Baseball in the 1960's

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Shaking Off A Bad Season to Rebound - 1962 Pirates

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Scott Hitchcox of Portage, MI, who correctly identified Dooley Womack as the former Yankee who was traded in a deal for Jim Bouton. 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.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Dooley Womack was the other Yankee player who was traded in a deal for Jim Bouton.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Which three members of the 1960 Pirates played in at least two World Series against the New York Yankees?

Just two years post their World Championship year and one year after faltering to sixth place in an eight team league, the Pittsburgh Pirates were on the rebound. As strange as it was, aside from a few new faces who didn't contribute much, they had the same line-up which won the World Series two seasons earlier. However, by the end of 1962 the club would see key faces gone.

The line-up of Bill Virdon in center-field, Roberto Clemente in right and Bob Skinner in left was in tact from 1960 along with an infield of Don Hoak at 3rd, Dick Groat as SS, Bill Mazeroski at 2b and Dick Stuart at 1b (and a challenger). Smokey Burgess and four others handled the catching but not 1960 hero Hal Smith who was gone after 1961. Dick Schofield also played some shortstop as he did in 1960. Most of the bench players were gone.

The pitching was handled by sturdy Bob Friend, Vern Law, Harvey Haddix and Roy Face for the most part. The rest faded or retired including Vinegar Bend Mizell.

But the Bucs had something on this 1962 roster which would shape them through the 1960s and while they didn't contribute much to the team's rise back to 4th place and 93 wins in 161 games, fans saw what was coming, and who was going.

Donn Clendenon had the biggest impact. With part time first baseman Rocky Nelson gone and Stuart struggling to hit .228 with 16 home runs, the versatile Clendenon hit .302 with seven homers in 80 games. While Burgess, Skinner and Clemente each batted over .300, Groat was right behind at .294. Bob Bailey and Willie Stargell only played in 24 games between them and did not do well, but they would form a nucleus of Buc Batters by 1965.

On the mound Alvin McBean came alive to win 15 games, 26 year-old rookie Bob Veale made his debut and so did 20 year-old Tommie Sisk. They only tossed 60 innings between them but fans saw something in the future. Earl Francis became a starter and ate some innings.

By the start of the 1963 season Groat was gone to St. Louis and Stuart to Boston while Hoak was sent to the Phillies. Bailey took over at 3b, Schofield at SS, Jim Pagliaroni who was acquired in the Stuart trade split the catching with aging Burgess and Clendenon was the new first sacker. Jerry Lynch shared left with Stargell with Skinner relegated to the bench. Gene Alley arrived on the scene and would become the regular SS in 1964. Manny Mota came up that year as well. On the mound Joe Gibbon and Don Schwall joined the rotation going 11-24 between them.

It was said by some fans the club traded Stuart and Groat too soon. Clendenon's fine season of 17 homers and .275 did not match what Stuart did in Boston. Stuart belted 42 homers and drove in 118 and followed that up with 33 and 114. Of course, Clendenon didn't have Boston's Green Monster which favored the long ball hitting Dr. Strange Glove. Groat led the NL in doubles with 43 and batted .319. The following season he helped St. Louis win the World Series. Hoak, who was sent to Philadelphia for bench players Ted Savage and Pancho Herrera, had a lackluster season and then retired.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Bouton's Final Game as a Yankee

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Randall Bounds of Springfield, IL who correctly identified Chico Ruiz as the player who pinch-hit for Johnny Bench in Bench's debut game. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Chico Ruiz was the player who pinch-hit for Johnny Bench in Bench's debut game.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: What other player in Yankee history was involved in a trade with Jim Bouton?

The name Jim Bouton stirs a mix of emotions in not only baseball, but especially in Yankee-dom. From exposing some of the all-time greats as having feet of clay in his ground breaking book "Ball Four," to his marvelous two seasons with New York where he won 21 and 18 games and won two games in the World Series. When it all ended for Bouton as a Yank, it was unceremoniously not a bad outing. (Eds Note: There is a link to the actual game at the bottom of the column.)

