Twin Destroyers

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

May 24, 1967 -- Known more in the 1960s for their pitching rather than their hitting, the Chicago White Sox brought their run-scoring bats to Metropolitan Stadium and clobbered the Minnesota Twins 14-1.

Twins destroyer in chief was White Sox first baseman Tommy McCraw. McCraw, who entered the game with a .259 batting average, got 3 hits in 6 at-bats ... all home runs. McCraw drove in 8 runs for the game.

Altogether, the White Sox collected 21 hits off 3 Twins pitchers. Center fielder Ken Berry had 4 hits, and 2 White Sox players -- in addition to McCraw -- had 3 hits each: catcher J.C. Martin, and pitcher Gary Peters. Peters also had 2 RBIs, and hit his first home run of the season, a solo blast off Jim Kaat in the ninth inning. Peters pitched a 6-hit complete game, striking out 9 and raising his season record to 6-1.

Tommy McCraw
Had 3 home runs and 8 RBIs
against the Twins on May 24, 1967

The losing pitcher was Twins ace Dean Chance, whose record dropped to 7-2. Chance allowed 10 hits and 6 earned runs in 6.1 innings. 

The 14 runs would mark the highest scoring total for the White Sox during the 1967 season. In fact, the team reverted to more familiar form after this offensive outburst, scoring a total of 15 runs in the next 7 games. The White Sox, in first place after this win over the Twins, would finish the season in fourth place in the American League, 3 games behind the pennant-winning Boston Red Sox, with an 89-73 record.

The Twins would recover to battle with the Red Sox until the last day of the season. Chance would finish the 1967 season at 20-14 with a 2.73 ERA. He would also lead the league in starts, complete games and innings pitched.

McCraw would finish the 1967 season batting .236 with 11 home runs and 45 runs batted in. 

A Winner for Teams that Couldn't

From Indians Heroes: Remembering the Cleveland Indians Who Helped Make the 1960s Baseball's Real Golden Age ...

Dick Donovan was a pitcher’s pitcher. He was a four-way threat on the mound – fastball, curve ball, slider, control – who pitched with his head as much as with his right arm. According to Mickey Vernon, his manager with the Washington Senators, Donovan “has every pitch planned.”

Donovan was signed by the Boston Braves in 1947 and spent the next 6 seasons (including 2 years in military service), trying to find himself as a professional pitcher. His break came when he was acquired by the Chicago White Sox prior to the 1955 season. Inserted into the White Sox starting rotation, Donovan responded with a 15-9 record and a 3.32 ERA, tying for the team lead in victories with Billy Pierce. He pitched 11 complete games with 5 shutouts.

Dick Donovan
American League ERA leader in 1961
with the Washington Senators,
20-10 in 1962 with the Cleveland Indians

Donovan went 12-10 in 1956, and then went 16-6 in 1957. His victory total was third best in the American League (behind 20-game winners Pierce and Jim Bunning), and his .727 winning percentage led the American League. He tied Pierce for the league lead in complete games with 16, and he averaged only 1.835 walks per 9 innings, posting the second lowest average in the league (for the third year in a row). He finished second in the Cy Young voting to Warren Spahn.

Donovan went 15-14 with a 3.01 ERA in 1958, this time leading the league with 1.9 walks per 9 innings. (He would lead the American League in that category 2 more times in his career.) In 1959, the year the White Sox broke the New York Yankees’ lock on the AL pennant, Donovan suffered from shoulder problems that limited his effectiveness and produced a 9-10 record with a 3.66 ERA. In the 1959 World Series, Donovan made 3 appearances, losing Game 3 but picking up the save in Game 5. The 1959 World Series would be his only post-season appearance.

Lingering concerns about his arm limited Donovan’s workload in 1960, as he made only 8 starts in 33 appearances. Donovan finished the season at 6-1 with a 5.38 ERA. The White Sox left him unprotected for the expansion draft, and the fledgling Washington Senators plucked Donovan for their own starting rotation. He responded with a 10-10 record in 1961, leading the majors with a 2.40 ERA.

Donovan spent only one season in Washington. Immediately after the 1961 season, he was traded with Gene Green and Jim Mahoney to the Cleveland Indians for Jim Piersall. In his first season with the Tribe, Donovan had the best record of his career: 20-10 with a 3.59 ERA. He pitched a career-high 250.2 innings with 16 complete games and a league-leading 5 shutouts.

Now 35, Donovan struggled through the 1963 season, going 11-13 with a 4.24 ERA. In 1964, the Indians’ staff was transitioning to younger pitchers like Sam McDowell, Luis Tiant and Sonny Siebert. Donovan slipped to 7-9 in 1964, and was released by Cleveland after going 1-3 in 1965.

A good hitter, Donovan batted .163 during his career with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs. As a pitcher, Donovan compiled a 122-99 record with a 3.67 ERA. He was a 3-time All-Star.

How to Win 5% of Your Season in One Day

From “This Week in 1960s Baseball …”

The 1962 New York Mets were never known for the outstanding talent they could put on the playing field.

