Satchel Paige Still Throwing at 58

 

FOR MORE GENERAL TRIVIA CHECK OUT MY YouTube Channel ! 

 TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Brian Walsh of Jackson, MI who correctly identified Jeff Torborg as the Dodger right-handed hitting catcher who usually spelled Johnny Roseboro for the mid-1960's Los Angeles club. Doug Camilli (sold to Washington after the 1964 season) also did it but Torborg was THE man we were looking for, and who actually caught his share of no-hitters while being an average hitter. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST:  IF YOU ANSWER THE TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY YOU WILL BE 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 WE CAN SEND YOUR GIFT IF YOU WIN.

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TRIVIA QUESTION: In Satchel Paige's last game how many non-Latin, African American players appeared for the Kansas City A's, in addition to Paige? A Bonus if you can name them.  
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: During the mid-1960s Jeff Torborg was the guy who usually got behind the plate when the Dodgers faced left-handed pitching. This gave lefty hitting Roseboro the day off.

Who was the last player to ever get a hit off the great Satchel Paige? A lot of names might run through your mind considering the man who said he "pitched long enough to put butts in the seats" spent an entire career in the Negro Leagues before becoming a big leaguer in 1948.

Before we answer the question let's set the scenario. In September, 1965 the Kansas City A's signed Paige to a contract. Whether it was a stunt by promoter extraordinaire Charlie O. Finley or whether it was a bonafide (usually with Charlie O., the word is "bonehead") attempt to let the fans get one last look at the grand old man. Either way it was a full treat for everyone in baseball, or anyone who just loves the game.

(Actual footage of Satchel Paige earlier in his career.)

Paige was signed on the 10th of September at age 58! The A's were long out of the race and were on their way to a 103 loss season and landing in 10th place in the American League, 43 games back of the Twins. They would finish 10th in attendance with barely over half a million fans entering the ballpark. In fact, they rarely drew more than a few thousand people. On September 24th, they only put 2304 fans into Municipal Stadium. 

When it was announced Paige was pitching the night of the 25th, attendance soared. Old Satchel put 9289 "butts in the seats." Four times as many people came out to see the nearly 60 year old hurler compared to the night before. The opponent? The lowly Boston Red Sox who were just four games better than the A's at that point in the season on their way to a ninth place finish.

Satch got the start and for three innings he was untouchable. And that was that. He faced 10 batters in three innings, did not give up a run, struck out one and did not walk a batter. The lone hit was by Red Sox future Hall of Famer, Carl Yasztremski. A harmless double in the first.

Paige began the game getting Jim Gosger to pop out. He ended his string getting Gosger to ground out to short. He faced one over the minimum and was remarkable. He left leading 1-0 in a game the A's eventually lost to Boston, 5-2. He didn't qualify for the win if they had won. He was taken out after three innings with the minimum needed by a starter being five innings. He was relieved for the last time by Diego Segui.

Paige got his final at bat in the big leagues in that game. He struck out.  

Paige's career was legendary. There was talk he would be the first player to break the color barrier but that honor went to Jackie Robinson. Hit finally got his chance with the Indians in 1948 and pitched in the World Series. He was 42 and faced two batters, got them out, and also was called for a balk. A rarity at any level, let alone a World Series game. That season he went 6-1 with a 2.47 ERA.

During his Major League career he saved 33 games, or five more than his 28 wins. He lost 31. His 3.29 ERA was respectable, especially for a pitcher who came to the big leagues at an advanced age. He pitched for four other seasons after the initial rookie year. At age 45 he tossed 138 innings and at age 46 he threw another 117. In 1952 he also tossed a pair of shutouts. 

Paige passed away in Kansas City in 1982 at the age of 76. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971 as the first of the Hall's Negro League Inductees.  

TRIVIA CONTEST; After reading this column you can enter the weekly trivia contest for a chance to win a Starbucks Gift Card. Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at random each week based on correct answers with the odds being based on the number of correct entries.  Please cut and paste or enter the following email into your email system.

                             SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO; brillpro@gmail.com  
 ==========================================================
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. 
 

Marichal vs. Roseboro: A Sad Day for Baseball

 

 FOR MORE GENERAL TRIVIA CHECK OUT MY YouTube Channel ! 

 TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Henry Millster of St. Louis, MO who correctly stated Lou Brock struck out 100 times in a season, nine different times. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST:  IF YOU ANSWER THE TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY YOU WILL BE 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 WE CAN SEND YOUR GIFT IF YOU WIN.

