1960s Baseball

Mc-Durable

2012-02-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Relief pitcher may be the most expendable position on a major league ball club. With a few exceptions (such as Hoyt Wilhelm, Roy Face and Lindy McDaniel), most relievers cannot extend top performance season after season.

Don McMahon was one of those exceptions – a standout reliever for 7 different clubs over an 18-year career. Only once did he lead the league in any pitching category, but you could count on his durable arm and pitching savvy for a full season of putting out fires.

McMahon was signed by the Boston Braves in 1950. His major league debut was delayed by military service and 5 years of minor league seasoning. But when he finally made it to the Braves, he did it in a big way: Appearing in 32 games for the 1957 World Series champions, McMahon went 2-3 with a 1.54 ERA and 9 saves. In 1958, he was selected for the National League All-Star team on the way to a 7-2 season with 8 saves. In 1959, he led the league in games finished (49) and saves (15) with a 5-3 record and 2.57 ERA.

McMahon spent 6 seasons with the Braves, appearing in 233 games and tallying 50 saves with a combined ERA of 3.34. In May of 1962, he was purchased by the Houston Colt .45’s, where he toiled for 2 seasons (6-10 with 13 saves and a 2.81 ERA) before being purchased by the Cleveland Indians. In 3 years with the Tribe, McMahon appeared in 140 games, posting a combined record of 10-8 with 28 saves and a 2.81 ERA.

In June of 1966, the Indians traded McMahon and pitcher Lee Stange to the Boston Red Sox for Dick Radatz. Again he was effective (11 saves and a 2.82 ERA in 60 appearances) and again he was traded – this time to the Chicago White Sox for infielder Jerry Adair. McMahon spent a “split” season with the White Sox in 1967-1968, going a combined 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 77 appearances.

He was then traded to the Detroit Tigers (for pitcher Dennis Ribant) where he appeared in 54 games over parts of 2 seasons, going 6-6 with 12 saves and a 2.97 ERA.

In August of 1969, McMahon was dealt to the San Francisco Giants. He followed with 2 of the best seasons of his career. He appeared in 61 games both seasons, going 9-5 with 19 saves in 1970 (2.96 ERA) and 10-6 in 1971 with 4 saves. But the juice finally began to fade from his arm. McMahon appeared in only 44 games in 1972 and only 22 in 1973. He was released by the Giants during the 1974 season.

McMahon finished his career at 90-68 with a 2.96 ERA. At the time he retired, his 874 career appearances (all but 2 in relief) were the fourth most all-time after Wilhelm, McDaniel and Cy Young.

Glad All Over

2012-02-14T21:44:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

During the mid-1960s, Fred Gladding was the heart of the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen staff. His niche was his consistency. What made him valuable – in Detroit and later in Houston – was his day-to-day dependability.

Gladding was signed by the Tigers in 1956 and made his big league debut at age 25 in 1961. His first full season was 1964, when Gladding went 7-4 with a 3.07 ERA. All 42 appearances that season were in relief. He finished 23 of the games he appeared in, with 7 saves.

Gladding appeared in 46 games in 1965, all in relief, going 6-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 5 saves. He raised his appearances to 51 in 1966, going 5-0 with a 3.28 ERA. His best all-around season as a Detroit Tiger came in 1967, when Gladding went 6-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 12 saves in 42 appearances. He also had his only career start that season.

Coming off his best year as a Tiger, Gladding was shipped to Houston to complete Detroit’s acquisition of slugger Eddie Mathews. After missing nearly the entire 1968 season, Gladding came back in 1969 to lead the National League in saves (29). He recorded 18 saves for the Astros in 1970, going 7-4 with a 4.06 ERA while appearing in a career-high 63 games. Over the next 2 seasons, Gladding averaged 44 appearances and 13 saves per season with a combined ERA of 2.43. He registered 14 more saves for Houston in 1972, and retired midway through the 1973 season.

In 13 big league seasons, Gladding compiled a 48-34 record with a 3.13 ERA and 109 saves. He finished more than half the games he appeared in (278 out of 450). He still ranks third all-time in saves among Astros pitchers.

Brave Slugger

2012-02-11T03:11:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

For more than a decade, Eddie Mathews was the slugger’s slugger. From 1953 through 1960, he averaged 39 home runs per season, leading the National League in that category twice with 47 in 1953 and 46 in 1959.

Mathews signed with the Boston Braves in 1949 and made the big league club in 1952, hitting 25 home runs and finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Joe Black and Hoyt Wilhelm. In his sophomore season, Mathews pounded 47 home runs (with 135 RBIs), a team record that was matched by Hank Aaron in 1971 and finally eclipsed in 2005 when Andruw Jones hit 51.

During the next 2 seasons, Mathews topped 40 homers and 100 RBIs each year. By the close of the 1950s, Mathews was the Braves’ all-time home run leader with 299 (Aaron had hit only 179 at that point). He was also the major leagues’ leading home run hitter in the 1950s.

During the 1960s, his power production gradually declined, but his numbers would still be envied by most hitters. From 1960 through 1965, Mathews averaged 30 home runs and 93 RBIs per season. A career .271 hitter, Mathews hit for a career-best .306 in 1961. A shoulder injury in 1962 seriously hampered his swing for the rest of his career, which included stops in Houston and Detroit. A 9-time All-Star, Mathews was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.

Unstoppable at Short

2012-02-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Jim Fregosi was the first everyday star for the Los Angeles Angels’ franchise, and maintained that status for most of the 1960s. Good hitter, good fielder and good looking, he collected hits and fans consistently over an 18-year major league career. In combination with second baseman Bobby Knoop, he was half of one of the American League’s most prolific doubleplay combinations during the 1960s.

The Boston Red Sox signed Fregosi in 1960. He spent 1 season in the Red Sox farm system before being selected by the Los Angeles Angels as the 35th pick in the 1960 expansion draft. He made his debut in an Angels uniform in 1961 and was the team’s starting shortstop by 1963, when he hit .287 with 29 doubles and 50 RBIs. In 1964 he made his first All-Star appearance, finishing that season hitting .277 with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs.

In 11 seasons with the Angels, Fregosi was an All-Star 6 times and won a Gold Glove in 1967. He hit for a combined .268 batting average for the Angels. In 1968, he led the American League in triples with 13. His best season was 1970, when he hit .278 and had career bests in doubles (33), home runs (22) and RBIs (82).

In December of 1971, Fregosi was traded by the Angels to the New York Mets in a deal that included pitcher Nolan Ryan. Injuries limited his effectiveness in New York. As a Mets third baseman for 2 seasons, Fregosi averaged only 73 games a season, hitting a combined .233.

In July of 1973, the Texas Rangers purchased Fregosi, who spent the next 5 years as a reserve infielder for the Rangers. He spent parts of 2 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before retiring in 1978.

At the time of his retirement, Fregosi held the Angels’ franchise record in a number of career offensive categories: games (1,429), hits (1,408), doubles (219), triples (70), runs (691), runs batted in (546) and home runs (115). He would later serve as manager of the Angels, as well as managing the White Sox and Phillies.

Slam Bam Brave

2012-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

A hard-throwing right-hander, Tony Cloninger stepped up as Milwaukee Braves ace in the mid 1960s when time finally caught up with Warren Spahn. Cloninger was also, like Spahn, a dangerous hitter who could win games with his bat as well as his arm.

Cloninger was signed by the Braves in 1958 and made his debut with the team in June of 1961. During his first 3 seasons with the Braves, he had a combined record of 24-16 with a 4.31 ERA.

Cloninger’s break-out season came in 1964, when he went 19-14 with a 3.56 ERA. In 1965, Cloninger turned in a 24-11 season with a 3.29 ERA. He posted career highs in complete games (16), innings pitched (279), and strikeouts (211). He also led the league in bases on balls with 119, a feat he would repeat in 1965, when his record slipped to 14-11. That was also the season when Cloninger set a hitting record that no batter has ever topped.

On July 3, 1966 in Candlestick Park, Cloninger won his ninth game of the season with a 17-3 complete game performance over the hometown San Francisco Giants. Cloninger’s bat produced 9 of the Braves’ 17 runs that day, including 2 consecutive grand slam home runs.

Not a bad hitter for a pitcher (.192 lifetime average), Cloninger hit .234 in 1966, with 5 home runs and 23 RBIs. Unfortunately, by the end of the 1966 season, Cloninger was already on the downside of his pitching career. He won only 5 more games for the Braves over the next 2 seasons, and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in a deal that brought Clay Carroll and Woody Woodward to the Reds and sent pitcher Milt Pappas to the Braves. As a spot starter and long reliever, Cloninger was a combined 27-33 in 4 seasons with the Reds.

The St. Louis Cardinals traded Julian Javier for Cloninger just before the 1972 season, but he was only 0-2 in 17 relief appearance for St. Louis, and retired after the 1972 season. He finished with a career record of 113-97, and 11 career home runs.

MLB Goes Kuhn Hunting

2012-02-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(February 4, 1969) Major league baseball owners today named Bowie Kuhn as baseball commissioner.

Kuhn replaced William D. Eckert, who had served as baseball commissioner from 1965 until he was forced to resign at the end of the 1968 season.

Unlike Eckert, who had not personally seen a major league baseball game for more than 10 years when he was appointed commissioner, Kuhn brought to the job of commissioner a deep understanding of the game from an insider’s perspective. Kuhn had served as legal counsel for MLB owners for almost 20 years prior to his election as commissioner.

Kuhn’s tenure was marked by labor strikes (most notably in 1981), owner disenchantment, and the end of baseball's reserve clause. Yet during Kuhn’s reign as commissioner, the national pastime enjoyed unprecedented attendance gains and lucrative television contracts.

Talent Amid Turmoil

2012-02-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

It would be hard to imagine a more frustrating position in major league baseball than starting pitcher for an expansion team. Just ask Roger Craig or Al Jackson of the original New York Mets. Or ask Ken Johnson and Dick Farrell of the Houston Colt .45s.

Or ask Bob Bruce.

Bruce was a hard-throwing right-hander whose performance on the mound was consistently better than his won-lost record. He was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1952 and made his major league debut with the Tigers in 1959. In 1960 and 1961, he had a combined 5-9 record for the Tigers.

In December of 1961, the Tigers traded Bruce and Manny Montejo to the Houston Colt .45's for Sam Jones. He immediately moved into the Houston starting rotation, and at 10-9 was the only starter with a winning record (on a team that lost 96 games in its inaugural season). In 1963 his record slipped to 5-9, but he rebounded in 1964 with a 15-9 record and a 2.76 ERA. He also set team records that season with 9 complete games and 4 shutouts.

It would be the last winning record of Bruce’s career.

In 1965 he went 9-18 on a still-respectable ERA of 3.72. He set personal highs that season for innings pitched (229.2) and strikeouts (145). His 3-13 record in 1966 prompted Houston to trade the right-hander to the Atlanta Braves in a deal that brought Eddie Mathews to Houston. In 12 appearances for the Braves, Bruce posted a 2-3 record with his only career save. He was assigned to the Braves AAA club in Richmond, where he went 7-2 but never again pitched in the majors.

Bruce finished his career at 49-71 with a 3.85 ERA. But in his first 3 seasons with Houston, he was the team’s best starting pitcher and best chance at winning, going 30-27 with a 3.43 ERA.

Stardom Comes with a Catch

2012-02-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Tommie Agee was a superb outfielder who could also hurt opponents with his bat. As an American Leaguer, he found some success with the Chicago White Sox. But his moment of fame came with the New York Mets on baseball’s most dramatic stage – the World Series – when Agee’s bat and glove made the Mets’ miracle of 1969 a reality.

Agee was signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1961, and spent 4 years in the Indians’ farm system, making only token appearances with the big league club. Following the 1964 season Agee was traded with Tommy John and John Romano to the Chicago White Sox in a 3-team deal that brought Rocky Colavito back to the Tribe.

Agee won the starting job in center field for the White Sox for the 1966 season and went on to be named American League Rookie of the Year with a .273 batting average, 22 home runs, 86 RBIs and 44 stolen bases. His average slipped to .234 in 1967, and he was traded with Al Weis to the New York Mets for Buddy Booker, Tommy Davis, Jack Fisher and Billy Wynne.

Agee’s first season with the Mets resulted in the worst offensive numbers of his career: hitting .217 with 5 home runs, 17 RBIs and only 13 stolen bases. His bat came back to life in 1969. Agee was an integral part of the Mets’ success that season, hitting .271 with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs. He also led the team with 97 runs scored and was named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year. But he wasn’t done.

Agee hit .357 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs as the Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in the league’s first championship series.

The American League champion Baltimore Orioles came into the 1969 World Series as heavy favorites to beat the Mets. The Orioles, behind the 6-hit pitching of Mike Cuellar, beat Tom Seaver and the Mets 4-1 in the opener, while Jerry Koosman knotted up the Series at 1-1 by shutting down the Orioles 2-1 in the second game.