But you couldn’t knock their efficiency … at least not on May 12, 1962.

The Mets came into that afternoon doubleheader with the Milwaukee Braves as the National league’s ninth-place team, ahead of only the Chicago Cubs. And after dropping the first 10 games in the team’s history, the Mets had gone a nearly respectable 6-7 since that awful opening 2 weeks.

Craig Anderson

In the first game of the twin bill, the Mets won in the bottom of the ninth on catcher Hobie Landrith’s two-run homer off Warren Spahn. Picking up the victory was right-hander Craig Anderson, who pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings in relief of Roger Craig.

In the nightcap, the Mets and Braves traded the lead 3 times. The game was tied 7-7 when the first-game winner, Craig Anderson, came out again to pitch the ninth. He retired the side without allowing a hit, and was the winner – for the second time that day – when Gil Hodges blasted his third home run of the season to make the Mets 8-7 winners.

Anderson finished that day at 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA. Things in 1962 would never look better for him, or for the Mets. He would not be a winner again in 1962, and lose his next 16 decisions to finish the season at 3-17 with a 5.35 ERA. The Mets would be 33-103 for the rest of the season, setting a record for futility by winning only 40 games.

On that single afternoon, the Mets accumulated 5 percent of all the victories they would tally for their entire inaugural season. 

Chance Favors the Hard Throwing

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball

Between 1963 and 1966, only one pitcher not named Koufax won the Cy Young award. That was Wilmer Dean Chance, the Los Angeles Angels ace who hurled 11 shutouts in 1964.

Signed by Baltimore in 1959, the Los Angeles Angels plucked Dean Chance from the Orioles’ organization in the 1960 expansion draft. In his rookie season of 1962, Chance emerged as the team’s best starter, finishing with a 14-10 record and 2.96 ERA as the Angels surprised the league by finishing third in only their second season. The next year the Angels came back to earth, finishing ninth, and Chance’s record slipped to 13-18 despite pitching well enough to post a 3.19 ERA.

Dean Chance

Chance was the American League’s most dominant pitcher in 1964, his Cy Young season. His 20-9 record tied him with Chicago’s Gary Peters for most victories. Chance led the league in inning pitched (278) and complete games (15), of which 11 were shutouts (6 of which were 1-0 victories). He also recorded the majors’ best ERA at 1.65. His 207 strikeouts were third in the league.

The 1965 season was another strong one for Chance, 15-10 with a 3.15 ERA. The next year, he lowered his ERA to 3.08, but his record slipped to 12-17. That winter, Chance was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall and Don Mincher.

Chance won 20 games for the Twins in 1967 with a 2.73 ERA. He led the American League in games started (39), complete games (18) and innings pitched (283). He was third in the American League in strikeouts with 220. The only dark point for Chance in an otherwise stellar season came on the last day.

The Twins were tied with the Red Sox going into the last regular season game at Fenway Park. It was a marquee pitching matching, pitting both teams’ aces: Chance (20-13) for the Twins, and Jim Lonborg (21-7) for the Red Sox. The Twins scored a run in both the first and third innings, while Chance shut out the Red Sox over the first five frames. Then the Red Sox chased Chance out of the game, scoring 5 times in the sixth inning. Lonborg coasted the rest of the way, winning a league-leading twenty-second game and the Cy Young award.

In 1968, Chance went 16-16 for the Twins with an excellent 2.53 ERA. He achieved personal highs for innings pitched (292) and strikeouts (234). A series of injuries kept Chance from ever again performing at that level. Over the next 3 years, pitching for 4 different teams, Chance’s combined record was only 18-19.

Chance retired in 1971 after 11 major league seasons. He posted a career record of 128-115 with a 2.92 ERA. He pitched 33 career shutouts, a third of them in his sparkling 1964 campaign.

Fairly Powerful Dodger

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Ron Fairly

Ron Fairly was a “fooler.” From his stocky build you expected him to be a power hitter, and occasionally he was. But his compact swing delivered average and RBIs more than power, and his less-than-expected home run prowess did not keep Fairly from being an important run-producing cog in the Dodgers pennant machines of the mid-1960s.

As a sophomore at the University of Southern California, Fairly was the team’s star center fielder, hitting .348 with 9 home runs and 67 RBIs in leading the Trojans to the NCAA World Series championship. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers that summer, and made his debut in a Dodgers uniform in September, hitting .283 in 15 games, with 2 home runs (his first came off Ron Kline of the Pittsburgh Pirates), and 8 runs batted in.

Fairly batted .238 for the Dodgers’ 1959 World Series team, with 4 home runs and 23 RBIs in a part-time role. He spent most of 1960 in the minors, and played 111 games for the Dodgers in 1961, splitting his playing time between all 3 outfield positions and first base, while batting .322 with 10 homers and 48 RBIs.