The last game Bouton pitched for New York was June 11, 1968. Only 4825 fans saw him toss to a total of eight batters in a 9-5 Yankee loss to the White Sox. They also saw Mickey Mantle homer off Joel Horlen. To be sure, the Yankees were not very good in 1968. They would finish in 5th place with a record of 83-79-2, 20 games out of first place. They were not going to be any better with Bouton and they certainly wouldn't be any worse without him.

With the Sox leading 8-3 in the sixth, NY manager Ralph Houk brought in the righty to fill out some innings with the game pretty much out of hand. At least for these Bronx Bombers who left the word "Bomber" to past glories.

Bouton gave up a single to Tim Cullen, got a pair of ground outs and whiffed Buddy Bradford looking. The next inning, after Mantle's 2-run shot to make it 8-5, Bouton gave up three ground balls (one of which Mantle booted for an error) and the very last batter he faced as a Yankee, Duane Josephson, he struck out. That was it. his final line score as a New Yorker;

2 Innings, 0 Runs, 1 hits, 0 walks, 2 K's. Four days later he was sold to Seattle for $20,000 with the Yankees paying $8,000 of his $22,000 1968 salary. However, the franchise only existed on paper at that time and didn't begin play until 1969. As of June 15th, 1968 his season ended at 1-1, with a 3.68 ERA in 12 games. He was used mainly out of the bullpen in the lone season of the Pilots' existence and was traded to Houston.

Call it irony I guess that the man Bouton brought the most heat on in "Ball Four," Mickey Mantle, both made an error behind him in the final appearance and hit a home run to support him. In a matter of further irony, neither really mattered in the game, except in the line score.

Link to the actual game...

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

The Debut of the Bench

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Jack Edwards of Oakland, CA, who correctly stated there were six players named Robinson who played in the majors in the 1960s. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Six players performed in the big leagues during the 1960s who were named Robinson.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the player who pinch-hit for Johnny Bench in Bench's debut game in the major leagues?

Umpire Doug Harvey didn't know what to expect on August 28, 1967, but he made history. He was behind the plate when future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench made his major league debut. For nine innings Harvey got to watch what the baseball world would learn over the next 17 seasons; Johnny Bench was one of the greatest catchers of all time.

Bench would call what was probably a pretty good game for a nervous rookie and he caught three pitchers of varying degree. It wasn't Gerry Arrigo's day certainly facing the Philadelphia Phillies that Monday evening at Crosley Field. A typical August night before 9500 fans the Phils would beat the Reds behind Dick Ellsworth. For Bench's part, whether it was Arrigo or the rookie, can't be known. The young catcher handled 31 year old Don Nottebart and 34 year old Ted Abernathy very well.

Arrigo went five-plus innings giving up 3 ER and walking six. Not a great line score. Philadelphia sluggers Bill White, Johnny Callison and Gene Oliver did most of the damage As for the other two relievers, 2 1/3 perfect innings. Bench was settled in by then.

At the plate, it was not a good start. Batting seventh in his first game, Bench was hit-less in three at bats. His first appearance he popped out, then Ellsworth became the first pitcher to strike out the HOFer, and Turn Farrell did the same a few innings later. A fourth AB brought about a pinch-hitter who also got out.

While the first game in his career was a 3-2 loss, the next night he called a 1-0 shutout for Gary Nolan and two other pitchers. He went hit-less again in three AB, again a popfly and a pair of K's. It wasn't until the following game where he made his hitting mark. Again calling a win, 2-1 for Milt Pappas, he had a sacrifice fly for his first RBI off Chris Short. It was followed by another strikeout and then in the bottom of the seventh he rolled through a ground ball single to left off the left-handed Short.

Bench continued to struggle at the plate batting less than .150 until September 20th when he cracked his first home run. On a three hit day, his first, the Braves Jim Britton gave up the gopher ball. There would be 388 more in his career although 1967 was probably his worst season, batting .163 in 26 games and striking out 25-percent of the time. But there was no doubt about his defense. Catching almost every game after coming on, the club went 16-14 with five shutouts.

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