In Game 3, Agee led off the game with a home run off Orioles’ starter Jim Palmer. It proved to be all the runs that New York would need, thanks to Agee’s “amazin’” defensive performance. With 2 outs and runners at first and third in the top of the fourth inning, O’s catcher Elrod Hendricks hit a screaming liner to left center field that Agee ran down and caught in the webbing of his glove just before crashing into the wall.

In the seventh inning of the same game, Paul Blair came to bat with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Blair hit a fly ball to right center that Agee chased down and grabbed with a diving catch. The Mets won the game 5-0 and swept the last 2 games of the Series to make the Mets the last world champions of the 1960s.

Agee had another outstanding season in 1970, hitting .286 with 24 home runs, 75 RBIs, 30 doubles and 31 stolen bases. But a chronic knee condition was starting to affect Agee’s speed and overall effectiveness. He hit .285 for the Mets in 1971 but hit only .227 in 1972. The Mets dealt Agee to the Houston Astros, who shipped him to St. Louis in August. He hit for a combined .222 in 1973. After that season, the Cardinals sent Agee to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Pete Richert, but Agee was released by the Dodgers during spring training and he retired with a .255 career batting average.

Agee was a member of the American League All-Star team in 1966 and 1967. He won 2 Gold Gloves during his 12-season major league career.

Most Valuable in Either League

2012-01-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The 1960s witnessed the prime of outfielder Frank Robinson, one of the greatest sluggers in major league baseball history. Robinson was one of two players to win the batting Triple Crown during the 1960s, and was the first player in baseball history to be named Most Valuable Player in both the National League and the American League.

The extent of Frank Robinson’s talent on the field was matched only by the intensity of his competitive nature. Whether as a player, manager or front-office executive, Frank Robinson has always been a winner who would settle for nothing less … from himself or from his teams. His skills, matched with that determination, made him a consistent winner – if not always the most personable guy in the clubhouse – throughout his career.

And when you look at his career numbers, you see that Robinson was not only one of the most talented sluggers of the 1960s, but also one of the best all-time.

Robinson came to the major leagues through the Cincinnati Reds organization. Once he made it to the big leagues in 1956, his impact was immediate, batting .290 as a rookie and leading the National League in runs scored that year with 122. He also led the league in one other category that first season: hit-by-pitches (20), a dubious honor he would repeat 6 more times in his 21-season career.

By the beginning of the 1960s, Robinson was already a star. In 1961, he batted .323 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs as the offensive leader for the National League champion Reds. For that performance, he was named National League Most Valuable Player for 1961.

In 1962, his offensive numbers were even better: 39 home runs and 136 RBIs and a .342 batting average. He also led the major leagues in runs (134), doubles (51), and slugging percentage (.624) that year. But his offensive production dropped slightly over the next three years (averaging “only 28 homers and 100 RBIs for those seasons). Word was leaked to the press that maybe Robinson was old for his age (29 at the time) and over the next winter the Reds shipped him to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Milt Pappas and two other players.

It was probably the best trade Baltimore ever made. Robinson had a monster year in 1966, winning the American League Triple Crown with a .316 batting average, 49 home runs (tops in the majors) and 122 RBIs. Robinson also led the majors in runs scored (122), total bases (367) and slugging percentage (.637). He was named American League Most Valuable Player for 1966, the first player to win that award in both leagues. That same year he led the Orioles to their first-ever American League pennant and World Series championship, as the Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in 4 games. Robinson’s Game 4 solo home run – combined with Dave McNally’s shutout pitching – clinched the Orioles’ World Series sweep.

Due to injuries, Robinson’s numbers declined in 1967 and 1968 (as did the productivity of most major league hitters during those two years – even the healthy ones). But he had another outstanding season for Baltimore in 1969, closing out the decade batting .308 with 32 homers and 100 RBIs as Baltimore claimed its second American League championship of the decade.

For the entire decade of the 1960s, Robinson hit a combined .304 while averaging 32 home runs and 101 runs per season. He was the league leader in slugging 4 times during the 1960s. He finished in the top 10 in slugging every year of that decade.

A Hall of Famer with 586 career home runs and over 1800 RBIs, Robinson closed out his playing career with the Cleveland Indians, where he was also the first African-American to manage a Major League team.

Portable Power

2012-01-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Hitting the ball hard was Deron Johnson’s specialty. Pete Rose said he never saw anyone hit the ball harder.

Johnson was signed by the New York Yankees in 1956, but there was no room for him in the Yankees’ powerful lineup of the late 1950s. He made a token appearance with New York in 1960, and 13 games into the 1961 season he was traded with Art Ditmar to the Kansas City Athletics for Bud Daley. In 83 games with the A’s, he hit 8 home runs with 44 RBIs but batted only .216. He spent most of the next 2 seasons in the minors and then was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.

In Cincinnati, Johnson blossomed into the power hitter and run producer that he was to become. Batting in a lineup surrounded with hitters like Rose, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Tony Perez, Johnson saw more strikes (and fastballs) and responded with RBIs. He hit .263 in 1964 with 21 home runs and 79 RBIs. In 1965 he led the major leagues with 130 RBIs while hitting .287 with 30 doubles and 32 home runs. In 1966, in a lineup that no longer included Robinson, Johnson hit 24 home runs with 81 RBIs.

Following the 1967 season, Johnson was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Jim Beauchamp, Mack Jones and Jay Ritchie. His only season in Atlanta produced 8 home runs and 33 RBIs, and he was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies, where his power hitting revived. His best season in Philadelphia was 1971, when he hit .265 with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs.

Over the next 4 seasons, Johnson played for 5 teams (Philadelphia, Oakland, Milwaukee, Boston and the Chicago White Sox) and averaged 13 home runs and 51 RBIs per season. His best remaining seasons were 1973, when he hit 20 home runs with 86 RBIs for the Phillies and A’s, and 1975, when he hit 19 home runs with 75 RBIs splitting the season with the White Sox and Red Sox. Johnson retired after the 1976 season.

In 16 big league seasons with 8 different teams, Johnson hit 245 home runs and collected 923 RBIs.

Fast in Philly

2012-01-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

With Willie Mays collecting one Gold Glove after another in centerfield, it was nearly impossible for any other National League center fielder to earn significant recognition, much less a Gold Glove, during the 1960s.

That’s one of the reasons why Tony Gonzalez was one of the league’s under-rated outfielders when he patrolled centerfield for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1961 through 1968.

And while Gonzalez couldn’t match the offensive capabilities of his centerfield counterpart in San Francisco, he brought to the Phillies’ lineup enough pop in his bat to make his defense all that much more valuable.

A Cuban native, Gonzalez was signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1957, and during his rookie season in 1960 was traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Lee Walls to the Philadelphia Phillies for Fred Hopke, Harry Anderson and Wally Post. He hit .299 in 78 games for the Phillies that initial season.

From 1961 through 1968, Gonzalez hit for a combined average of .295, including a career-best .339 in 1967. That average was second best in the major leagues, trailing only Roberto Clemente’s .357. Gonzalez hit .302 in 1962 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs. He drove in 66 runs in 1963, his career high.

But Gonzalez’s real prowess showed up in the field, where his outstanding range and excellent throwing accuracy made his hitting a plus.

Right after the 1968 season, the San Diego Padres made Gonzalez their thirty-seventh selection in the expansion draft. He started the season with San Diego, and then was traded to the Atlanta Braves in June, hitting .294 in 89 games with the Braves (with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs). He hit .265 as the Braves’ starting centerfielder in 1970 until he was purchased by the California Angels. He hit .245 for the Angels in 1971, his final season in the majors.

Pop Goes the Bat

2011-12-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Dick McAuliffe played hard and swung hard. For an infielder, he had plenty of pop in his bat, and was an integral part of the Detroit Tigers’ 1968 World Series championship team.

McAuliffe was signed by Detroit in 1957 and made the Tigers to stay in 1961. He became the team’s starting second baseman that year, hitting .256 with 6 home runs and 33 RBIs in half a season.

McAuliffe was a versatile infielder, and the Tigers took full advantage of that versatility. He split the 1962 season between third base and shortstop, hitting .263 with 12 home runs and 63 RBIs. He was the team’s regular shortstop from 1963 through 1967, hitting .254 over that period while averaging 19 home runs and 60 RBIs per season. His personal highs came in 1964, when he hit 24 home runs and drove in 66 runs. He was a member of the American League All-Star team for 3 consecutive seasons starting in 1965.

In 1967, McAuliffe moved over to second base and was the Tigers’ starter at that position for the next 7 seasons. In 1968, he led the American League by scoring 95 runs. He had 50 extra-base hits that season, with a .344 on-base percentage and a .411 slugging percentage.

In the 1968 World Series, McAuliffe had 6 hits including a home run and 3 RBIs. From 1964 through 1969, his on-base percentage was .353 and his slugging percentage was .437, with career highs in both hitting categories (.373 and .509, respectively) coming in 1966.

Over the next 5 seasons, his power number slipped slightly from their peak in the mid-1960s, but they were still more than respectable for an infielder, averaging 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. He played 2 seasons with the Boston Red Sox before retiring in 1975 after 16 major league seasons.

What Counts Is How Much You Can Save

2011-12-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ march to the National League pennant in 1960 driven by solid pitching throughout the season. The team featured four dependable starters in Vern Law (the Cy Young winner at 20-9), Bob Friend (18-12), Vinegar Bend Mizell (13-5) and Harvey Haddix (11-10), a rotation that completed its starts in nearly half of the team’s victories (47 complete games in 95 wins).

The bullpen for the 1960 Pirates was equally effective, registering 33 saves, second-highest in the league to Cincinnati’s 35. (These save totals may seem modest compared to the save totals today, but when was the last time a major league team finished with 47 complete games in a season – and that wasn’t even best in the National League?)

The leader of that bullpen was Roy Face, a diminutive pitcher with a wicked split-fingered fastball (known then as a forkball). Face was a spot starter and reliever when he joined the Pirates to stay in 1955. He led the league in appearances (68) in 1956 and in saves (20) in 1958. His career season came in 1959, when Face set the major league record for winning percentage (.947) on an 18-1 record.

The year the Pirates won the pennant, Face went 10-8 with 24 saves and a 2.90 ERA on a league-leading 68 appearances. He led the league again in saves in both 1961 (17) and 1962 (28). In 1962, he also had the lowest ERA of his career (1.88). Face continued pitching for Pittsburgh through the 1967 season, and pitched for Detroit and Montreal before retiring toward the end of the 1969 season.

In his 16-year career, Face posted a respectable 3.48 ERA while accumulating 193 saves pitching in 848 games.

Ringin' Out the Wins

2011-12-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Gary Bell started out his career as a hard-throwing starter, relying on heat and guts while pitching for struggling Cleveland Indians teams. He gradually evolved into one of the American League’s most effective middle relievers with off-speed pitches that helped him get more out of less fastball.

Bell was signed by the Indians and was pitching in the majors 3 years later, going 12-10 with a 3.31 ERA as an Indians starter. In 1959, again as mostly a starter for the Tribe, Bell went 16-11 with a 4.04 ERA

His record slipped to 9-10 in 1960 and 12-16 in 1961. In 1962, he was moved back to the Indians bullpen, going 10-9 with 12 saves. During the next 3 seasons, working almost exclusively in relief, Bell went 22-16 with a combined 3.42 ERA. The 1965 season produced career highs in both appearances (60) and saves (17). In 1966, Bell returned to the Indians’ starting rotation, posting a 14-15 record with a 3.22 ERA. He led the Indians pitching staff in games started (37), complete games (12), and finished fifth in the American League (and second on the team to league-leader Sam McDowell) with a career-best 194 strikeouts.

Bell started the 1967 season as a starter and lost 5 of his first 6 decisions for Cleveland before being traded to the Boston Red Sox for Tony Horton and Don Demeter. He went 12-8 the rest of the way for the pennant-winning Bosox, and followed up with an 11-11 season for Boston in 1968.

The Seattle Pilots selected Bell in the expansion draft prior to the 1969 season, and he went 2-6 for Seattle before being traded to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Bob Locker. He appeared in 23 games for the White Sox with no decisions before being released and retiring. He ended his career with a 121-117 record with a 3.68 ERA over 12 seasons. He was a 3-time All-Star: in 1960, 1966 and 1968.

Doing What's Right in Left

2011-12-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

When shortstop Tony Kubek traded his New York Yankees uniform for one from the U.S. Army, the Yankees turned to a rookie named Tom Tresh to step in for their All-Star infielder.

From that season on, first as the team’s interim shortstop and then as its regular left-fielder (as well as other positions as needed), Tresh was a solid, though rarely spectacular, performer for the Yankees throughout the 1960s.