By the start of the 1962 season, Fairly had established himself as the Dodgers’ everyday first baseman. He hit .278 that season, with 14 home runs and 78 RBIs, and followed up in 1963 by batting .271 with 12 home runs and 77 runs batted in. From 1962 through 1966, Fairly averaged 71 RBIs per season with a combined batting average of .273.

Then, inexplicably, his hitting dropped off, as his batting average felt to .220 in 1967 and .234 in 1968. In 1969, the Dodgers traded Fairly with Paul Popovich to the Montreal Expos for Manny Mota and Maury Wills. The move to Montreal seemed to revive his hitting, as Fairly batted .289 for the Expos over the rest of the 1969 season. He batted .288 in 1970 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs. He hit a career best 17 home runs in both 1972 and 1973, and averaged a combined .276 in 6 seasons with the Expos.

Fairly was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975, where he hit .301 as a part-time player and pinch hitter. Over the next 3 seasons, Fairly made stops in Oakland, Toronto and closed out his playing career with the California Angels in 1978 before embarking on a long career as a baseball broadcaster.

Fairly played for 21 major league seasons, with 1,913 hits and a career batting average of .266. He was an All-Star twice, once for each league. 

Lots of Hits in a Compact Package

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Vic Davalillo lived on his speed – with his bat, and with his legs in the field. He was a solid contact hitter at the start of his career, and one of the game's best pinch hitters as his 16-year major league career wound down.

Vic Davalillo

Davalillo was signed by the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1958 and was purchased by the Cleveland Indians after the 1961 season. In 1962 he hit .346 for Jacksonville to lead the International League.

He opened the 1963 season as the starting center fielder for the Indians, hitting .304 in June when a Hank Aguirre fastball resulted in a broken wrist. He played a total of 90 games that season, leading the Indians with a .292 batting average.

Davalillo hit .270 in 1964 with a career-high 156 hits and 21 stolen bases (third best in the league). He also won the Gold Glove award that season. In 1965 Davalillo was hitting .345 at the All-Star break to lead the American League in batting and earning the starting centerfield position in the All-Star game. His batting average fell off in the second half of the season and he finished with a .301 batting average, third best in the American League.

Davalillo hit .250 in 1966 and rebounded in 1967 with a .287 average, though he was being platooned and facing mostly right-handed pitchers. In 1968 he was traded to the California Angels for outfielder Jimmie Hall. He hit a combined .277 that season, batting .298 for the Angels in 93 games as a full-time player. In May of 1969 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Jim Hicks.

Davalillo hit .311 for the Cardinals in 1970 and was traded again – this time to the Pittsburgh Pirates (with pitcher Nelson Briles) for Matty Alou and pitcher George Brunet. He hit .285 for the Pirates in 1971 and .318 in 1972. In 1973 he was purchased by the Oakland Athletics. He played sparingly for the A's, mostly as a pinch hitter, and was released after the 1974 season.

Davalillo spent the next 3 seasons in the Mexican league, winning the league's batting title in 1977 with a .384 average. He was purchased by the Los Angeles Dodgers in August of 1977 and hit .313 for the rest of that season. He played 3 more seasons for the Dodgers as a utility player and one of the game's best pinch hitters. He retired after the 1980 season with 1,122 hits and a .279 career bating average.

Rock Around the Brock

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Ernie Broglio

The short career of pitcher Ernie Broglio was really the sum of 2 careers. For 5 seasons, he was one of the best right-handers in the National League as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting rotation. Then in 3 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, he was a heartbreaking disaster, pitching against impossible expectations with an arm that was out of juice.

Broglio was signed by the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League in 1954 and was acquired by the New York Giants 2 years later. He won 16 minor league games in each of the next 2 seasons, and was dealt to the Cardinals in October of 1958.

Broglio was 7-12 in his rookie season with the Cardinals, but led the National League in wins in 1960 with a 21-9 and posted a 2.74 ERA (second in the league to Mike McCormick’s 2.70). He slipped to 9-12 in 1961 and flipped his record to 12-9 in 1962, finishing third on the team in wins and in innings pitched (222.1).

In 1963, Broglio’s 18-8 record tied him for the team lead in victories (with Bob Gibson). Working almost entirely as a starter, he was second on the team in earned run average (2.99), innings pitched (250), shutouts (5) and complete games (11). 

In 1964, Broglio pitched effectively but had only a 3-5 record (3.50 ERA) when the Cardnals traded him with Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz to the Chicago Cubs for Lou Brock, Jack Spring and Paul Toth. It turned out to be one of the most-lopsided deals of the decade, as Broglio won only 7 games for the Cubs over the next 3 seasons while Brock led the Cardinals to the 1964 National League pennant in 1964 en route to a Hall of Fame career.

The fact was, Broglio’s had little left after pitching 218 innings per season during the previous 4 seasons with the Cardinals.  He was 4-7 for the Cubs over the remainder of the 1964 season. That was more games than he would win for Chicago over the next 2 years combined. He retired after going 2-6 in 1966, at age 30.

Broglio posted a 77-74 career record with a 3.74 ERA.