Baseball in the 1960's

Monday, October 10, 2022

Super Minor Leaguers - MLB Bust

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Jerry Parker of Queens, NY, who correctly identified the Cleveland Indians as the team Claude Osteen beat for his final win of his career. 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. Please enter via brillpro@gmail.com and please put your mailing address in with the answer so we can send you the gift card in the mail.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Claude Osteen beat the Cleveland Indians for the final victory in his career.

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NOTE; At the top right corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the Dodgers super minor league player of the 1960's & 1970's who played well in the minors but over three seasons had a lifetime big league BA of .173?

When a big time major leaguer gets traded and a super minor league prospect is part of the deal in return, fans often wonder what happened when that minor league player goes "bust." There are any number of their stories in baseball. We will take a look at three. First, Dick Simpson.

When the Reds decided they needed pitching more than they needed slugger Frank Robinson who was still in his prime, they sent the outfielder packing to Baltimore for Milt Pappas. Everyone knows what happened to Robinson who won the Triple Crown in leading the Orioles to the World Series. Pappas never panned out like the Reds hoped. Then there was the outfielder the Reds got in return; Dick Simpson.

Maybe they were impressed with his stats a few years earlier. In 1961 Simpson slugged 42 homers, drove in 113 and batted .315 for San Jose's minor league club. In seven minor league seasons he would hit 108 homers and bat .286 for affiliates of many clubs. In his seven major league seasons he would bat just 518 times (the equivalent of just one full season) with 15 homers and a .207 BA.

Simpson made more of an impact because of who he was traded for. After Robinson, the Reds sent him to the Angels for Alex Johnson who had a lifetime average of .288 and a career best .329. He was also traded for Dooley Womack, Bobby Bolin, Norm Siebern and Ron Davis.

The minor leaguer the Cubs got in the Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio deal was Doug Clemens. In 1961 at Tulsa, Clemens hit a pretty impressive .342. He slumped a bit into the .270's the next couple of years but was promising. In five minor seasons he batted .298 with 48 dingers. His seven major league seasons amounted to just over 900 at bats and a lifetime .229 BA. His best season (.279) was the same season he was traded for Brock and came up right away. He never achieved that again.

One of the most interesting careers was that of Moose Stubing who can be likened to Crash Davis in the film "Bull Durham." Stubing was signed by Pittsburgh in 1956, was sent to the NY Giants in 1957, who traded him in 1965 to the Cardinals for George Williams who then sent him to the Angels. His entire major league career as a player consisted of one season where he pinch hit five times and struck out four times. Actually I remember listening to the Angel games where that happened wondering if this guy would ever hit a fair ball.

Especially, this was interesting because, like the Bull Durham catcher Davis, Stubing had a grand minor league career belting 192 home runs over 15 seasons with a .283 BA and 811 RBI. Stubing of course went on to manage the Angels for eight games in 1988. The Angeles lost all eight. He did have a fairly successful minor league managing career. Over nine seasons he finished above .500 six times. In 1982 he was named PCL Manager of the Year and later became a college referee.

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.
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Monday, October 3, 2022

The Strange Case of Osteen Vs. Mays 1960

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Craig McGraw of Middletown, DE, who correctly identified Hoyt Wilhelm as the pitcher who gave up Roger Maris' final home run as a Yankee. It was Wilhelm who halted Maris bid in 1961 to outdo Babe Ruth. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Hoyt Wilhelm gave up Roger Maris' final homer as a Yankee in his career.

NOTE; At the top right corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Claude Osteen finished with a career record of 196-195 and had to win his very last game to be above .500. It was a shutout where he pitched 8 scoreless innings before giving way to Goose Gossage to close it out. What team did Osteen beat for his final victory 2-0?

Most fans know of the significance of the career and the history of former Dodger starter Claude Osteen. How he was a big part of mid-1960s Dodger championship teams. Most remember he was a key player in the trade which sent slugger Frank Howard to Washington. Few remember Osteen with his original team; the Cincinnati Reds. Fewer even remember the significance of his very first decision in 1960.

(A much later home run by Mays off Osteen.)

