Killer Instincts Harmonize

TRIVIA QUESTION: When Harmon Killebrew got injured stretching for a throw at first base in the 1968 All-Star game, the throw came from shortstop. Who was the shortstop?

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: In 1962 legendary manager Birdie Tebbetts oversaw the Milwaukee Braves to a fifth place finish with a record of 86-76. It was a one year stint for Birdie as he replaced Chuck Dressen and was replaced in 1963 by Bobby Bragan. While Tebbetts, who took over in the final weeks of the 1961 season, improved the Braves by three games, Bragan actually failed to reach the 1962 mark of 86 wins set by Tebbetts. Bragan managed 84 wins. 

 Having met the man and hosted him in my baseball card store for a public signing, I can attest to the fact Harmon Killebrew was one of the nicest guys I ever met, and certainly one of the most pleasant ballplayers to grace the diamond. On that diamond however, he terrorized the pitchers of the 1960's arguably more than any other. I once said of him "Harmon Killebrew was so strong he could 'break' a baseball with his bat." He may never have done that but if it could happen, I'd bet dollars to donuts he'd be the first.

                 (Home Run Derby Killebrew vs. Mays)
While his reign began in the 1950s it's the 1960s we concentrate on in this column and when 1960 rolled around it set Killer off on a string of homer years for the decade. Every year save one, he pounded the ball deep. That one year was 1968 (the year of the pitcher) when an injury in the all-star game almost cut short his career. 

When the decade turned the corner from the 1950's Killebrew fell off. The 24 year old slugger, coming off a league leading 42 homer season slipped to 31 in only 124 games. He even trailed teammate Jim Lemon who had 38. Then however, it was Killebrew off to the races.

In the Home Run Race of 1961 when Roger Maris hit 61 and Mickey Mantle blasted 54, few remember it was Killebrew in third with 46 (tied with Jim Gentile) and 122 RBI. The next three years saw HR totals of 48, 45 and 49. He led the AL in each season. Two of those seasons he led the majors. 

A dip to 25 in an injury shortened 1965 pennant winning season which saw him only play in 113 games, preceded a rebound to 39 in 1966. The following season it was a first place tie with 44 homers with Triple Crown Winner Carl Yastrzemski. 

The 1968 season was awful. It was thought an awkward stretch at first base in the All-Star Classic might be career ending. Killebrew was never the same during the season and played in only 100 games, hitting 17 homers and batting a lowly .210. 

You can see the video of the game in 1968 at this link, and the play where Killebrew got hurt is at 1:06:35 of the YouTube video. 

However, he would not be denied as he led the Twins to the AL West title in 1969. He rebounded to bang a league leading 49 homers, 140 RBI and a .276 BA. His league topping on-base percentage was an amazing .427 as he drew 145 walks (20 of them intentional)! At age 33 Killebrew played in all 162 games. It was the third time in his career he played in all of his club's games. He was named AL MVP for his efforts.

He followed up the decade with 41 more homers in 1970 but began to fade with age. When he called it a career, Harmon Killebrew finished with 573 home runs, 1584 RBI and 1559 bases on balls. His .256 lifetime BA was considered respectable for a slugger of his caliber. Six times he either led or tied for the league lead in home runs, nine times he drove in 100 or more runs, in seven seasons he drew over 100 walks and only once did he ever top the league in strikeouts. 

He played all but one season, his last, as a Washington Senator/Minnesota Twin (a final season in Kansas City) and after 22 seasons he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984. Harmon Killebrew died May 17, 2011. 

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Tommie Aaron, the Other Brother's Best Day

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who managed the Milwaukee Braves during the 1962 season?

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: In 80 games at the age of 35, Bubba Morton was the only Angel to bat .300 or better with more than 100 at bats during the 1967 season. He hit .313 in 201 ABs. Morton's career average was .267. Jim Fregosi led the regulars hitting .290 that season. 

The Aaron Brothers (Hank and Tommie) are often the answer to a trivia question of which pair of brothers hit the most home runs in major league baseball. Of course with 755 for Hank and Tommie's 13, it was an obvious answer. Few remember the impact Tommie had however and perhaps being overshadowed by his much more talented brother pushes the point. Tommie was a good player in his own right but his most memorable game likely came during his rookie season; 1962.

