Baseball in the 1960's

Monday, February 21, 2022

Cesar Tovar; Full Time Utility Player

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Johnny Rollins of Jasper, AL, who correctly stated the first batter Steve Carlton faced in his MLB career was the Cubs' George Altman, whom he walked. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: By answering the TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY you are automatically 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 if you win we can send you the gift card in the mail.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: In the game in which Cesar Tovar pitched in 1968, who was the only batter he struck out in the only inning he hurled in a big league game?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Steve Carlton walked the first batter he ever faced and that was Cubs outfielder, George Altman.

If there ever was a player who could be called a "super utility player" it would have to be Cesar Tovar of the 1966 Minnesota Twins. It was his rookie year. There are plenty of name players who moved around the diamond including Dick Schofield, Denis Menke, Bert Campaneris and anyone who played on the 1962 Mets. As for Tovar he was so valuable he played in 134 games and batted 465 times, fourth highest on the team. The only players who came to the plate more often were Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva and Zoilo Versalles.

Tovar played four positions. He spent 74 games at second, 34 at short and 24 in the outfield including 20 in center field. He also came in the pinch (running and hitting) in seven more games. He did commit 14 errors but only a few compared to the 35 booted by Versalles who was coming off his MVP season.

So valuable was Tovar he earned the right to become a starter the following season. He only batted .260 in 1966, but just one year later he would finish 7th in the AL MVP race. That season he led the American League in Games, Plate Appearances and At Bats. So much for utility status, or was it? In 1967 he played 35 games at second base, 72 at third, nine at short and 74 in the outfield. Rarely had this kind of versatility been seen of a "regular" player and a "league leader."

When he retired after 12 seasons he had earned MVP votes in five of them. He also, at various times, led the league in doubles, triples, caught stealing, hit by pitch and in 1971 sat atop the AL with 204 base hits.

Oh, and in 1968 he was even the starting pitcher in a game. He went on to play every other position in that game becoming only the second player in MLB history to accomplish the feat. He did it against the A's and Campaneris. Campaneris was the other player to play nine positions in a game.

Tovar tossed one inning, walked one, struck out one and issued a balk. He got no decision. Now that is utility. Tovar died at age 54 in 1994. A moment of silence was requested that night at the Twins game in the Metrodome.

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Monday, February 14, 2022

Steve Carlton Gets His Start

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Jacob Kribel of Canonsburg, PA, who correctly stated Dick Groat played for the Ft. Wayne Pistons of the NBA. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Steve Carlton made his major league debut against Chicago in 1965 and the only batter he faced, he walked. Who was that Cubs outfielder whom he walked?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Dick Groat played for the Ft. Wayne Pistons of the NBA.

Steve Carlton made his major league debut in a relief role April 12, 1965 and while he didn't pitch much that season he did get a couple of starts. He failed to get a win. On August 5, 1966 however, he proved "Lefty" had arrived.

The Cardinals were barely above .500 and the Mets were, well the Mets. Eleven games under .500 New York was playing out the string, but then again so was St. Louis. The Cards were a solid hitting team with some power and would show it in backing Carlton this day. Orlando Cepeda was the club's big gun along with Mike Shannon and Lou Brock. Curt Flood was his usual self and players such as Charlie Smith and Julian Javier were solid as well. They were two years removed from a World Series and one year away from another title. Carlton was just beginning.

He started off shaky, giving up six hits and tossing a wild pitch in the first five innings. Tito Francona had homered earlier for St. Louis but a fly ball out tied the game in the fifth. It was the only run the Mets would get.

In later innings Javier and Tim McCarver would also go deep. The Mets were held in check as Carlton settled down allowing only one hit and three walks the rest of the way, pitching a complete game victory 7-1. Interestingly enough, the future strikeout king only whiffed one batter in his first MLB win. Al Luplow watched as a third strike crossed the plate in the fourth inning.

Carlton would finish the year 3-3, with a 3.12 ERA. He started nine games and completed two, including one shutout. He struck out 25 batters in 52 innings. A far cry from what he would later do with the Phillies in becoming one of the most dominant pitchers of the era on his way to the Hall of Fame. He was a five time 20-game winner with 329 victories.

Monday, February 7, 2022

NL Batting Race 1960 - The Bull Durham Case

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Craig McGraw of Middletown, DE, who correctly stated Lou Gehrig and Mike Schmidt were the only two current Hall of Famers who hit four consecutive home runs. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: What NBA team did Dick Groat play for?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Lou Gehrig and Mike Schmidt were the two Hall of Famers who hit four consecutive home runs. Gil Hodges also hit four consecutive and was this year elected to the Hall but is not there yet.

The 1960 national Laague batting race was among the closest in history. It came down to the final game of the season between league MVP Dick Groat of the Pirates and Norm Larker of the Dodgers. Either one could have sat out game no. 154 and taken their chances but with the title on the line, both chose to play.

Going into the final game Groat was hitting .32513 to Larker's 3226. If Groat gets a hit against Milwaukee, Larker must get at least two hits against the Cubs. Pittsburgh is at home for a Sunday day game three hours ahead of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Vin Scully and the Dodger broadcast team would know well in advance what Larker would need to do to beat out Groat. It was Forbes Field versus the L-A Memorial Coliseum, and Lew Burdette for the Braves while Dick Drott was on the mound for the Cubs.

Through four innings Groat was hitless in two at bats. He led off the fifth with a single. Now 1-for-3 that meant in all likelihood Larker would need at least two hits. Groat would fly out in his final at bat in the 6th. He was scheduled to hit in the 8th inning but manager Danny Murtaugh chose to pinch-hit with Bill Mazeroski with the Bucs leading 9-5.

Was it to bring in the defensive whiz at second base and move Dick Schofield to short, or was Murtaugh trying to preserve the batting title for his MVP candidate? There is no evidence of that we could find but it has been suggested. Groat would finish with .32460. Larker would need two hits to take the crown.

Larker had gone two-for-nine in his last three games. He usually hit in the middle of the order. However, in game no. 154 manager Walt Alston had him batting second. Perhaps to give him more chances to hit. He was foiled in his first at-bat. After a lead off single by Maury Wills, Drott walked Larker. No official at bat there.

Larker led off the third and grounded out to second base facing Dick Burwell. Moe Drabowsky came on in the fifth and with one out Larker hit a ground ball back toward the mound which Drabowsky couldn't handle and it went for a single. Larker had the first hit and at 1-for-3, he was one shy of a batting title.

In the seventh, facing Don Cardwell, Larker hit a flyball. It would all come down to the ninth inning with the score tied 3-3. Bob Lillis led off the inning for the Dodgers and hit a groundball back to Cardwell who threw wildly to first for an error. Pinch-hitter Wally Moon walked and Johnny Roseboro laid down a bunt. It was perfect and the bases were loaded as Roseboro reached first base.

Maury Wills stepped to the plate with Larker in the on-deck circle. If Wills just got out without a run scoring, Larker could be the hero in the final at bat of the season and with a hit, win the NL batting title. It wasn't to be. Wills lifted a fly ball to left field deep enough to bring home Lillis from third and a 4-3 Dodger win. Larker would go back to the dugout wondering what might have been.

Groat would win the batting title by .19. What was it Crash Davis said in "Bull Durham?" Let me paraphrase; One more flair, one Texas Leaguer, one squib through the infield, one dink more on the season and you are a legend forever. Groat lives on as the legend, Larker is pretty much forgotten to all but baseball purists. Larker died in 2007 at the age of 76.

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