New York signed Tresh off the campus of Central Michigan University in 1958. He played mostly shortstop throughout his 4 seasons in the minors, batting .315 for AAA Richmond in 1961.

Kubek’s departure for military service opened the door for Tresh to start at shortstop on Opening Day in 1962, a feat matched by no Yankee rookie until Derek Jeter in 1996. Like Jeter 34 years later, Tresh was selected as the American League Rookie of the Year. He hit .286 with 20 home runs and 93 RBIs, providing excellent defense while surpassing Kubek’s offensive marks. When Kubek returned in late summer, Tresh moved seamlessly to left field, where he continued his high level of performance in September and throughout the World Series (batting .321 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs).

Tresh never quite matched that level of offense again. During the next 4 years, as the Yankees’ fortunes gradually declined, Tresh’s batting average slipped (.257 combined) while he averaged 24 home runs and 72 RBIs per season. In 1967 and 1968 he saw a rapid decline in his hitting and power numbers (as did most of the American League’s hitters). In 1969 he was traded to the Detroit Tigers, and finished that season in Detroit before retiring.

Tresh was twice an All-Star and won a Gold Glove as an outfielder in 1965.

Hall of Fame ... At Last!

2011-12-06T04:17:00.000-08:00

Cub great Ron Santo joins baseball immortals in Cooperstown.

Until today, Ron Santo was probably the best third baseman not to be a member of Baseball's Hall of Fame.

Today the HOF Veterans' Committee selected Santo for induction into the Hall, joining teammates Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins.

'bout time.

Here's why he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, and has deserved that honor for many years.

1. Ron Santo had the fifth highest RBI total among all National League players during the 1960s, more than Hall of Fame contemporaries Ernie Banks, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey.

2. Ron Santo hit 342 career home runs ... more than 63 other Hall of Famers, including Hank Greenberg, Gary Carter and Chuck Klein.

3. Ron Santo won 5 Gold Gloves at third base ... more than fellow Hall of Fame third basemen Wade Boggs, George Brett and Eddie Mathews.

4. Ron Santo holds or shares the National League record for years leading the league in third base chances (9), assists (7) and double plays (6).

5. Ron Santo always was a good guy and a great ambassador for the game and the Cubs.

Ron Santo was probably the National League's best defensive third basemen during the 1960s. However, his offensive production, combined with sterling defense, made him one of the best all-around third basemen of all time. Throughout his career, he was the poster child for consistency, at bat and in the field.

Congratulations, Mr. Cub. Your play at the hot corner has earned you finally your own corner in Cooperstown.

Alou Bids Adieu to Frisco

2011-11-30T05:01:00.001-08:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(December 1, 1965) The Pittsburgh Pirates today traded catcher Ozzie Virgil and pitcher Joe Gibbon to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Matty Alou.

For 6 years Alou languished on the Giants’ bench, hitting a combined .260. With an outfield that featured, at various times, the likes of Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Felipe Alou hitting for average and power, there was little opportunity for Matty to find a full-time place. He hit a meager .231 with San Francisco in 1965.

The trade to Pittsburgh turned around Alou’s career. An every-day starter for the first time, Alou led the National League in hitting in 1966 with a .342 average. He followed up by hitting .338 in 1967, .332 in 1968, and .331 in 1969, when he led the league in hits (231) and doubles (41).

Alou was a 2-time All-Star who ended his career with 1,777 hits – more than half coming during his 5 seasons in Pittsburgh.

Young Reliable

2011-11-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Had he been born a decade earlier and pitched in his prime with the New York Yankee powerhouses of the 1950s and early 1960s, Mel Stottlemyre almost certainly would have accumulated Hall-of-Fame worthy numbers by the end of his career.

But it wasn’t to be.

As the Yankees’ best starting pitcher in their late 1960s decline, Stottlemyre proved that his heart matched his talent. Unfortunately, the Yankees’ support – and his numbers for that period – didn’t match the effort and skills Stottlemyre consistently brought to the mound.

A member of the Yankees’ organization for his entire playing career, Stottlemyre was signed as a free agent in 1961. In 1964, he won 13 games for the Yankees’ AAA Richmond club before being called up to the big leagues and making his debut on August 12, 1964.

Over the course of the next 6 weeks, Stottlemyre went 9-3 with a 2.06 ERA as the Yankees won 22 out of 28 games in September to overcome the Chicago White Sox and clinch the American League pennant on the next-to-last day of the season. Stottlemyre was 1-1 in the 1964 World Series, and he was chosen to start the decisive seventh game on only 2 days rest. The Yankees lost that game 7-5, and Stottlemyre wasn’t involved in the decision.

Stottlemyre wasn’t an overpowering pitcher. He had excellent control and placement of his pitches, and threw “heavy” stuff that induced ground balls more than strikeouts. He was 20-9 in 1965 with a 2.93 ERA and led the American League in innings pitched with 291. In 1966, with a Yankees team that finished last in the American League, his record slipped to 12-20 though his ERA was still a repectable 3.80. It was the last time in the 1960s that Stottlemyre’s ERA would exceed 3.00.

A 5-time All-Star, Stottlemyre pitched 250 or more innings in 9 consecutive seasons. He was a 20-game winner again in 1968 and 1969, leading the league in complete games with 24 in 1969. In 11 seasons with the Yankees, Stottlemyre won 164 games and posted a career ERA of 2.97. A torn rotator cuff abruptly ended his career in 1974.

Yaz's Triple Crown Good for MVP

2011-11-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(November 15, 1967) Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski, receiving 19 of 20 first-place votes, was selected by the BBWAA as the American League Most Valuable Player.

With one writer putting the light-hitting outfielder Cesar Tovar of the Twins on the top of his ballot, the 28-year old Red Sox outfielder was denied the honor of being the unanimous choice for the award.

1967 was a miracle season for Yastrzemski and the Red Sox. The team won the American League pennant by one game in a three-team race that came down to the last day of the season.

Yaz almost single-handedly carried the Red Sox to the pennant. In the last 12 games of the season, he hit 5 home runs, scored 14 runs and drove in 16. In the last two “must win” games against the Minnesota Twins, Yastrzemski went 7 for 8 with 6 RBIs.

When the regular season had ended, Yastrzemski was at the top of the league in nearly every offensive category: hits (189), runs (112), home runs (44, tied with Minnesota’s Harmon Killebrew), RBIs (121), total bases (360), slugging percentage (.622) and batting average (.326).

During the 1967 World Series, which the St. Louis Cardinals won in 7 games, Yastrzemski continued his offensive onslaught, batting .400 with 3 home runs.

One Tough Out

2011-11-19T05:48:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Richie Ashburn earned his Hall of Fame enshrinement during the 1950s, when the Phillies outfielder was one of the toughest outs in the National League. Seven times between 1950 and 1959, Ashburn hit .300 or better, leading the National League in batting average in 1955 and 1958.

Ashburn was signed by Philadelphia in 1945 and made his debut in a Phillies uniform in 1948, hitting .333 his rookie year and leading the league in stolen bases with 32.

Ashburn was as durable as he was resourceful at the plate. Starting in 1949 and through 1960, Ashburn appeared in at least 150 games per season in every year except 1955. In that time frame, he led the league in hits 3 times and in triples twice. Four times he led the league in walks and in on-base percentage. He was a member of the National League All-Star team 4 times.

After a dozen seasons in Philadelphia, where Ashburn collected over 2200 hits on a combined batting average of .311, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 1960 season for John Buzhardt, Al Dark and Jim Woods. He hit .291 for the Cubs and led the league in walks (116) and on-base percentage (.415). Following the 1961 season, Ashburn was purchased by the New York Mets. He hit .306 and led the team in walks and OBP in 1962, and retired after that season.

As good as he was at the plate, Ashburn was even better on defense. His great speed allowed him to range all over centerfield and reach fly balls most wouldn’t catch. From 1949 to 1958 (with the exception of 1955), no National League outfielder had more putouts than Richie Ashburn.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.

Type-A's Slugger

2011-11-11T21:53:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

While the bulk of his Hall of Fame career could be found in the 1970s and early 1980s, Reggie Jackson’s best single offensive season came in 1969, when his outstanding numbers for the Oakland Athletics catapulted him among major league baseball’s dominant sluggers … a status he would maintain for nearly 2 decades.

The Kansas City Athletics selected Jackson in the 1966 major league baseball draft with the second overall pick. He spent only 2 years in the A’s minor league system. In his rookie year of 1968 (with the Athletics now in Oakland), Jackson hit .250 with 29 home runs (fourth in the American League) and 74 RBIs (eighth best in the league). He also led the league in strikeouts, something he would do 4 more times in his career.

In 1969, Jackson’s home run (47) and RBI (118) totals would be career bests. He led the major leagues in runs scored (123) and led the American League in slugging percentage (.608). He finished fifth in the balloting for Most Valuable Player (he would win the MVP award in 1973). He also made his first All-Star appearance (of 14 in his career).

After tours with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and California Angels, Jackson returned to Oakland for his final season in 1987. He finished his career with 563 home runs and 1702 RBIs. Jackson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Sandy Secures Second Cy

2011-11-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(November 3, 1965) In a unanimous vote, Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw Sandy Koufax (26-8, 2.04, 382 strikeouts) today was named the Cy Young Award winner.

It was Koufax’s second Cy Young Award in the past 3 years. He became the first pitcher to win the honor more than once.

Koufax won the pitching “Triple Crown” by leading the major leagues in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He also led the majors in winning percentage (.765), complete games (27) and innings pitched (335.2). The National League’s Most Valuable player in 1963, Koufax finished second to Willie Mays in the MVP balloting for 1965.

On September 9, 1965, Koufax pitched his fourth career no-hitter, a 1-0 perfect game against the Chicago Cubs.

In the 1965 World Series, Koufax was 2-1 against the Minnesota Twins with a 0.38 ERA. He struck out 29 Twins batters in 24 innings pitched.

What a season!

Cleveland's Mc-Complement

2011-11-07T05:18:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

During the mid-1960s, the Cleveland Indians had not only the most prolific strikeout pitcher in Sam McDowell, but also the league’s most lethal strikeout tandem. Sonny Siebert was the other half of that duo, and the right-handed complement to Sudden Sam.

Siebert was signed by the Indians out of the University of Missouri and pitched in Cleveland’s farm system for 5 seasons. He was a .500 pitcher until 1962, when he won 15 games for Charleston in the Eastern League. After a 7-9 rookie season in 1964, Siebert moved into the Indians’ starting rotation and stayed there for 4 seasons.

Clevelands’s young starting rotation of McDowell, Siebert and Luis Tiant was one of the best in the American League in terms of “stuff.” Unfortunately, that trio didn’t have the supporting talent to turn them into consistent winners. Of the 3, Siebert seemed to fare best initially. In his first season as a full-time starter, Siebert went 16-8 with a 2.43 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 188.2 innings pitched. He finished the season fourth in the American League in strikeouts, second in strikeouts per 9 innings (9.111) and third in ERA. (Teammate McDowell led the league in all 3 categories.)

Siebert repeated his 16-8 campaign for 1966, increasing his innings pitched to 241 while keeping his ERA at a low 2.80. His 161 strikeouts were tenth best in the league (led again by McDowell). No other team in the American League had as potent a 1-2 strikeout punch.

Over the next 2 seasons, Siebert was a combined 22-22 for Cleveland despite a combined ERA of only 2.69. At the beginning of the 1969 season, Siebert was traded with Joe Azcue and Vicente Romo to the Boston Red Sox for Dick Ellsworth, Ken Harrelson and Juan Pizarro. He won 14 games for the Red Sox in 1969, 15 games in 1970, and 16 games in 1971. After a 12-12 season in 1972, Siebert was traded to the Texas Rangers. He played for 4 different teams over the next 3 seasons, posting a combined 22-26. He retired after the 1975 season.

During his 12-year career, Siebert won 140 games with a career ERA of 3.21.

Half of Cards' Infield Disappears

2011-10-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(October 27, 1965) The St. Louis Cardinals today traded two of their mainstays, sending first baseman Bill White and shortstop Dick Groat to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Alex Johnson, pitcher Art Mahaffey and catcher Pat Corrales. St. Louis also threw in catcher Bob Uecker.

Only a year earlier, this was the Cardinals infield that led the team to its first World Series championship since 1946.

The Cardinals traded for White prior to the 1959 season. He hit a combined .299 during his 7 seasons in St. Louis, averaging 20 home runs and 90 RBIs per season. As a member of the Cardinals, White was named to the All-Star team 5 times and won 6 Gold Gloves. (He won his seventh Gold Glove in his first season with the Phillies.)