Only a few more than 6000 people saw the Philadelphia Phillies invade County Stadium in Milwaukee Thursday afternoon, April 26, 1962. Few who were there would forget it because the home town Braves destroyed the visiting Phils 10-4 in an early season contest.

Tommie, who would play six different positions in his career including three in the outfield, was the lead-off hitter for Milwaukee facing Jack Hamilton. It was Tommie Aaron's game from the start. He led off the bottom of the first with a single. After Mack Jones grounded out sending Tommie to second and brother Hand K'd, Eddie Mathews singled him home with the first run of the game, 1-0. Mathews would come around to score on a Frank Bolling double giving the Braves a 2-0 lead.

The lead help up until the third when Don Demeter singled in a run to make it 2-1. Tommie struck out in the second but it was only one of two times Phil's pitchers got him out that day. In the fourth Bob Hendley singled home Joe Adcock making it 3-1 and Tommie came to the plate facing Hamilton again. This time with Roy McMillan on second and Hendley on first, Tommie belted a Hamilton pitch high and deep to left for a three run homer, 6-1 Braves.

  (Topps often used the same picture for many different years of cars.)
It was Tommie Aaron's first career home run and the first of 13 in his career. In the fifth Del Crandell doubled in two more and the route was on. In the inning Tommie moved from left field to first base after Adcock was lifted for a pinch runner. But he was not through.

In the sixth, Tommie again came up with Hendley on base and promptly tripled him home, scoring himself on a flyball by brother Hank. It was 10-1. In the eighth Tommie grounded out and when the final score was clocked in, the Braves beat the Phillies 10-4. 

For Tommie Aaron it was a career day. His first home run, and he lit up the box score going three for five, scoring three runs and had four RBI. He homered, singled and tripled, registering eight total bases. In his career he became the first sibling to join his brother in a league championship series. The 1962 season was by far his best. He hit eight homers and while only batting .231 he had 20 doubles and played in a career high 141 games. A third of his lifetime at bats, and more than half of his home runs came during his rookie season. He retired after the 1971 season with seven years in the big leagues.                                                      
       
  (While the video above may be a great day in Aaron's life there was one more)

Neither team did much with the Phils finishing in 7th, the Braves in 5th, but for Tommie Aaron that April day in 1962 was special. He died of leukemia at the age of only 45. 
 

"NEW SPECIAL OFFER"
Need to get out of a baseball hitting slump, or a golf swing slump? Order my new book "Beating the Slump; An athlete's guide to a better career." See it on Amazon for only $5.99. That is for the Paperback, you can also order Kindle on that link. You can also order paperback copies directly from me via the email below for my other books.

You can get a signed paper back copy of the above book

"Tales of My Baseball Youth - a child of the sixties"

for $15 Shipping Included 

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 book after reading this column.

Also: Please check out our new Western Short Film. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/iron-gun-western-feature-film/#/
 
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.     

Angels Fall from Grace

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the only Angel player who had more than 100 at bats, to hit over .300 during the 1967 season? 

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN:  Despite leading the NL or the AL in strikeouts in five different seasons, slugger Dick Stuart only led the league in K's, once. Stuart who hit 228 homers in ten seasons with the Pirates, the Red Sox, the Mets, the Dodgers and the Angels, led the league with 121 whiffs while playing for Pittsburgh in 1961. He slugged 35 home runs that year but was traded to Boston after the following season where he belted 42 homers and struck out 144 times. He struck out 957 in 1112 big league games. 

August 1967 was a time of hope and a time of despair for the California Angels who came so close but yet in an instant fell from grace with hope fading with each major league day. The club was filled with promise but was streaky at best. A previous column described how starter George Brunet had one of the worst hard luck seasons ever and this team saw a lot of that.

July saw the Angels with winning streaks of six and seven games. They also had bouts where they lost 9 of 10, and 10 of 13. However it was the promise of hope in mid-August which finally ended the season prematurely for the boys of Anaheim.