Osteen originally came up with the Reds in 1957 and pitched briefly over two seasons but failed to get a win or loss. Then on August 25th, 1960, he would make sort of history. It wasn't something records are made of but it sure likely stood out in Osteen's mind forever. It was future nemesis Willie Mays who gave him that loss and in the most unusual way.

Osteen got the start against Sam Jones of the Giants. He didn't last long, only 1 and 1/3 innings. He breezed through the first getting Jim Davenport, Joe Amalfitano and Mays. Meanwhile the Reds has staked him to a run, leading 1-0.

The second inning started off with a Felipe Alou flyout, but then things began to unravel. He walked both Willie Kirkland and Bob Schmidt after a single to Orlando Cepeda. That loaded the bases with one out. Eddie Bressoud and Sam Jones each hit singles and each drove in one run keeping the bases loaded with the score 2-1 Giants.

Davenport grounded into a force at second scoring a run making it 3-1 and he issued a walk to the pesky Amalfitano to load them up for Mays. Willie did not miss a beat. Mays smacked a ball into right field and as Gus Bell tried vainly to corral it, Willie raced around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam home run and a 7-1 lead.

Manager Fred Hutchinson had seen enough. Bill Henry came into relieve Osteen and got Alou to ground out to end the inning, mercifully. The Giants won the game 8-5. He would not get another NL decision until years later with the Dodgers after he was traded to Washington for Dave Sisler following the 1961 season. He found a home there until the trade which sent him to Los Angeles and a brand new lease on life. And....many more encounters with Willie Mays and the Dodger/Giant rivalry.

Monday, September 26, 2022

Roger Maris First Homers as a Yankee - Leading OFF

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Bill Frieberg of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who among others knew I screwed up last weeks trivia question and entered everyone into the drawing. He was the lucky one. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Anyone who emailed me. LOL!

NOTE; At the top right corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Who gave up Roger Maris' LAST home run as a Yankee 56 years ago this week? HINT: It's a bit ironic.

While Aaron Judge became only the third player in American League history to hit 60 home runs in a season he also solidified the way NY Yankee baseball is played. The only players to ever hit 60 in a season in the AL all wore Yankee pinstripes. Babe Ruth and Roger Maris both paid those dividends. However, in 1960 when Maris became a Yankee no one ever pictured him as a lead off man. But he was and he paid immediate dividends - twice with homers no. 1 & no. 2.

(The Roger Maris Game of Fame)

When Maris came over from the Kansas City A's the club wanted home runs not average. Why insert him into the lead off spot? It was a pretty ostentatious beginning too. New York opened on the road in Boston with a batting order which featured, in order, Maris, Richardson, McDougald, Lopez, Mantle, Skowron, Howard, Kubek with Jim Coates on the mound.

In the first inning against Tom Brewer, Maris hit a double. In the third he grounded out. In the fifth, after Coates had singled, Maris blasted his first home run of his Yankee career. It came off Brewer and gave New York a 4-1 lead. Leading 6-2 in the sixth Maris singled home Kubek for his third hit. This time Nelson Chittum was the victim.

Ted Bowsfield took the mound in the 8th and after striking out Coates, Maris went deep again for no. 2. A long shot to right and his fourth hit. But he wasn't done. He drew a walk in his last at bat. His line score read 5-2-4-4 and a walk, getting four hits in five at bats with two homers, a single and a double only missing the cycle wanting a triple.

It should be mentioned Ted Williams also homered for the Sox in an 8-4 losing cause. Coates went the distance with a nine-hitter. Maris batted lead-off in game two before manager Casey Stengel decided Bobby Richardson should lead off and Maris was moved to the no. 4 slot behind Mantle.

Maris would finish the year with 39 homers, 112 RBI and a .283 BA. His On-Base percentage was .371 to his slugging percentage of .581. It was obvious he was better positioned to hit with men on base rather than trying to start a rally in the no. 1 slot.

Followers

Monday, October 10, 2022

Super Minor Leaguers - MLB Bust

Monday, October 3, 2022

The Strange Case of Osteen Vs. Mays 1960

Monday, September 26, 2022

Roger Maris First Homers as a Yankee - Leading OFF