Groat was acquired by the Cardinals prior to the 1963 season in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Don Cardwell and Julio Gotay. The National League batting champion and Most Valuable Player in 1960, Groat brought a solid glove and bat to the Cardinals, hitting a combined .289 during his 3 years with the Cardinals and leading the National League in doubles with 43 in 1963.

The trade not only eliminated half of the Cardinals’ starting infield, but also broke up what had been the starting infield for the National League in the 1963 All-Star game. The NL’s All-Star starters that season included third baseman Ken Boyer and second baseman Julian Javier as well as Groat and White.

Man of Many Positions

2011-10-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The Kansas City (and later, Oakland) Athletics had few bright spots during the 1960s. Six times during that decade, the A’s lost at least 90 games, and three times lost more than 100. Prior to the introduction of divisional play in 1969, the Athletics’ best finish was sixth in 1968, the first time in the 1960s that the A’s finished above .500.

The only real bright spot for the franchise during the 1960s was the acquisition and development of a stable of young, talented players who would jell at the end of the 1960s and spur the Oakland Athletics’ championship years in the early 1970s. One of the first of those foundation players was a fleet Cuban native named Dagoberto Campaneris.

“Bert” Campaneris came up with the A’s as their shortstop in 1964, hitting a home run in his first at-bat and 2 homers in his first game. As an indication of things to come, that performance was misleading, as Campaneris’ primary offensive weapon was speed, not power. Starting in 1965, Campaneris led the league in stolen bases in each of his first 4 seasons and in 6 out of his first 8 years with the A’s. When Campaneris led the American League with 51 stolen bases in 1965, he ended Luis Aparicio’s 9-year reign as AL base-stealing champ (1956-1964).

Campaneris led the league in triples in 1965 (12) and in hits in 1968 (177). During the 1960s, he batted a combined .264 with 292 stolen bases.

Campaneris was the A’s shortstop and lead-off for a dozen years. However, he was talented enough to play every position and, on September 8, 1965, Campaneris did just that. In a night game against the California Angels, he played every position, giving up one run in the inning he pitched in a 5-3 loss (Campaneris did not figure in the decision). His only error in that 9-position game occurred in right field. He was error-free in 6 chances at other positions and, ironically, had no fielding chances during the inning he played his everyday position, shortstop.

A 5-time All-Star, Campaneris is still the Athletics’ career leader in games (1,795), at-bats (7,180) and hits (1,882).

Astro Sparkplug ... Hall of Fame Bound

2011-10-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

A Hall of Fame second baseman, Joe Morgan put together his best years as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s, but also had some fine seasons for the Houston Astros in the late 1960s prior to being traded to the Big Red Machine.

Morgan actually played more seasons for Houston, the team he broke in with, than he did for the Reds, establishing himself as one of the league’s best second basemen and an offensive threat both in the batter’s box and on the basepaths. He signed with the Houston Colt .45s as a free agent in 1962. He learned the art of playing second base under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Nellie Fox, who closed out his career in a Houston uniform.

Morgan broke in with the Astros for keeps in 1965, batting .271 and leading the major leagues in walks with 97. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year balloting that year (to Dodger second baseman Jim Lefebvre). He made his first (of 10) All-Star appearances in 1966, hitting .285 that season. In his 10 seasons with Houston (including a tour with the club in 1980), Morgan hit for an average of .263 with an on-base percentage of .375.

Of course, it was with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s that Morgan emerged as the best second baseman in baseball. In his 8 seasons with the Reds, Morgan averaged .288, hitting better than .300 twice (during his back-to-back MVP seasons of 1975 and 1976). Morgan led the league in on-base percentage 4 times and led the major leagues with a .576 slugging percentage in 1976, when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 111 runs. He also stole 60 bases that year, and averaged 51 steals per year during his tenure in Cincinnati.

After the 1979 season, his last in Cincinnati, Morgan played 5 more years with 4 teams, making stops in Houston, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Oakland. When he retired after the 1984 season, Morgan’s 266 career home runs ranked him first among all second basemen (since passed by Jeff Kent and Ryne Sandberg). Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Yankees Hand Houk Skipper's Job

2011-10-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(October 20, 1960) Coach Ralph Houk today was named to succeed Casey Stengel as manager of the New York Yankees.

Stengel had managed the Yankees since 1949. During that 12-year period, his teams won 10 American League pennants and 7 World Series championships. The Yankees let him go after the team lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series.

Houk had been part of the Yankees’ organization since 1947, first as a back-up catcher for 8 seasons and then as a minor league manager and Yankee coach. He had been Stengel’s first base coach during the 1960 season, and he was interim manager for 13 games during the 1960 season when Stengel was hospitalized.

Houk would find immediate success as the new Yankees manager, winning 3 consecutive AL pennants and the World Series in 1961 and 1962. He moved into the club’s front office as general manager following the 1963 season, and served in that capacity until 1966, when he returned to the bench, serving as the Yankees’ field skipper for 8 more seasons. He would later manage in Detroit and Boston.

Stengel would return to managing in 1962 as the first skipper of the New York Mets. Stengel was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.

Good Hands People

2011-10-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

John Romano was one of the American League’s best all-around catchers in the early 1960s. He threw and batted right-handed, and contributed both from the batter’s box and from behind the plate during his outstanding injury-marred career.

Romano was signed by the Chicago White Sox in 1954 and spent 5 seasons in the White Sox farm system before being called up in September of 1958. In 1959 he hit .294 playing sparingly as the sox’ backup catcher, and in the off-season was traded with Norm Cash and Bubba Phillips to the Cleveland Indians for Dick Brown, Don Ferrarese, Minnie Minoso and Jake Striker.

With the Indians, Roman gradually took over the day-to-day catching duties from Russ Nixon. He finished the 1960 season with a .272 batting average, 16 home runs and 52 RBIs. In 1961, his first full-time season, Romano hit .299 with 29 doubles, 21 home runs and 80 RBIs. He followed up in 1962 by hitting 25 home runs with 81 RBIs. He was selected for the American League All-Star team in both 1961 and 1962.

In 1963, Romano fractured his little finger in a collision at home plate. The injury not only cost him 40 games that season. It never properly healed and caused pain in his batting swing for the rest of his career. Romano hit .216 in 1963, and never regained the power he had before his injury. He hit .241 in 1964, his last season with the Indians. The Tribe traded him back to the White Sox (along with Tommie Agee and Tommy John) in the deal that brought Rocky Colavito back to Cleveland.

With Chicago in 1965, Romano hit .242 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs. He followed that in 1966 with a .231 batting average, 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. He closed out his career after spending the 1967 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He appeared in only 24 games, hitting .121 in 58 at-bats.

An excellent defensive catcher, Roman finished his career with a .990 fielding percentage. He hit .255 over a 10-year career, with 129 home runs.

Maz Muscles Bucs into World Champs

2011-10-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball" ...

(October 13, 1960) At Forbes Field, Bill Mazeroski's dramatic bottom of the ninth inning home run off Yankee hurler Ralph Terry today broke up a 9-9 tie and ended one of the most exciting 7-game World Series ever played.

With the Series knotted at 3 games apiece, the Pittsburgh Pirates jumped ahead of the New York Yankees on Rocky Nelson’s 2-run homer in the bottom of the first and Bill Virdon’s 2-RBI single in the bottom of the second. With 20-game winner Vern Law on the mound for the Pirates, it would seem to be a commanding lead … except they were playing the Yankees in a series where no lead was seemingly safe.

Yankee first baseman Bill Skowron broke up Law’s shutout with a lead-off home run in the top of the fifth. Then the Yankees chased Law by scoring 4 runs in the top of the sixth, capped by Yogi Berra’s 3-run homer off Pittsburgh’s ace reliever Roy Face.

The Yankees added 2 more runs in the top of the eighth on RBI singles by John Blanchard and Clete Boyer. The Pirates came back with 5 runs in the bottom of the eighth, capped by Hal Smith’s 3-run homer off Jim Coates, and now led the Yankees 9-7 going into the ninth.

The Yankees opened the ninth with singles by Bobby Richardson and Dale Long off Bob Friend. The Pirates brought in southpaw Harvey Haddix to pitch against the left-handed hitting Roger Maris. Haddix induced Maris to foul out, but then gave up an RBI single to Mickey Mantle that made the score 9-8. Berra grounded out to first, but Gil McDougall, pinch running for Long, scored from third to tie the game. Skowron grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The Yankees brought in Ralph Terry to pitch the ninth, and Terry faced only 1 batter. Mazeroski, probably the greatest defensive second baseman in baseball history who also hit 138 home runs in his career, sent a Terry fastball into the left field seats to end the game and bring Pittsburgh its first World Series Championship in 35 years.

Haddix was the winning pitcher, his second victory in the Series.

A Star Among The Angels

2011-10-10T05:15:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

This Los Angeles Angels outfielder was the team’s first “star,” leading the American League by scoring 115 runs in 1962 as the franchise surprised all of baseball by finishing third in the American League in only its second year of existence.

Pearson made his major league debut with the Washington Senators in 1958, winning Rookie of the Year honors by hitting .275. In 1959, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Lenny Green.

Selected by the Angels in the 1960 expansion draft, Pearson moved immediately into the team’s starting outfield. He led the team with a .288 batting average in 1961. Pearson had his best season in 1963, hitting .304 with career highs in hits (176) and RBIs (47). He was also a member of the American League All-Star team that season.

Pearson finished his career with the Angels, hitting .275 in 6 years with the team. He was released by the Angels during the 1966 season.

Boyer's Slam Downs Downing

2011-10-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball" ...

(October 11, 1964) In Game 4 of the World Series, Ken Boyer's sixth inning grand slam off Yankee starter Al Downing gives the Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Yankees. The St. Louis third baseman is the second National Leaguer to hit a post-season bases-loaded round-tripper.

The Cardinals’ victory tied the Series at 2 victories apiece.

Boyer, who would be named the National League MVP for the 1964 season, got only 1 hit in the game, but it was the one that counted. Downing, the Yankee left-hander who went 13-8 during the regular season and led the American League with 217 strikeouts, had shut out the Cardinals over the first 5 innings, allowing only 1 hit. The Cardinals loaded the bases on back-to-back singles by Carl Warwick and Curt Flood, and an error by second baseman Bobby Richardson that allowed Cardinals shortstop Dick Groat to reach base safely. Boyer, the National League RBI champion for 1964, promptly launched a Downing fastball deep into the left field seats, putting the Cardinals ahead for good.

Boyer wasn’t the only hero for the Cardinals that day. Cardinals starter Ray Sadecki lasted only a third of an inning, allowing 4 consecutive hits and 2 runs before being replaced by Roger Craig. Craig allowed a third run on an Elston Howard single (run charged to Sadecki), and then shut down the Yankees’ bats, pitching 4.2 scoreless innings and striking out 8 batters.

Craig was the pitcher of record when Boyer hit the game-wining home run. Ron Taylor shut out the Yankees over the final 4 innings for the save.

Three Batting Titles and a Triple Crown

2011-10-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

It must be nice to be able to replace one Hall of Fame outfielder with another one. The Yankees did when Joe DiMaggio relinquished centerfield to Mickey Mantle. And the Red Sox followed suit a decade later, replacing the great Ted Williams, who retired at the end of the 1960 season, with a pure hitter named Carl Yastrzemski.

Yaz was the prototype for the complete ballplayer, hitting for power and average and playing left field superbly throughout his 23 major league seasons, all with the Red Sox. He was signed as a free agent in 1958 and debuted in left field for the Red Sox in 1961. He hit .266 as a rookie, driving in 80 runs. The next year he raised his batting average to .296, with 19 home runs and 94 RBIs. His offensive numbers would only get better.

In 1963, Yastrzemski hit .321 to win his first American League batting championship. That year, he also led the league in hits (183), doubles (40) and bases on balls (95). He continued hitting well over the next three years, leading the league in doubles in 1965 and 1966. He failed to repeat as doubles leader in 1967, but he compensated in other ways.

1967 was a miracle season for Yastrzemski and the Red Sox. The team won the American League pennant by one game in a three-team race that came down to the last day of the season. Yaz almost single-handedly carried the Red Sox to the pennant. In the last 12 games of the season, he hit 5 home runs, scored 14 runs and drove in 16. In the last two “must win” games against the Minnesota Twins, Yastrzemski went 7 for 8 with 6 RBIs.

When the regular season had ended, Yastrzemski was at the top of the league in nearly every offensive category: hits (189), runs (112), home runs (44, tied with Minnesota’s Harmon Killebrew), RBIs (121), total bases (360), slugging percentage (.622) and batting average (.326). His Triple Crown leadership in home runs, RBIs and batting average earned Yaz the league’s Most Valuable Player award. During the 1967 World Series, which the St. Louis Cardinals won in 7 games, Yastrzemski continued his offensive onslaught, batting .400 with 3 home runs.

