 and came back in 1961 to bat .400 against the Reds. Included were two homers and five RBI in nine games. When the 1966 Orioles swept the Dodgers in four straight in the World Series after winning 97 games, everyone figured the Birds were on their way to a dynasty. Frank and Brooks Robinson were in their prime and Paul Blair was sailing along. A nice crop of young players led by Andy Etchebarren, Curt Blefary, Mark Belanger, Curt Motton, Dave May and a 24 year old Mike Epstein.
On the mound they were solid. Steve Barber, Tom Phoebus, Dave McNally, Jim Hardin, Wally Bunker and a 21 year old Jim Palmer. Veterans such as Pete Richert and Moe Drabowsky along with Eddie Watt were also in their prime.
Then how in the world did the 97 win O's in 1966 fall to 6th place with 76-85 record 15.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox? Frank Robinson had a solid year and no one could have expected him to duplicate his 1966 Triple Crown Year. Going from 44 homers to 30 while still hitting .311 was not the problem. Brooks Robinson had almost an identical season from the year before. Boog Powell did falter.
Powell drove in half as many runs in 1967, his homers dropped from 34 to 13 and his batting average fell 53 points. Luis Aparicio saw his average drop 50 points and his steals fell off. With Belanger waiting in the wings, he was in his last year with Baltimore. Davey Johnson was about the same as was Etchebarren. Blefary had a similar season and Blair established himself as a star while leading the AL in triples and batting .293.
Russ Snyder was an issue. After batting .306 during the championship year he lost 70 points in his BA the following season. He was dealt the following season to the Indians along with Aparicio in the deal which brought Don Buford to the O's.
When the hitting slipped the pitching had to as well. In 1966 McNally (13), Palmer (15), Bunker (10) and Barber (10) combined for 48 wins. The following season they worked together to win 17 games and only Phoebus won in double figures with 14. Palmer, was plagued by arm injuries in 1967.
During the next two seasons he struggled and after only 49 innings following the title season he was sent to the minors where he finally regained his form after undergoing surgery. He actually had been placed on waivers in 1968 and was left open in the expansion draft. Neither the Royals nor the Pilots selected him. In 1969 he returned to join the rotation and set off on being one of the best pitchers in baseball for several years. Eight times he would win 20 games or more. The defense was about the same when it came to making errors, although Aparicio went from 17 to 25. They went from 755 to 654 in runs scored and in homers they dropped from 175 to 138 but still ranked third in the Al. They were fourth in runs scored. They actually gave up nine fewer runs in 1967. In 1966 the club was about even home and away but were six games worse at home in 1967. They never won more than seven in a row and never lost more than six. The previous season they never lost more than four and that happened several times. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact they didn't get much worse, just everyone else got that much better. The pennant winning Red Sox improved by 20 games to 92 wins. And aside from a downturn in the home run category, there lies the rub.
Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated.
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.
We wish to welcome our new sponsor;
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TRIVIA QUESTION: He batted over .400 in two straight World Series with the Yankees but finished his career in 1965 with the A's and the Braves. Who was he?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:When the Dodger's Tommy Davis drove in 153 runs in 1962, he broke the franchise record set by Roy Campanella when the team played in Brooklyn. Campanella drove in 142 runs in 1953.
The Kansas City A's of the 1960's were an enigma. In three of four years during the middle part of the decade they were as inept as a team could be. From 1964-1967 they lost 393 games, finishing 10th out of 10 teams in three of those seasons. The rest of the decade wasn't much better. When you look at the roster for the 1964 club however, you have to wonder what might have been.
Taking the players in their better years you would have an all-star team for the decade. The 1964 club had the likes of Blue Moon Odom who won at least 15 games three times, Jose Santiago who three years later would lead the AL in winning percentage with Boston at 12-4, Moe Drabowsky who became a premier closer with Baltimore, Ken Sanders who became an outstanding closer with Milwaukee and led the league in 1971 with 31 Saves, Lew Krausse a solid starter later in his career, and John Wyatt, Wes Stock and Jack Aker. The latter three proved to be some of the best relievers in the game combining for 249 Saves. Several of the above later wore World Series rings.
At the plate there was more of the same. Jim Gentile belted 179 career homers and drove in 141 in 1961 to lead the AL. With 374 career home runs, Rocky Colavito would lead the league in RBI the following season (with Cleveland), Bert Campaneris, Ken Harrelson and Jose Tartabull were all budding stars who would have outstanding seasons after 1964. Even Dick Green would have a nice career and eventually play in a World Series. The rest of the team wasn't that bad.
It might have been the presence of team owner Charlie O. Finley who was a character himself (see a previous blog) but what went wrong with a team which could not win?
The team did lack a stopper; a pitcher it could depend on to stop a
losing streak and the A's had many losing streaks. The club lost four of
it's first five and never looked forward. By May 24th they were 11 games
back of the league leaders and the season was pretty much over.