It began with a win over the Yankees on August 9th, 7-0, but it was most meaningful the next three games. The Angels would only score six runs in the three contests but they would sweep the Red Sox who would go on to win the AL pennant. 

In the first game it was a wild pitch by Lee Stange which undid a fine pitching performance where the Red Sox starter allowed only four hits in seven innings. It was ace Jim McGlothlin's time to shine however, as the right-hander allowed only three singles in going the distance to shut out the powerful Red Sox.  He faced only three batters over the minimum with the lone run coming on singles by Don Mincher and Jimmie Hall followed by a wild pitch to Roger Repoz to score the run, 1-0. 

Game Two saw another pitching duel between the Halo's Jack Hamilton and Gary Bell. A Mincher home run would even the score until the sixth when Tom Satriano led off with a double and Rick Reichardt (who wasn't playing much at the moment) went in to pinch run. Jose Cardenal sacrificed Reichardt to third. He scored on a single by Jim Fregosi. It was the only other run of the game and the Angels won it 2-1 as Marvelous Minnie Rojas picked up his 21st save.

Game three provided a bit more offense, but not much. The Angels were in control from the start with an inside the park homer by Cardenal and a solo shot from Repoz giving Anaheim a 2-0 lead. In the fourth inning Repoz singled and moved to third on a pair of ground-outs, only to ride home on ace Jim Lonborg's wild pitch. It would be the second of the three games where the winning run was scored on a Boston wild pitch. The only Red Sox runs came on a two run shot in the ninth by Rico Petrocelli. Ricky Clark pitched shutout ball into the eighth before giving way to Jim Weaver. 

The sweep put the Angels to just 1.5 games out of first at 62-53. It would be the closest they would come. It would start to unravel with Brunet, who as usual pitched a masterful game, losing to Minnesota 2-1. Both unearned runs scored on a Fregosi error. The Twins Jim Perry would shut them out in the next contest 6-0, followed by a complete game performance by ex-Angel Dean Chance 5-1. It marked the return to the line up of Reichardt who went 1-4.

The team moved onto Fenway where the Red Sox found the friendly confines and returned the favor, winning 3-2 with Gary Bell tossing a 4-hitter. It was the Halo's 4th straight loss. The next game was a slugfest 12-11 and while the Angels out-homered the Sox (4-2), they still lost. Home runs by Reichardt (12th), Fregosi (8th), Repoz (6th) and Hall (16th) were not enough. 

Next up Brunet versus Stange. Brunet was uncharacteristic in this one, as the Sox came up with a 12-2 win (second straight game scoring 12 runs), led by MVP and Triple Crown winner, Carl Yastrzemski's 30th homer. Next up another loss as Boston continued to pound Angel pitching, 9-8. Rojas was called on to pitch three innings to save this one, but wasn't up to it. The final run coming on a Jerry Adair homer. Reichardt continued his torrid hitting going three-for-five, with 2 RBI. 

It was the seventh straight loss. The Angels fell to 62-60. A win at Cleveland would end the streak. However, the Angels went from 1.5 back to 6.5 back and would never get closer. The end had essentially come six weeks before the season officially ended. The team would put together some short winning streaks followed by short losing streaks and when the dust settled on the 1967 season they would finish 7.5 games back of Boston, 84-77 in 5th place. 

During the losing streak, Angel's Bonus Baby Reichardt, who only pinch ran during the winning streak, batted .400, 8-20 and 5 RBI with a homer. For the season he hit 17 dingers, good for second on the club behind Mincher whom he also trailed in RBI 76-69, in what was only his second full season in the big leagues.

"NEW SPECIAL OFFER"
Need to get out of a baseball hitting slump, or a golf swing slump? Order my new book "Beating the Slump; An athlete's guide to a better career." See it on Amazon for only $5.99. That is for the Paperback, you can also order Kindle on that link. You can also order paperback copies directly from me via the email below for my other books.

You can get a signed paper back copy of the above book

"Tales of My Baseball Youth - a child of the sixties"

for $15 Shipping Included 

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 book after reading this column.

Also: Please check out our new Western Short Film. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/iron-gun-western-feature-film/#/
 
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.