In 1968, Yastrzemski won his third batting title with a .301 average – the league’s only .300 hitter that year and the lowest average ever for a batting champion. He closed out the 1960s with another superb year in 1969, hitting 40 home runs and driving in 111 runs, though he hit only .255. He won the Gold Glove for his consistent excellence in left field 5 times during the 1960s, and 6 times in all during his career.

Yastrzemski retired with 3,419 major league hits, #7 all time. He also hit over 400 home runs with more than 1,800 lifetime RBIs. The last of the Triple Crown winners was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

Hit Factory

2011-09-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

In many ways, Tommy Davis is remembered – if at all – as one of the most over-rated hitters of the 1960s. It’s not only unfortunate, but grossly unfair.

Few players in baseball history can match the offensive numbers that Davis put up, on either an individual season or career basis. In fact, most of the players who can at least match Tommy’s hitting statistics have a place of honor in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

While Davis may not have the numbers to qualify for Cooperstown, his outstanding career was, in fact, tempered only by the extraordinary expectations he created with his own performance at the beginning of his career.

Davis was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 and made his debut with the club as a pinch hitter in 1960. By 1961 Davis was a reserve player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .276 his rookie year. He became the Dodgers’ starting left fielder in 1961, hitting .278 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Nothing prior to 1962 suggested the kind of hitting monster Davis was to become that season. He won the National League batting title with a .346 batting average and led the major leagues in hits (236) and RBIs (153). He also achieved what would be career highs in runs (120), doubles (27), home runs (27) and slugging percentage (.535).

A single-season fluke? Davis proved otherwise in 1963 when he claimed his second consecutive bating championship, hitting .326 with 16 home runs and 88 RBIs. Yet it seemed like a “down” season compared to his output in 1962. And in 1964 his offensive numbers slipped further, to 16 home runs, 86 RBIs and a .275 bating average.

His productivity came to a crushing halt in 1965 when an aggressive slide into second base resulted in a fractured ankle. While never known for basepath speed, the injury nevertheless hurt his career. Davis was never the same player after it.

He rebounded in 1966 to hit .313, but it would be his last season in Dodger blue. The Dodgers sent Davis and Darrell Griffith to the New York Mets for Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman. Davis extended his comeback by hitting .302 for a full season in New York, with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs. But he was traded again after the 1967 season, this time to the Chicago White Sox in a 6-player deal that brought Tommy Agee and Al Weis to the Mets. Davis led the White Sox in hitting (.268) and was promptly drafted by the expansion Seattle Pilots, his fourth team in 4 years.

Davis hit .271 for the Pilots in 123 games before being traded to the Houston Astros. Less than a year later, Davis was purchased by the Oakland Athletics, and then sold to the Chicago Cubs 2 months after that. In all, he played for 10 different teams from 1966 to 1976, his last year in the majors. His longest stop was with the Baltimore Orioles from 1972 through 1975. Despite his travels, Davis never really stopped hitting until the end of his playing career. He hit .324 for the A’s in 1971 and .306 for the Orioles in 1973, when he drove in 89 runs for the O’s. Altogether, Davis played 18 seasons in the big leagues and tallied 2,121 hits for a .294 career average.

Heady numbers for an “under” achiever.

Seattle's Finest

2011-09-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

One of the two American League expansion teams in 1969, the Seattle Pilots lasted one season before they disappeared from the great northwest and re-emerged in Milwaukee henceforth as the Brewers.

There were few bright spots in the Pilots’ lone season, though they did manage to avoid having the worst won-lost record in the league. (The Cleveland Indians’ disastrous 1969 campaign deprived the Pilots of that dubious honor.)

Tommy Harper was a bright spot for Seattle in 1969. But that season was simply the culmination of a solid decade for Harper, and a hint at the kind of outstanding productivity still to come from Harper’s quick bat and feet.

The Cincinnati Reds signed Harper in 1960 off the campus of San Francisco State University. After three seasons in the Reds’ minor league organization, Harper debuted in 1963 as a starting outfielder, hitting .260 with 12 stolen bases and 37 RBIs.

By 1965, Harper had developed into a considerable offensive threat, batting .257 with 166 hits, 18 home runs, and 64 RBIs as the Reds’ lead-off hitter. Harper also stole 35 bases that year, and led the majors with 126 runs scored.

On the verge of stardom, Harper’s offensive output dropped dramatically over the next 2 years, and the Reds traded him to Cleveland, where injuries limited his ability during the 1968 season, the worst statistically of his career. The Indians left the disappointing Harper unprotected, and he was acquired by Seattle in the league’s expansion draft on October 15, 1968.

Harper had his best season in years as a member of the lowly Pilots. At full strength finally, he led the American League in stolen bases with 73. As the Pilots’ lead-off hitter, he scored 78 runs and drove in 41 himself. Harper’s stolen-base championship in 1969 marked the only time a member of a first-year expansion team led the league in any offensive category.

The next year, 1970, he moved with the team to Milwaukee, becoming one of the few players in major league history to hit more than 30 home runs and steal more than 30 bases in the same season. He also had career highs in RBIs (82) and batting average (.296). Harper went on to have productive years with the Boston Red Sox (including leading the league again in stolen bases with 54 in 1973) before retiring as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 1976.

A solid ballplayer for 15 seasons, Harper can take pride in the fact that his offensive single-season records with the Seattle Pilots will never be broken. As Roger Maris and Maury Wills have proven, not even baseball titans such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb can make the same claim.

The Gentleman Tiger

2011-09-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Al Kaline was the ultimate blue-collar ballplayer in the major leagues’ ultimate blue-collar town.

His 20-year career consisted of steady productivity punctuated with flashes of brilliance. He was a gentleman ballplayer whom everyone respected. No one – not even his opponents – seemed to be able to dislike him.

A career-long Tiger, Kaline never played an inning of minor league ball, going right from high school to Detroit’s outfield. He collected an American League batting championship before turning 21, hitting .340 in 1955. He was baseball’s youngest-ever batting champion, a distinction he still holds. Kaline also led the major leagues that season with 200 hits, and finished second in the voting for American League MVP (to the Yankees’ Yogi Berra).

Over the next 4 seasons (1956 to 1959), Kaline demonstrated the consistency that would be typical throughout his career. Over that 4-year period, he hit .312 while averaging 23 home runs and 99 RBIs per season. He also won his first 3 Gold Gloves.

During the 1960s, you could count on Kaline for 20+ home runs, 80+ RBIs and a batting average around .300 year in and year out. His best season during the 1960s came in 1963, when he batted .312 with 27 home runs and 101 RBIs. A superb outfielder, Kaline won 7 more Gold Gloves from 1961 to 1967, earning 10 overall in his career.

In his only World Series appearance in 1968, Kaline batted .379 as the Tigers bested the Cardinals 4-3. In seven games, Kaline had 11 hits, including 2 doubles and 2 home runs. He scored 6 runs and drove in 8.

Kaline retired in 1974 after collecting 3,007 hits during his 22-season career. He appeared in 18 All-Star games during his career, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Al Kaline is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.1960sbaseball.com

Lasting Relief

2011-08-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The 1960s were the baseball decade that witnessed the emergence of the relief specialist. And among the outstanding relief pitchers who toiled during the 1960s, few could claim a more brilliantly consistent career than that of Lindy McDaniel.

He pitched for 21 seasons, from 1955 to 1975. Only Hoyt Wilhelm could match his record for longevity. The St. Louis Cardinals signed McDaniel as a free agent in 1955. His minor league career lasted only 6 games (4-1 with a 3.64 ERA) as he joined the big league club at the end of 1955. He took turns as both a starter and reliever for the Cardinals in 1957, going 15-9 with a 3.49 ERA.

Gradually, McDaniel did less starting and more relieving for the Cards. In 1959 he went 14-12 and led the major leagues with 15 saves (in the days when starters were expected to pitch complete games). McDaniel had an outstanding season in 1960, with a 12-4 record and a 2.09 ERA. His 26 saves that season were again best in the majors, and earned McDaniel the first Fireman of the Year award as baseball’s best reliever.

Following the 1962 season, McDaniel was traded with pitcher Larry Jackson and catcher Jimmie Schaffer to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder George Altman, pitcher Don Cardwell and catcher Moe Thacker. For the Cubs in 1963, he won 13 games (all in relief) and saved 22 more (NL best). In his 3 seasons in Chicago, McDaniel averaged 64 relief appearances per season with a 3.06 ERA.

McDaniel spent 2 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, and then was traded to the New York Yankees in 1968 for pitcher Bill Monbouquette. In 6 seasons with the Yankees, McDaniel appeared in 265 games with a combined ERA of 2.89. His best season in New York was 1970, when his record was 9-5 in 62 appearances, with 29 saves and an ERA of 2.01. He closed out his career with the Kansas City Royals, retiring after the 1975 season.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in the 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Tiger Power

2011-08-20T04:08:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

A Detroit Tigers outfielder, Willie Horton hit 325 home runs over an 18-year career, the first 15 with the Tigers. His best overall year was 1968, when Horton hit .285 with 36 home runs and 85 RBIs.

Horton signed with the Tigers in 1961 and made the club as a full-time player in 1965, when he hit 29 home runs with 104 RBIs. He followed up in 1965 with 27 home runs and 100 RBIs.

In the 1968 World Series, Horton hit .304 against the Cardinals, playing a pivotal role – as he did all season – in helping the Tigers win the World Championship that year. In 15 seasons with Detroit, Horton averaged .276 and hit 262 of his career 325 home runs.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

In 1977 Horton was traded to the Texas Ranger for pitcher Steve Foucault. He played for 5 teams over the next 4 years. Horton closed out his career in Seattle where, at age 36, he drove in 106 runs in 1979 for the Mariners.

Horton was a 4-time All-Star.

Mick Don't Care ... RH or LH = HR

2011-08-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(August 12, 1964) At Yankee Stadium, New York moved with 1.5 games of second-place Chicago by beating the White Sox in a Wednesday matinee 7-3.

Six of the 7 Yankee runs came from 4 home runs, 2 by Mickey Mantle and 1 each by Roger Maris and Clete Boyer. In the fourth inning, batting left-handed against White Sox starting pitcher Ray Herbert (5-4), Mantle hit his first home run of the game over the centerfield fence. In the eighth inning, the Mick batted right-handed to send a Frank Bauman pitch into the seats.

It was the tenth game in Mantle’s career that he hit home runs from both sides of the plates, a major league record. It would also be the last time that Mantle would accomplish that feat.

The winning pitcher, in his major league debut, was right-hander Mel Stottlemyre (1-0). Over the last 2 months of the 1964 season, Stottlemyre would go 9-3 with 2 shutouts and a 2.06 ERA, providing the very un-rookie-like clutch pitching that New York would need to win its fifth straight American League pennant.

Mantle would finish the 1964 season with a .303 batting average, 35 home runs and 111 RBIs. He would also finish second in the MVP voting to Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson.

It was the third time in his career that Mantle was the MVP bridesmaid. His other 2 second place finishes were behind teammate Roger Maris.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

Full Throttle in Center

2011-08-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

For nearly the entire 1960s, centerfield in Dodger Stadium was patrolled by one of the fastest men in baseball during that decade, Willie Davis.

Replacing Hall of Famer Duke Snider in 1961, Davis played 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (out of an 18-season major league career) and by the time he retired held more than a handful of Dodger records, with both his bat and his glove.

Davis was a 3-sport athlete in high school when he was signed by the Dodgers in 1958. He made his debut with the Dodgers in 1960 and had taken over the centerfield position from Snider by the end of 1961. In his first full season as a starter, Davis hit .285 for the Dodgers in 1962, with 21 home runs and 85 RBIs. He hit a combined .279 in his 14 seasons with the Dodgers.

Davis made full use of his tremendous speed both at the plate and in the outfield. He led the National League in triples in 1962 (10) and in 1970 (16). Teamed with shortstop Maury Wills at the top of the Dodger batting order, he gave middle-of-the-lineup hitters such as Tommy Davis, Frank Howard and Ron Fairly plenty of RBI opportunities, and was capable of driving in runs himself, recording a career high of 93 RBIs in 1970.

While Wills was the National League’s premier base stealer during the 1960s, Davis was no slouch in the “theft” department, and he was a better all-around hitter than Wills. Davis stole 20 or more bases in a season 13 time in his career, with a career best of 42 in 1964.

The 1960s featured an abundance of outstanding defensive centerfielders, and Davis was one of the best of the best. He led all National League outfielders in total putouts in 1964 (400) and in 1971 (404). He finished in the top 5 in that category 12 times in his career. He remains fourth all-time in career putouts as a centerfielder (5,278).