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TRIVIA QUESTION: Johnny Roseboro was the catcher who played most of the games during the mid 1960's for the Dodgers and always faced right handed hitters. Who was the right handed hitting catcher who spelled Roseboro during those years?  
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Lou Brock did hit home runs but is known mainly for his other attributes. He struck out 100 or more times in a season in nine different years.

To say Juan Marichal was an enigma is an understatement. In the 10 years of the 1960's he started and completed 197 games for the San Francisco Giants. Six times he won 20 or more games including 26 in 1968 and 25 in 1963. Three times he pitched over 300 innings and twice more hit marks of 299 and 295. From 1963-1969 his ERA never exceeded 2.76 and twice it was in the 2.1 range (2.13 and 2.10). 

Five times the man with the most varied pitches in his arsenal, completed at least 20 games and pitched 30 complete games in 1968. Five times he issued less than 50 walks and six times he struck out over 200 batters. Amazingly his WHIP was under 1.0 four times during the stretch. He never lost more than 13 and in 1965 he tossed 10 shutouts. He would throw at any angle, any speed.

Yet, despite all of this he is best remembered for the time he went rogue 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 3rd inning Koufax sent a pitch inside. Roseboro dropped the ball on purpose to get a good angle on Marichal who was at the plate. He positioned himself and whipped a throw to Koufax, coming dangerously close to Marichal's face. The Giant's ace said it actually did clip his nose.

Juan confronted Johnny and the two had heated words. Roseboro moved closer. Then it got ugly. Marichal clubbed Roseboro over the head with his bat. Roseboro went down and both benches emptied. A bloodied Roseboro went after Marichal and kept the pounding up until Willie Mays came out and restrained him, bringing some peace to the party. Marichal, bat in hand, was tackled by the umpire.

"I was afraid he was going to hit me with his mask, so I hit him with my bat," Marichal said in an apology a day later.

No one was in a forgiving mood.  Bat versus mask. Hmmm. Doesn't seem like a match. 

Roseboro got 14 stitches, Marichal was fined $1750 and was suspended for 10 games. Roseboro did sue and the case was eventually settled for $7500. 

As for the game itself, a visibly shaken Koufax gave up four runs to the Giants, including homers by Mays and Cap Peterson. The final was 4-3 but Marichal was not the recipient of the win. Ron Herbal was. The Dodgers would go on to win the pennant and the World Series over the Twins.

Believe it or not the two men later became friends. When Roseboro died in 2002 at age 69, Marichal was one of the pallbearers and a speaker at the funeral. Marichal actually spent his last season at age 37, with the Dodgers in 1975.

TRIVIA CONTEST; After reading this column you can enter the weekly trivia contest for a chance to win a Starbucks Gift Card. Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at random each week based on correct answers with the odds being based on the number of correct entries.  Please cut and paste or enter the following email into your email system.
                             SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO; brillpro@gmail.com  
 ==========================================================
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. 
 

Lou Brock Set the Tone from the Start

 

FOR MORE GENERAL TRIVIA CHECK OUT MY YouTube Channel ! 

 TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Steve Wade of McKinney, TX who correctly named the Dodgers and Braves as the two teams which drafted Tom Seaver, but who eventually after some legal wrangling, signed with the Mets and became a legend. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST:  IF YOU ANSWER THE TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY YOU WILL BE 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 WE CAN SEND YOUR GIFT IF YOU WIN.

===============================================================
TRIVIA QUESTION: While Lou Brock was not considered a "slugger"he did strike out an inordinate number of times for a lead off hitter for the time period. How many times did Brock "K" at least 100 times in a season during his career?  
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The Dodgers and Braves were the two teams which drafted but were unable to secure the rights to Tom Seaver who eventually signed with the NY Mets.

You might say Lou Brock set the tone for a Hall of Fame career almost as soon as his trade from the Cubs to the Cardinals was complete. The date of the trade which sent Brock to St. Louis, essentially for Ernie Broglio was June 15, 1964. Brock would arrive that same day and fail as a pinch-hitter in the Cards 9-3 loss to Houston. However, he was ready the following day.

Brock started in right field against the Colt 45's and proceeded to show off the speed the Cardinals so sorely lacked at the time. Batting second in the order behind Curt Flood, Brock drew a walk, but was left stranded there when Bill White lined into an inning ending double play.

After failing to get aboard in the third he got a single to center in the fifth. His speed allowed him to move up, over to third on an error and a ground out. Ken Boyer slashed a triple to bring him home for his first run as a Cardinal. The very next inning Brock slashed his own triple to left but wasn't able to score.

