The Awful 1962 Cubs Heard Round the World

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Chuck Riffee, of Mineral, VA, who correctly identified the four Boston Braves who played in the Negro Leagues as Sam Jethroe,  Luis Marquez, George Crowe, and Buzz Clarkson. . 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: Who led the Cubs in stolen bases in 1963?  
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: There were four Boston Braves who also played in the Negro Leagues; Sam Jethroe,  Luis Marquez, George Crowe, and Buzz Clarkson.

 When you start the season losing your first 10 games there is little elsewhere to go but up. Well, except in the case of the 1962 Chicago Cubs. With the likes of Ernie Banks (37 HR), Billy Williams (22 HR, .298), George Altman (22 HR .318) along with Ron Santo, Ken Hubbs and Andre Rodgers, you'd figure this club for better than a 9th place finish drawing just barely 609,000 fans (10th of 10 teams in attendance). But the Cubs did have one highlight that year (see video below). They lost that game too, 5-3 before 6,699 fans as you can see the stands are pretty empty.

                                      (Cubs vs Phillies July 23, 1962) 

Pitching was pretty bad. Bob Buhl and Cal Koonce both won in double figures but Dick Ellsworth was 9-20. Four of the top 10 pitchers had ERA's over 5.00. It got so bad right out of the gate that after 20 games manager El Tappe was gone (4-16), replaced by Lou Klein who didn't do much better at 12-18. with Charlie Metro taking them the rest of the way (43-69).

It wasn't that the club was so bad, it's just they never could pull together anything seriously resembling a winning streak. They lost 10 straight starting opening day. They lost four in a row several times, mixed in with losing streaks of 7 and 10 games. They never won more than five in a row and that was in mid-June when they were already 20 games out of first place. 

The saddest day was perhaps September 15th at Wrigley Field when before 16,000 fans, the Dodgers spotted them four runs with Don Drysdale on the mound. The Cubbies were drubbed 6-4 and fell 45.5 games off the pace! They only played 162 that season. The team would fix itself for the final 30 days of the season and go 7-7 down the stretch to finish at 59-103. 

However, a year later the club really did right itself and under new manager, Bob Kennedy they finished above .500 at 82-80. It moved them up to seventh place and the amazing thing was, they did it basically with the same guys. Larry Jackson was added and Altman was gone. Ron Santo stepped it up and banged 27 homers and hit .297 but Banks fell off to 18 home runs and a .227 BA. Williams did about what he did the previous year and Ellsworth went from a 20 game loser to a 22 game winner. Now that's progress.

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  
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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.

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Embracing the Negro Leagues - Finally (Satch)

 

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EDITORS NOTE: We thought with Major League Baseball finally bringing the Negro League players into the MLB world, it was only appropriate that we brought this column back this week as a tribute to one of the great players of that era.  While there were many who made the jump from the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues, Paige perhaps had the biggest impact in the 1960s of those who had long careers before the color barrier was broken. Willie Mays and Hank Aaron both played in the Negro Leagues for a short time, but their careers were really made in MLB. Not so for the likes of Paige and others. This is a slice of time for the great Satch.

 TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Marykay Honel of Bourbonnais, Il, who correctly stated Hoyt Wilhelm pitched five shutouts in his career as a starting pitcher. 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: While the Boston Red Sox did not have any players on their roster who played in the Negro Leagues, the Boston Braves did. How many Boston Braves players actually spent time in the Negro Leagues. Bonus if you can name them.  
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Hoyt Wilhelm pitched five shutouts in his career as a starting pitcher in the big leagues.

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. 
 

The Day an F.Robby Ruined an Oriole's Season - 1962

FOR MORE GENERAL TRIVIA CHECK OUT MY YouTube Channel ! 

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Sean McCormack of Sparks, NV, who correctly identified Dick Selma as the 1969 Padres pitcher who would play for another team in 1970 and register 22 saves. He played for the Phillies.  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.

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TRIVIA QUESTION: Known mostly as a reliever, Hoyt Wilhelm was an outstanding starting pitcher too. How many career shutouts did Wilhelm have?   
 
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Dick Selma pitched for the 1969 Padres but went onto Save 22 games for the Phillies the following season. 

 If ever there was a turning point in a season it came for the 1962 Baltimore Orioles at the hands of F. Robby, and we don't mean Frank Robinson. It was Floyd Robinson, the slick fielding outfielder who patrolled the outfield for the Chicago White Sox. And it came on June 1, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. And it came at the expense of one of the games best relievers.

The Orioles only finished with less than 80 wins twice during the 1960s. It happened in 1962 and again in 1967 with the collapse of the World Champion Orioles who had both Brooks and Frank to lead the team. The 1962 version was not a bad club. They had power with Jim Gentile's 33 homers leading the way, Brooks hit 23 and batted .303 while Russ Snyder hit .305 and with Jerry Adair, Boog Powell and Jackie Brandt all hitting double figures in homers. 

The pitching was fairly solid with a young Steve Barber, Milt Pappas, Hoyt Wilhelm, Dick Hall and an aging but competent Robin Roberts. They were better than the 77 wins they recorded but the end really began on the first day of June.

The O's had never been less than 5.5 games back of first and actually spent a few days in April tied for at the top of the AL. The didn't have long losing or winning streaks but did have some in the 4-5 game range. Still they were pretty consistent. Then on June 1, 1962 they faced Ray Herbert and the White Sox. Pappas took the mound for the Birds. 

The game was uneventful with both starters going eight innings and heading into the ninth with Chicago holding a 2-1 lead.  Hall pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning but Herbert who was still in the game was tiring. After giving up a single to Gentile he was replaced by Frank Baumann. Charlie Lau sacrificed and Turk Lown came on to pitch. Two singles later the game was tied and it was Wilhelm, manager Billy Hitchcock called on as they went into extra innings. Lown stuck around.

A scoreless White Sox 10th led to trouble for Lown in the bottom of the inning. After striking out Johnny Temple, Russ Snyder doubled. An intentional walk to Brooks Robinson brought up Wilhelm. A wild pitch put runners on second and third before Lown K'd his opposite number and Lau to end the inning by striking out the side.

The top of the 11th was when F. Robby of the American League made his play. He worked Wilhelm for a walk and then promptly stole second. After Bob Farley popped out, Charlie Smith laced a single to bring Robinson home.  With Sammy Esposito at the plate Smith was thrown out trying to steal. Good thing for the O's because Esposito followed with a single and a Wilhelm knuckler got away from Lau sending pinch runner Luis Aparicio to second. The key to the inning was Smith getting thrown out as Cam Carreon struck out.

The O's went quietly in the 11th and the Sox had a 3-2 win and the O's were now six games back. Little more than week later they were 8 back and 7th in the 10 team AL. While they would get better for a couple weeks and actually move up in the standings by July 27th they were back to double digits behind the leader, 10 games off the pace. They would eventually finish the season at 77-85, 19 games back of the first place Yankees, losing their final four in a row.

Hitchcock would bring his team back in 1963 by almost identically reversing the teams 1962 record and finishing in fourth place. The O's had basically the exact same lineup as the previous year but Steve Barber turned into a 20 game winner and both Roberts and Pappas had outstanding seasons. 1963 also marked the year Wilhelm joined Robinson as a member of the White Sox in a trade which involved players who played in the above storied game.

 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.