In December of 1973, the Dodgers traded Davis to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Mike Marshall. Davis hit .295 in his only season in Montreal, and then was traded to the Texas Rangers for Pete Mackanin and Don Stanhouse. He played for only 2 months with the Rangers, and in June of 1975 was shipped to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ed Brinkman and Tommy Moore. He also made brief stops with the San Diego Padres and the California Angels before closing out his playing career in Japan.

Davis retired with 2,561 hits and a career batting average of .279. He has more hits than any Dodger since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, and his 31-game hitting streak in 1969 remains the franchise record. During his career, Davis won 3 Gold Gloves and was an All-Star twice.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Knuckle Out of Trouble

2011-08-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Eddie Fisher was one of a handful of pioneering relief specialists whose success in the 1960s paved the way for the ultra-specialist relievers so prominent in baseball today. His success was built on one pitch and advice he received from a future Hall of Famer.

Fisher was signed by the San Francisco Giants off the campus of the University of Oklahoma. In 4 minor league seasons, Fisher went 47-28 as both a starter and reliever. He made 3 short stays with the Giants from 1959 to 1961, appearing in only 35 games with a 3-8 record over those 3 seasons.

Fisher’s first real opportunity came when, in November of 1961, he was traded with Bob Farley and Dom Zanni to the Chicago White Sox for Don Larsen and Billy Pierce. The trade turned out to be significant for both teams. Pierce had a 16-6 season for the Giants that included outstanding pitching in the stretch run. He and Larsen accounted for both of the San Francisco playoff victories that boosted the Giants into the World Series.

But during his first tour with the White Sox, Fisher blossomed into one of the best relievers in baseball. In 1962 and 1963, Fisher split his appearance between starting and relieving, with a combined record of 18-13 with a 3.44 ERA. During those 2 seasons, he had 4 complete games with 2 shutouts, and 5 saves.

Fisher also spent time in the Chicago bullpen with future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm. It was time well spent. Fisher perfected the art of the knuckleball under Wilhelm’s tutelage, and mastered it over those 2 seasons.

By 1964, Fisher started in only 2 of his 59 appearances, but finished 30 games and saved 9 while going 6-3 with a 3.02 ERA.

In 1965 Fisher led the American League in appearances (82) and games finished (60). He won 15 games in relief while saving 24. His 2.40 ERA was second in the league to Cleveland’s Sam McDowell (2.18).

For the season, Fisher was selected to the American League All-Star team, and finished fourth in the balloting for Most Valuable Player.

Fisher started the 1966 season with the White Sox, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in June for Jerry Adair and John Riddle. He anchored the bullpen for the pennant-winning Orioles, leading the league again in appearances (67) while finishing second in games finished (50). His 19 saves (13 with Baltimorehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif) were fifth best in the league, and Fisher completed the season with a combined ERA of 2.52.

Fisher spent 1 more season in Baltimore (4-3, 3.61 ERA, 1 save) and 1 in Cleveland (4-2, 2.85 ERA, 4 saves). The Indians dealt Fisher to California, where he pitched for the next 4 years (21-19, 3.22 ERA, 17 saves). He closed out his career with fractions of seasons with the White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Piling Up Innings & Wins

2011-08-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Bob Buhl was the kind of workhorse every pitching staff can use. From 1955 to 1965, he could be counted on for an average of 13 wins and 200 innings per season, year in and year out. Though never a 20-game winner, Buhl’s most outstanding feature was his durable consistency, providing quality starts whether pitching for a contender … or the Cubs.

Buhl was signed originally by the Chicago White Sox in 1947. A year later he was granted his free agency and was signed by the Boston Braves. By the time his minor league development had earned him a stay in the National League, Buhl was pitching for the Braves in Milwaukee, going 13-8 in 1953 with a 2.97 ERA, third best in the league behind Warren Spahn and Robin Roberts. In his rookie season, Buhl had 8 complete games in 18 starts, with 3 shutouts.

After a 2-7 season in 1954, Buhl rebounded with a 13-11 record and a 3.21 ERA in 1955. It was also the first season when he topped 200 innings pitched (201.2), a feat he would achieve 8 times in the next decade. Buhl won 18 games in both 1956 and 1957, leading the league in winning percentage in 1957 (.720 on an 18-7 record) while registering the league’s fourth-best ERA (2.74). In 1959, he had the league’s third-best ERA (2.86) while going 15-9 with 12 complete games and a league-best 4 shutouts. He won 16 games for Milwaukee in 1960, and then slipped to 9-10 with a 4.11 ERA in 1961.

Two weeks into the 1962 season, Buhl was traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs for Jack Curtis. In 5 seasons with the Cubs, Buhl was 51-52 with a combined ERA of 3.83. His best season in Chicago came in 1964, when he was 15-14 with 11 complete games and 3 shutouts for a Cubs team that finished eighth in the National League.

The most important contribution Buhl made to the Cubs was to be traded in 1966 with pitcher Larry Jackson to the Philadelphia Phillies for John Herrnstein, Ferguson Jenkins and Adolfo Phillips. Jenkins went on to a Hall of Fame career, including 6 20-victory seasons for the Cubs. Buhl won 6 games for the Phillies in 1966 and then was released by Philadelphia in 1967, retiring with a career record of 166-132. He was a member of the National League All-Star team in 1960.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Cy Young Redux

2011-08-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

From 1901 to 1908, the incomparable Cy Young won 192 games for the Boston Red Sox. In 1967, the second coming of Cy Young in a Boston uniform arrived in the form of another right-hander named Jim Lonborg.

Lonborg was signed by the Red Sox in 1963 out of Stanford University. He was a regular starter for Boston during his rookie season in 1965, going 9-17 for the ninth-place Red Sox. His record improved to 10-10 in 1966, and then came his “Cy Young” season of 1967.

After years of toiling in the second division, the Red Sox won the 1967 American League pennant in one of the most exciting stretch drives ever. The Boston pennant was earned on the exploits of Carl Yastrzemski’s Triple Crown bat and Lonborg’s outstanding pitching performance: 22-9 with 3.16 ERA and a league-leading 246 strikeouts. Lonborg was voted the American League Cy Young award that year, the first year that the award was made for the best pitcher in each league.

Lonborg never had a season like that again for the Red Sox. From 1968 to 1971, Lonborg was 27-29 for the Red Sox, and was then swapped to the Milwaukee Brewers in a 10-player deal. He was 14-12 for the Brewers in 1972 with a career-best 2.83 ERA, and then was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He had his some of his best post-Cy Young seasons with Philadelphia, going 17-13 in 1974 and 18-10 in 1976. For his 15-season career, Lonborg posted a 157-137 record with a combined 3.86 ERA.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Baseball's Most LIkable Power Hitter

2011-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The many talents of Willie Mays were on display a full decade before the 1960s began. Rookie of the Year in 1951 and National League Most Valuable Player in 1954, Mays closed out the 1950s by relying more on his speed than on his power.

After leading the league in home runs with 51 in 1955 (the only season in the 1950s when Mays led the league in home runs), he led the league in stolen bases from 1956 through 1959, with a high of 40 in 1956.

Throughout most of the 1960s, Mays’ stolen base totals dwindled gradually but steadily. Yet his decline in that one offensive category was more than offset by his production in nearly every other hitting category, as Mays in the 1960s consistently hit at a level few could match.

He hit for average (a combined .300 for the decade). He hit for power (averaging 35 home runs and 100 RBIs per season during the 1960s). Though perhaps a step slower than when he roamed center field in the Polo Grounds (it would be like light losing a step), Mays still presented a constant threat on the base paths and provided Gold Glove defense in the field, despite the unpredictability of the winds whipping through Candlestick Park.

But it was his offensive skills that made Mays one of the terrors of the National League throughout the 1960s. From 1961 through 1965, he belted 226 home runs, more than a third of his 660 career total. In each of those years, he drove in more than 100 runs, and his batting average slipped below .300 only in 1964 (.296).

In 1961, Mays led the National League in runs (129) and runs produced (212). During the Giants’ pennant-winning season of 1962, Mays led the majors with 49 home runs and 382 total bases. His 47 home runs in 1964 led the league again.

Yet May’s most productive season was 1965, when he led the majors in home runs (52), total bases (360), slugging average (.645) and on-base percentage (.399). That performance earned him his second Most Valuable Player Award. He also won 8 Gold Gloves during the 1960s, and 12 consecutive Gold Gloves in all from 1957 through 1968. Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

Willie Mays is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Ott's Out, Musial's In

2011-07-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball..."

(July 25, 1962) At Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Stan Musial today surpassed New York Giants legend Mel Ott as the National League’s all-time RBI leader.

‘Stan the Man’s’ two-run home run off Don Drysdale (18-4) gave the Cardinals’ outfielder 1,862 career runs batted in with the Redbirds, who lost to the Dodgers 5-2.

It was Musial’s 14th home run and 51st RBI on the season. He would finish the season – the next to last in his 22-year career – hitting a robust .330 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs … not bad for age 41.

The home run that Drysdale surrendered to Musial was one of 21 he would serve up that season. Otherwise, 1962 turned out pretty well for Dandy Don. He finished the season at 25-9 with a 2.83 ERA and led the majors in games started (41) and innings pitched (314.1)

He also collected the Cy Young award that season.

Mel Ott played for the Giants from 1926 through 1947. He retired as the National League leader in home runs (511) as well as RBIs, and had a career batting average of .304.

Ott remains the Giants’ all-time leader in RBIs for a season (151 in 1929) and career (his 1,860 RBIs are one ahead of Willie Mays).

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

The 12/13 Perfect Pitcher

2011-07-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Left-hander Harvey Haddix will always be remembered best as the pitcher who carried a perfect game into the thirteenth inning in a May 25, 1959 game against the Milwaukee Braves … a game Haddix eventually lost 1-0. Surrounding that game was a solid 14-year career as a starter and reliever for 5 different teams.

Haddix was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1947 and made 7 appearances with the big league club in 1952. In 1953, the 27-year-old rookie went 20-9 for the Cardinals. His 3.06 ERA that season was fourth best in the National League, and his 6 shutouts led the league. He followed up in 1954 with an 18-13 record (3.57 ERA), and then slipped to 12-16 in 1955.

In May of 1956 the Cardinals sent Haddix to Philadelphia in a 4-player deal. He was 22-21 in 2 seasons with Philadelphia, and then was traded to the Cincinnati Reds (for outfielder Wally Post) where he posted an 8-7 record in 1958.

Prior to the 1959 season, Haddix was traded with Smoky Burgess and Don Hoak to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Whammy Douglas, Jim Pendleton, John Powers and Frank Thomas. All 3 players going to Pittsburgh would play major roles in the Pirates’ pennant-winning season of 1960.

Haddix went 12-12 for the Pirates in 1959, including his near-perfect game, which was one of the losses. In 1960, Haddix was 11-10 with a 3.97 ERA. He was the winning pitcher in 2 games of the 1960 World Series, including the epic seventh game won by the Pirates over the New York Yankee 10-9 on Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Haddix pitched 3 more seasons for the Pirates, going 22-16 with a 3.99 ERA. During that period, he made the transition from starting pitcher to reliever. He was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles following the 1963 season, and in the next 2 seasons made 73 appearances for the Orioles, all in relief, going 8-7 with 11 saves and a combined ERA of 2.63. He retired after the 1965 season with a career record of 136-113 and a lifetime ERA of 3.63.

A 3-time All-Star, Haddix also won 3 consecutive Gold Gloves, from 1958 to 1960.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Couldn't Keep the Ball on His Side of the Fence

2011-07-26T22:12:00.001-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Strong, talented and good looking, Rocky Colavito was a fan favorite wherever he played.

Colavito was signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1951 and made the big league club to stay in 1956, hitting 21 home runs with 65 RBIs in only 322 at-bats. He finished second to Luis Aparicio in the Rookie-of-the-Year balloting.

He improved his power numbers to 25 home runs and 84 RBIs in 1957, and then had his break-out year for the Tribe in 1958 when he batted .303 with 41 home runs and 113 RBIs. He also led the major leagues with a .620 slugging percentage. In 1959, he led the American League with 42 home runs and drove in 111 runs.

Then came “the trade.” On the eve of the 1960 season, Indians general manager Frank Lane swapped Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for the reigning American League batting champion, Harvey Kuenn. Over the next 4 seasons, as the Tigers’ starting left fielder, Colavito would have banner years in the Motor City, averaging 35 home runs and 108 RBIs per season.

His best season for Detroit was 1961, when he hit .290 with 45 home runs and 140 RBIs.

Following the 1963 season, Colavito was traded with pitcher Bob Anderson to the Kansas City Athletics for second baseman Jerry Lumpe and pitchers Ed Rakow and Dave Wickersham. He posted another strong season for the lowly A’s, hitting 34 home runs with 102 RBIs. Then he was dealt back to Cleveland in a 3-team multiplayer trade, and led the American League with 108 RBIs in 1965.