Around that time they lost 10 of 11, won three out of four and promptly lost 10 of their next 12. Then all of a sudden they won eight of their next nine. Could there be a resurgence. They went from 16.5 games back to 13 back and there was a new found spirit in the clubhouse. That lasted for all of ten minutes. Another losing streak (10 out of 11) where the A's scored a total of 17 runs in 11 games. Back to 18.5 games out.
July they lost 9 of 11, then 7 of 9, then 11 of 13, in August and into September 13 of 15, 9 of 10, and finished the season losing four straight. When the dust had cleared they never won more than five straight and never hit .500 on the season.
The worst day was July 25th when they were pounded by the Angles 18-2. Orlando Pena gave up 11 runs with four homers in just four innings. Bo Belinsky shut the A's down on five hits. The teams best day was October 4th when the season mercifully ended. They were shut out by the White Sox in the final two games. It was a season of 57-105.
They started the 1965 season the way 1964 ended. They lost 11 of their first 13. After two wins they promptly lost 10 of 11 and at 5-21 manager Mel McGaha was gone. He had taken over mid way through the previous season. It was basically the same team with almost the same result but two games better with 103 losses.
The big difference perhaps was 1965 which saw the debut of a young pitcher from Hertford, North Carolina by the name of Jim "Catfish" Hunter. The future Hall of Famer started his rookie season and finished 8-8. He got his first win after two losses on July 27th, besting future Cy Young winner, Jim Lonborg in a wild game 10-8. Hunter did not pitch well, giving up five earned runs in five innings but a W is a W and the rest was history. He would go on to win 20 or more games in five straight seasons in the 1970's with the A's and then the Yankees.
Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated.
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.
We wish to welcome our new sponsor;
Huggins and Scott Auctions, one of the premier sports trading card and
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Now with MONTHLY Auctions!
TRIVIA QUESTION: When Tommy Davis drove in 153 runs in a season, which Dodger great's record did he surpass?
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:One high school in California really has a reputation for turning out great athletes. Vada Pinson, Curt Flood, Frank Robinson and basketball HOFer Bill Russell all attended McClymonds High School.
At one point in his career the name Tommy Davis struck fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. Every time he came up to pinch-hit, he shook them to their toes. Tommy Davis did some things with the bat most people have forgotten, but one thing they should never forget was his ability to hit in the pinch. When he retired he had bested the record of a player only purists remember; Frenchy Bordagaray. Bordagaray played for several teams including the Giants during the depression years and later retired to work for the parks district in Ventura, CA, where he became a local hero. He retired with a lifetime pinch-hit average of .310. When Davis retired he was 63-197 in the pinch for a .312 record.
Davis was known for more than his pinch-hitting. in 1962 at the age fo 23 he had his best year ever. His .346 BA edged Frank Robinson by four points and his 230 hits led the NL along with his 153 RBI. He also smacked a career high 27 homers. The following year he bested Roberto Clemente by half a dozen points at .326 to win his second batting title. That year he led the Dodgers to the World Series where he hit .400 with a pair of triples as Los Angeles beat the Yankees to take the title.
In 1964 he tailed off but still hit a respectable .275 but his homers and RBI dropped substantially. It was 1965 however which pretty much killed his career. On May 1, 1965 in a game against the Giants, he slid into second base awkwardly and dislocated his ankle. He was lost for the year. It opened the door for Lou Johnson who filled in admirably and became a hero when the Dodgers played the Twins in the 1965 Series.
In 1966 Davis came back to hit .313 but with only three homers and being the fourth outfielder for much of the season it was obvious he was on his way out. He played in the World Series but wasn't much of a factor as the Dodgers were swept by the Orioles in four.
The off season saw him packing his bags for New York as the Dodgers dealt him to the Mets for Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman. Derrell Griffith went along with him. He hit .302 with 16 homers in his only season in New York before he was shipped off to the American League Chicago White Sox in a multiplayer trade which brought Tommy Agee to New York. It was the trade which was key in building the Miracle Mets of 1969. Before the decade of the 1960's ended he would also play in Seattle and Houston. He hit .271 in his only season for the Pilots who only had one season in the Northwest city. Davis would end his career with a .294 lifetime average and 153 homers. At times he set franchise records and outperformed teammates including the year of the pitcher; 1968. He led the Sox in batting that season by far at .268 A three time all-star he played for 12 teams in 18 seasons and was often bitter about it. He said he could not understand why he kept being released, or sent elsewhere. His casual style of play may have been a factor because it wasn't his bat. He stated later "the lazier I felt the better I
hit", and admitted he often went into the clubhouse to read and
even to shave between at bats as a DH with Baltimore.
It was a decent big league career which might have been better if not for the injury. But for two straight seasons there were few better in history, let alone the decade known as the turbulent 60's.
Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column. It has been appreciated.
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.