In the eighth he drew a walk and stole second for his first as a Cardinal and 11th of the season. Again his St. Louis teammates could not bring him home. As St. Louis closed out Houston 7-1 Brock finished two-for-three, two walks and a stolen base. Not bad for his full time debut. 

Brock would finish the season with a flourish hitting .315 on 200 hits, 11 triples, 14 homers and 43 steals and 111 runs scored as the Cards won the pennant. He was on his way to 938 SBs, a .293 lifetime BA and 1610 runs scored.

TRIVIA CONTEST; After reading this column you can enter the weekly trivia contest for a chance to win a Starbucks Gift Card. Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at random each week based on correct answers with the odds being based on the number of correct entries.  Please cut and paste or enter the following email into your email system.
                             SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO; brillpro@gmail.com  
 ==========================================================
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. 
 

Tom Seaver's Debut; Few Fans Saw It

 

FOR MORE GENERAL TRIVIA CHECK OUT MY YouTube Channel ! 

 TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Thomas Streib of Vero Beach Fl who correctly named the 1960 San Francisco Giants as having the worst of the Giants NL records during the 1960s with 79 wins. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST:  IF YOU ANSWER THE TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY YOU WILL BE 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 WE CAN SEND YOUR GIFT IF YOU WIN.

===============================================================
TRIVIA QUESTION: Two teams drafted Tom Seaver before he eventually signed with the Mets. Name at least one of those teams who drafted him but failed to sign him.  
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The Giants worst season in the 1960s when it came to their win-loss record was 1960 when they only won 79 games.

From the very beginning watching Tom Seaver pitch was a joy, even for fans of opposing teams. The smooth, yet dominant and controlled style of the master of the Mets, was truly something to behold. You knew Seaver, coming out of USC was something special. 

His debut came on April 13th, 1967 in front of ONLY 5,005 fans in New York. The Mets usually drew a lot more but this was a Thursday Day Game and New Yorkers were at work.  

While Seaver didn't get his first Win until his second game, his first game was one Matty Alou of the Pirates gave the young pitcher fits. It was the second game of the 1967 season when the Pirates came a'calling to Shea Stadium. Alou, the 1966 batting champ led off the game with a double. Welcome to the big leagues Mr. Seaver. Seaver got through the inning with a walk to Wilver Stargell and his first strike out of his career; Donn Clendenon to end the first. 

A Jerry Buchek two-run homer off Woody Fryman gave Seaver his first lead, 2-0. It would be all he would get, but not what he would need.

He would strikeout Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley in the second but in the third was exposed again to Alou. Alou, the middle of the famous Alou brothers, led off with a walk. Maury Wills singled him to second and Roberto Clemente singled him home. The first earned run Seaver gave up was to another Hall of Famer. It was 2-1. Stargell and Clendenon were strike out victims.

In the fourth, Alley and Fryman were strikeout victims but here again Alou was Seaver's nemesis. With two out and a walk to Jesse Gonder, Seaver hit Alou with a pitch to put runners at first and second. Wills tied the game with a single, 2-2.

A walk in the fifth was all he allowed and he struck out Alley for a third time, sending the all-star shortstop back to the dugout shaking his head. The sixth however, was Seaver's downfall and again it was Matty Alou. He gave up a one out double to opposing (and good hitting pitcher) Vern Law before plunking Alou again with a pitch. Manager Wes Westrum had seen enough of his young ace-to-be and brought in Chuck Estrada.

The Mets went on to rally behind Estrada who picked up the win 3-2. Seaver's first game line was pretty impressive. He went 5.1 innings gave up 6 hits, 4 walks only 2 runs and struck out 8 Pirates. He also got a hit in his only official AB and drew a Walk in his first plate appearance. Not bad for the 22-year old future star. Seaver could not be blamed for having issues with Alou. He would finish the season .338 but of his six times being Hit by Pitch, two were issued by Seaver that first start.

His next start was impressive. It was exactly a week later on April 20th and again a small crowd in New York saw him win no. 1. Only 5379 fans were at Shea that day. Seaver went 7.1 innings, allowing 8 hits, 0 Walks, and only one run in striking out 5 on his way for his rookie season 16-13 record and ROY honors. He completed 18 of 34 starts with a 2.76 ERA with 170 K's in 251 innings. It was the start of something BIG.

TRIVIA CONTEST; After reading this column you can enter the weekly trivia contest for a chance to win a Starbucks Gift Card. Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at random each week based on correct answers with the odds being based on the number of correct entries.  Please cut and paste or enter the following email into your email system.
                             SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO; brillpro@gmail.com  
 ==========================================================
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.