He followed with 30 home runs and 72 RBIs for the Tribe in 1966, but his offensive numbers declined steadily thereafter. He spent parts of the next 2 season with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers before closing out his 14-season career with the New York Yankees.

Colavito was known for his accurate, powerful throwing arm in the outfield. He also made 2 pitching appearances during his career, and was the last non-pitcher to win a major league game until 2000.

Colavito finished his career with 374 home runs.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Stretch for the Fences ... and the Hall of Fame

2011-07-22T02:39:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball

The name of Willie McCovey was synonymous with awesome power. The San Francisco Giants outfielder and first baseman was a power hitter who consistently made contact, and consistently inspired better pitches for the Giants batting in front of him.

McCovey hit 2 home runs in the 1969 All-Star Game, one of 4 players ever to do so. He finished his career with 18 grand slam home runs, second at the time only to Lou Gehrig’s 23.

McCovey was signed by the New York Giants in 1955, and made it to the big league club in 1959. In his debut, “Stretch” went 4 for 4 against future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. Though he played only 52 games in his rookie year of 1959, his 13 homes runs, 38 RBIs and .354 batting average won him the Rookie of the Year award.

The Giants had an All-Star in Orlando Cepeda at first base, McCovey’s natural position. So he platooned in the outfield, occasionally spelling Cepeda at first, and driving in only about 50 runs a year. In the Giants’ pennant-winning season of 1962, McCovey hit .293 with 20 home runs and 54 RBIs in only 229 at-bats. His vicious line drive snared by the Yankees’ second baseman Bobby Richardson to end the 1962 World Series was a fitting symbol for the frustration that typified McCovey’s career up to that point: so much talent, and yet so little to show for it.

All that ended in 1963, as McCovey, playing his first full season with the Giants, led the National League with 44 home runs while driving in 102 runs. Injuries cut down his playing time and power numbers in 1964, but a healthy McCovey bounced back in 1965 with 39 home runs and 92 RBIs.

When Cepeda was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in May of 1966, McCovey took over first base full-time for the Giants and was a power-hitting fixture there for the next 9 years. He closed out the 1960s as one of the most – if not the most – dangerous power hitter in all of baseball. He led the league in home runs and RBIs in both 1968 (36 and 105) and 1969 (45 and 126), when he finished fifth in the league in hitting with a .320 average.

In 1969, he also led the major leagues in on-base percentage (.453) and slugging percentage (.656). He was named National League Most Valuable Player for 1969.

In all, McCovey hit 300 home runs during the 1960s. His 22 big league seasons, with the Giants, the San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics, produced 521 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhome runs and over 1500 RBIs. A 6-time All-Star, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

Willie McCovey is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

The Man with the Fantastic Flutter

2011-07-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

It’s probably the most unhittable pitch in baseball (with apologies to any pitch ever thrown by Sandy Koufax). And it may be the most unpitchable.

The knuckleball is slow, it doesn’t rotate, and it doesn’t offer many clues as to where it will end up. But one pitcher, more than any, is associated with the knuckleball, and was such a master of its unpredictability that it floated him all the way to Cooperstown.

Hoyt Wilhelm broke into the major leagues with the New York Giants in 1952 – as a 29-year-old rookie. That year he led the National League in winning percentage (.833 on a 15-3 record), in games pitched (71, all in relief) and in earned run average (2.43). In his first major league at-bat, he hit a home run (the only one of his career).

For more than 2 decades thereafter, Wilhelm remained one of the game’s most durable and productive relievers. He entered the 1960s in the middle of a 5-year stretch with the Baltimore Orioles. After a brief stint as a starter for the Orioles (in his first major league start, he pitched a no-hitter), Wilhelm recorded 33 saves over the next 2 years, second best in the American League to Luis Arroyo’s 36. Then he was traded to the White Sox in the deal that brought Luis Aparicio to the Orioles.

In 6 years with Chicago, Wilhelm appeared in 361 games for the White Sox, all but 3 as a reliever. He saved 98 games, with an ERA of 1.92 for the 6 years combined. Wilhelm closed out the 1960s by splitting the 1969 season between the California Angels and the Atlanta Braves, with a total of 14 saves and a combined ERA of 2.19.

Throughout the 1960s, no relief pitcher was as consistently effective as Wilhelm. During those 10 years, he won 75 games and saved 152 more, with an ERA of 2.19 for the decade. His career lasted 2 years beyond the 1960s, with his retirement after the 1971 season at age 48. His 1,070 career appearances were the major league record at the time Wilhelm called it quits.

Today Wilhelm still ranks fifth in most career games by a pitcher. He remains the all-time major league leader in career wins in relief (124) and career inhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnings pitched in relief (1,871). Opponents’ career batting average against Wilhelm was only .216, lower than batters’ career averages against fellow Hall-of-Famers Tom Seaver (.226), Catfish Hunter (.231) and Rollie Fingers (.235).

An 8-time All-Star, Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Hoyt Wilhelm is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Storm on the Loose

2011-07-16T03:33:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Though he will always be remembered as the batting champion with the highest single-season batting average of the 1960s, Norm Cash was anything but a contact hitter. His forte was run-producing power, and he was one of the most consistent – yet underrated – power hitters of the decade.

“Stormin’ Norman” was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1955. After 2 brief trips to Chicago in 1958 and 1959, Cash was traded by the White Sox with Bubba Phillips and John Romano to the Cleveland Indians for Dick Brown, Don Ferrarese, Minnie Minoso and Jake Striker. Cash never played for the Tribe. Before the first pitch of the 1960 season, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for third baseman Steve Demeter.

Demeter turned out to be a career .087 hitter. Cash was a fixture at first base for the Tigers for the next 15 years.

His first full season in the majors, Cash hit .286 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. His second season, 1961, was a monster year for Cash: the American League leader in hits (193) and batting (a decade-best .361) with 41 home runs, 132 RBIs and a .662 slugging average. He would never match any of those numbers again in his career.

The next season his batting average would drop 118 points though he would still hit 39 home runs with 89 RBIs. But the rest of his career was built on day-in, day-out consistency rather than bursts of the spectacular. Over the next decade, Cash would average 27 home runs and 78 RBIs per season , and playing a solid first base for the Tigers for 143 games a year. In the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Cash hit .385 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs. He was a 4-time All-Star.

Cash retired after being released by the Tigers in 1974. He finished with 377 career home runs, all but 4 with Detroit.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Mr. 20-20

2011-07-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Dick Ellsworth was a dependable starter for the Chicago Cubs and 4 other major league teams from 1960 through 1971. He is one of the few pitchers in major league history to follow a 20-loss season with a 20-victory campaign.

Ellsworth was signed by the Cubs in 1958 out of Fresno High School, where his teammates included future major league pitcher Jim Maloney. Ellsworth made the big league club for keeps in 1960. From 1960 through 1966, he averaged 34 starts and 234 innings per season for Chicago. Although his ERA for that period was a respectable 3.68, his won-loss record for less-than-respectable Cubs teams was only 84-109.

After going 9-20 in 1962, Ellsworth posted a 22-10 record for 1963. His 2.11 ERA that season was second in the league only to the 1.88 for Sandy Koufax. But he would never match that success again as a Cubs starter. He won 14 games in both 1964 and 1965, and led the National League in losses in 1966 (8-20).

Ellsworth was traded to Philadelphia for pitcher Ray Culp, and went 6-7 in his only season with the Phillies. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox and went 16-7 in 1968. He was 9-12 for the Cleveland Indians over the next 2 seasons, and retired in 1971 after a short stay with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

The Greatest Pitching Duel of Our Lifetime

2011-07-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

It was a dream match-up of future Hall of Fame pitchers that lived up to its promise … and then some.

Both Warren Spahn of Milwaukee and Juan Marichal of San Francisco were on their way to outstanding seasons when they met in early July of 1963. Spahn would finish the season at 23-7, the last of his 13 20-victory campaigns. He would lead the league in complete games for the seventh straight season, and his 2.60 ERA would be the second lowest of his career.

Marichal’s season-ending numbers would be equally impressive: 25-8 with a 2.41 ERA, 18 complete games, 5 shutouts and a major league-leading 321.1 innings pitched – 16 of them coming in a single game.

Neither team posed a serious scoring threat until the top of the fourth inning. Marichal got Henry Aaron to fly out to left and then struck out Eddie Mathews before issuing a walk to Norm Larker. Then Mack Jones singled, moving Larker to second, and Del Crandall singled to center. Larker tried to score but was thrown out at the plate by Willie Mays.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Giants put up back-to-back singles by Orlando Cepeda and Ed Bailey, but Jim Davenport flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourteenth inning, the Giants loaded the bases on a lead-off double by Harvey Kuenn, an intentional walk to Mays, and Cepeda reaching first on an error. But Spahn worked out of the inning without surrendering a run.

For 15 innings, both starters spun shutouts, dominating the batters with control and pitching finesse, as if this particular game were being played 50 years ealier in baseball’s “dead ball” era. Marichal had struck out 10 batters through the first 15 innings. Spahn had fanned only 2 of the Giants (Mays in the first inning, Marichal in the fifteenth).

In the top of the sixteenth, Marichal gave up a 2-out single to Denis Menke and then induced Larker to ground out and end the inning. In the top of the sixteenth, Spahn faced only 2 batters. Kuenn flied out to center field, and then Mays parked a Spahn fastball in the left field seats for his fifteenth home run of the season.

In a matter of moments, that hit made Spahn a loser in one of the greatest duels he (or Marichal) would ever pitch, in two careers where greatness was the norm.

How to Shave Batting Averages ... and Win Games

2011-07-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Strong left-handed starting pitching was a characteristic of the Baltimore Orioles staff throughout the 1960s. For the first half of that decade, that banner was carried by Steve Barber.

Barber was signed by the Orioles in 1957. In 1960, he joined a strong Oriole staff as the only left-handed starter, going 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA in helping contribute to the Orioles’ second-place finish. Barber also led the league in walks with 113.

Barber became the Orioles’ ace in 1961 with an 18-12 record and a 3.33 ERA. He led the American League in shutouts with 8, and led the Orioles in starts (34) and innings pitched (248). Injuries limited Barber to a 9-6 record in 1962, but he bounced back in 1963 with his best season, going 20-13 with a 2.75 ERA and a career-high 180 strikeouts.

During the next 3 years, Barber won 34 games for the Orioles. He was traded to the New York Yankees after the start of the 1967 season. He pitched for 5 more teams over the next 7 years, retiring in 1974 with a career record of 121-106 and a career ERA of 3.36.

From 1960 to 1966, Barber was one of the best left-handers in the American League, winning 91 games with a 3.07 ERA. He pitched in 2 All-Star games, and still ranks seventh all-time among Baltimore pitchers with 918 strikeouts.

Steve Barber is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Man of Many Hits

2011-07-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Matty Alou was a hit machine. The swift outfielder made hits a habit, spraying line drives to all areas of the outfield with quiet consistency.

A career .300 hitter, he might well have accumulated Hall of Fame offensive numbers had he not spent the first part of his career on the bench, watching future Hall of Famers.

Alou was signed by the New York Giants in 1957, one of three brothers (including Felipe and Jesus) recruited by the Giants. Alou was called up to San Francisco at the end of the 1960 season, and hit .310 as a rookie in 1961. With an outfield that featured, at various times, the likes of Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Felipe Alou hitting for average and power, there was little opportunity for Matty Alou to find a full-time place. For 6 years he languished on the Giants’ bench, hitting a combined .260. After the 1965 season, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Joe Gibbon and Ozzie Virgil.

That trade turned around Alou’s career. An every-day starter for the first time, Alou led the National League in hitting in 1966 with a .342 average. He followed up by hitting .338 in 1967, .332 in 1968, and .331 in 1969, when he led the league in hits (231) and doubles (41). His batting average “slipped” to .297 in 1970, and the Pirates subsequently traded Alou (and pitcher George Brunet) to the St. Louis Cardinals for Nelson Briles and Vic Davalillo.

Alou’s batting average rebounded to .315 in his only full season with the Cardinals. He also had a career-best 74 RBIs that season. He split the 1972 season between St. Louis and the Oakland Athletics, hitting a combined .307. In 1973, he hit .295 playing for the New York Yankees and the Cardinals, and finished his major league career with the San Diego Padres in 1974 (though he played for 2 more seasons in Japan).

Alou was a 2-time All-Star who ended his career with 1,777 hits – more than half coming during his 5 seasons in Pittsburgh, the only time in his career that he was given the opportunity to be a day-to-day starter. With a career .307 batting average, how many hits could he have accumulated with more career starts?

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Northrup's Slams Trounce Tribe

2011-06-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(June 24, 1968) Today Jim Northrup became the sixth big leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game. The “Slammer’s” power surge in the fifth (off Eddie Fisher) and sixth (Billy Rohr) frames enabled the Tigers to rout the Indians at Cleveland Stadium, 14-3.

Detroit catcher Jim Price added a third Tiger home run with a solo shot in the fourth inning off Indians starter Mike Paul (0-4).

Winning pitcher for the Tigers was Denny McLain (13-2). McLain struck out 8 Tribe batters and “raised” his season ERA to 2.05.

In addition to Northrup’s 8 RBIs on the game, Bill Freehan and Dick McAuliffe each drove in a pair of runs. (Freehan, normally Detroit’s catcher, played first in this game.)

The 1968 season would be one of the most productive of Jim Northrup’s 12-year career. He hit .264 with 21 home runs and a career-best 90 RBIs.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

A Dilly of a Southpaw

2011-06-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Billy O’Dell was a talented left-handed pitcher who was an integral part of the superb pitching staff that helped propel the San Francisco Giants to the 1962 National League pennant.

O’Dell was a star at Clemson University when he was signed as a bonus baby by the Baltimore Orioles in 1954. He pitched in 7 games for the Orioles that season, going 1-1 with a 2.76 ERA.

O’Dell’s career was temporarily derailed by 2 years of military service, and resumed in 1957 when he went 4-10 for the Orioles, primarily as a reliever, despite an excellent 2.69 earned run average. The next year he was 14-11 with a 2.97 ERA, and led all major league pitchers with a 2.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 1959, his won-lost record slipped under .500 despite an ERA again under 3.00. Following that season, the Orioles traded O’Dell to the Giants for (along with pitcher Billy Loes) for Jackie Brandt, Gordon Jones and Roger McCardell.

With the Giants, O’Dell worked both as a starter and as a reliever, and was successful in both roles. He had a combined record of 13-18 in his first 2 seasons with the Giants, and in 1962 pitched primarily out of the Giants’ starting rotation that included Jack Sanford, Juan Marichal and Billy Pierce. As a starter, O’Dell had his best season in 1962, going 19-14 in 39 starts and achieving career highs by pitching 280.2 innings and striking out 195 batters. He followed up in 1964 with a 14-10 record, and then 8-7 in 1964, used primarily in short relief.

Following the 1964 season, O’Dell was traded to the Milwaukee Braves for catcher Ed Bailey. As the Braves’ closer in 1965, he appeared in 62 games, finishing 42 games with 18 saves. He won 10 games and lost 6, with a 2.18 ERA. In 1966, he pitched for both the Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates (traded for pitcher Don Schwall in June) and had a combined record of 5-5 with 10 saves and a 2.64 ERA. He was 5-6 for the Pirates in 1967 and retired after that season.

Twice an All-Star, O’Dell ended his 13-season career with a record of 105-100 and a 3.29 career ERA.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Never Again?

2011-06-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

In the last half of the 1960s, no American League pitcher was more dominant, or more flamboyant, than the hard-throwing Denny McLain. He was the first major league pitcher in 34 years to win 30 or more games in a single season. And he will probably be the last for years to come. Maybe forever.

Since 1968, no major league pitcher has replaced McLain as the last of the 30-game winners. With 100-pitch limits, 4 days of rest between starts, and inning-by-inning relief specialists, it’s highly unlikely that a contemporary 30-game winner will – or can – emerge.

Yet are McLain’s accomplishments on the field celebrated today at any level of professional baseball? Hardly. His legal problems, both during his playing career and afterward, have almost completely wiped out Major League Baseball’s willingness to recognize what he accomplished on the pitching mound during the mid-to-late 1960s.

McLain was signed by the Chicago White Sox. After being traded to the Detroit Tigers, he debuted in the major leagues in 1963. His breakout season was 1965, when McLain went 16-6 with a 2.61 ERA. In a relief appearance against the Red Sox on June15, 1965, McLain struck out 14 batters in 6.2 innings, including the first seven he faced.

McLain won 20 games in 1966 and 17 in 1967.In both of those years, he led the American League in home runs allowed, a feat he repeated in 1968.

His 31 home runs given up in 1968 didn’t keep him from winning 31 games, the first 30-victory campaign since Dizzy Dean in 1934. McLain’s 31-6 record was achieved on a 1.96 ERA. He led the league in winning percentage (.838), games started (41), complete games (28), and innings pitched (336). He also struck out a career-high 280 batters. In the year of outstanding pitchers in both leagues, McLain collected both the Cy Young award and the Most Valuable Player award for the American League.

He followed up in 1969 with another outstanding season: 24-9 with a 2.84 ERA, again leading the league with 41 starts and 325 innings pitched. At age 25, he had already recorded 114 victories as the decade closed.

He would win only 17 more games, as arm and legal problems brought such a promising career to such an abrupt end. But during the 1960s, only Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson could match the dominating 5-year performance of the hard-throwing Mr. McLain.

Denny McLain is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Lou Debuts with Stolen Base, But Ken Steals the Show

2011-06-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(June 16, 1964) In a 7-1 victory over the Houston Astros, new Cardinal outfielder Lou Brock stole a base in his first game in a St. Louis uniform.

On the day, Brock went 2 for 3 at the plate with a triple. However, the star of the game was Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer, who hit for the cycle.

What made Boyer's accomplishment especially distinctive was the fact that he accomplished the cycle in order: hitting a single, then a double, then a triple, and finally a home run in the eighth inning. Boyer flied out in his last plate appearance in the ninth inning. The Cardinals' All-Star third baseman scored 2 runs in the game and drove in 3.

Winning pitcher for the Cardinals was left-hander Curt Simmons (7-5). The losing pitcher was Houston starter Bob Bruce (6-3).

The 1964 season would prove to be a banner year for both Brock and Boyer. After arriving in St. Louis, Brock would hit.348 in 103 games with the Cardinals.

Boyer would finish the 1964 season with 24 home runs, a league-leading 119 RBIs, and a .295 batting average. He would hit 30 doubles and 10 triples ... and Boyer was named National League Most Valuable Player.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

On-Board with the Chairman

2011-06-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The 1960s were not particularly kind to baseball’s most legendary player.

First Roger Maris assaulted Babe Ruth’s supposedly “unbreakable” record for home runs in a season. The same year Maris hit 61, a Ruth pitching record, for consecutive scoreless innings pitched in the World Series, was being threatened by another Yankee.

Left-hander Whitey Ford, a Yankee starter for more than a decade, hit his peak in the early 1960s. From his rookie season in 1950 (9-1, 2.81 ERA) through 1960, Ford never won more than 19 games in a season. Yet he was one of the most effective and efficient starting pitchers in all of baseball. During the 1950s, Ford was 121-50 with a .708 winning percentage and a combined 2.66 ERA for the decade. He led the American League in earned run average twice during the 1950s (with a 2.47 in 1956 and a 2.01 in 1958).

Ford broke into the 20-game winner club in 1961, going 25-4 with a 3.21 ERA. That year Ford led the majors in winning percentage (.862) and innings pitched (283) to win the Cy Young award, which acknowledged the best pitcher in baseball. He followed that excellent season with four more strong campaigns: 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA in 1962, 24-7 with a 2.74 ERA in 1963, 17-6 with a 2.13 ERA in 1964, and 16-13 with 3.24 ERA in 1965. Ford retired after the 1967 season with a .690 winning percentage, the highest of any Twentieth Century pitcher. He also holds the record for the lowest career ERA among post-World War II starting pitchers with 2.75. Ford was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

One of Ford’s qualifications for entrance into the Hall was his sterling career record in the World Series. In 11 different Series he won 10 games with a 2.71 ERA over 146 innings. Babe Ruth’s record for consecutive scoreless World Series innings pitched (29.2) was set in 1918 when Ruth was a member of the Boston Red Sox. Ford’s streak started in 1960, when he shut out the Pirates twice. In the 1961 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Ford opened the Series with a 2-hit, 2-0 whitewash, his third consecutive World Series shutout. He now had 27 consecutive scoreless innings, 2.2 behind the Babe.

Ruth’s record lasted until Game 4 of the 1961 World Series. Ford pitched 5 more scoreless innings before he was forced to leave the game due to an ankle injury. Yankee right-hander Jim Coates finished the 7-0 shutout with 4 innings of scoreless relief, and Ford had the record at 32 consecutive scoreless innings – a record he still holds today.

Whitey Ford is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Sonny Silences Senators' Bats

2011-06-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(June 10, 1966) Cleveland Indians hurler Sonny Siebert today threw what would be the only no-hitter of the 1966 season, defeating the Washington Senators, 2-0.
Siebert (5-3) faced only 28 Washington batters in pitching the no-hit gem. The only Senator baserunner came from a fifth inning walk to first baseman Dick Nen.

Siebert got all the run support he would need on Leon (Daddy Wags) Wagner’s solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Wagner’s sixth home run of the season came off Washington starter Phil Ortega (5-3)

The Indians added an insurance run in the fifth inning when centerfielder Vic Davalillo walked, stole second, and scored on Chico Salmon’s single to centerfield.

Siebert struck out 7 Washington batters. He would finish the 1966 season with a record of 16-8 and a 2.80 ERA. While leading the Indians’ staff in victories for 1966, this game would be Siebert’s only shutout of the season.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

Saving Face

2011-06-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Softspoken, with Such a Loud Bat

2011-06-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Was Hank Aaron so good that, despite his staggering career statistics and a boatload of offensive records, he might have been the most underrated slugger in baseball history?

Maybe …

Hammerin’ Hank wasn’t as flashy as Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Or as charismatic as Mickey Mantle or Stan Musial. Or as powerful as Harmon Killebrew or even his own teammate, Eddie Mathews.

He was simply the poster child for quiet, consistent excellence.

Then a couple decades went by, and Hank Aaron retired with a boat-load of offensive records: more home runs (755), RBIs (2,297), extra-base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,856) than anyone else who ever played the game – including Babe Ruth.

Aaron’s slugging impact on National League was almost immediate. His rookie season of 1954 was good but not great (.280, 13 home runs, 69 RBIs). The next five years, however, were great by any measure.

From 1955 through 1959, Aaron averaged 33 home runs and 110 RBIs per season, batting .329 over those 5 seasons. He won batting titles in 1956 (.328) and 1959 (.355). He led the National League in home runs (44) and RBIs (132) in 1957, the only year in Aaron’s 23-season career when he was named Most Valuable Player.

Hank Aaron’s performance in the 1960s was as outstanding and consistent as any period in his career. While the 1960s were probably Aaron’s most productive period personally, the Braves’ supporting cast was generally not equal to the caliber of the Braves teams of the late 1950s.

From 1960 to 1969, Hank Aaron led the major leagues twice in runs scored. Three times during the 1960s, he was the major league leader in RBIs.

Aaron led the National League in doubles twice and in home runs and slugging percentage 3 times during the 1960s. He hit over .300 in 8 different seasons during the decade, and scored at least 100 runs in 9 out of the 10 years.

But during the 1960s, Aaron never had the kind of “monster” season that would earn him a second Most Valuable Player award. His only post-season appearance during the 1960s was in the first National League Championship Series in 1969. The fact that the New York Mets swept the Braves on the way to their “miraculous” championship overshadowed Aaron’s performance in that Series. In 3 games, he hit .357 with 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs.

It was a fitting symbol for Aaron in the 1960s: outstanding performance, largely overlooked.

Hank Aaron is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Baltimore Slammer

2011-06-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Only 12 major league batters have hit 2 grand slams in the same game, with only 2 having hit consecutive grand slammers. The first hitter to do it was Baltimore Orioles first baseman Jim Gentile on May 9, 1961 in Metropolitan Stadium against the hometown Twins. (The other player to do it was Robin Ventura in 1995.)

Gentile was the power in the heart of the Orioles lineup in the early 1960s. Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1952, Gentile toiled in the Dodger farm system throughout the 1950s, appearing in only 16 games with the Dodgers in 1957 and 1958. In 1959 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for players to be named later (Willy Miranda and Bill Lajoie) and $50,000. As a rookie in 1960, Gentile hit 21 home runs with 98 RBIs for the O’s. He finished second in the Rookie-of-the-Year voting (to teammate Ron Hansen).

He had his career season in 1962: a .302 batting average with 46 home runs and 141 RBIs. His back-to-back grand slams on May 9 came in the first and second innings. Both of those slams came off Twins starter Pedro Ramos. Gentile added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for a 9-RBI day.

Gentile’s offensive numbers declined steadily over the next 3 years. His home run output dropped to 33 in 1962 and 24 in 1963. He was traded to the Kansas City Athletics for first baseman Norm Siebern, and responded with a 28-home run season in 1964. But over the next 2 seasons, playing for 3 different teams, Gentile hit only 26 homers, and was out of organized baseball by 1967.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Pinch-Hitting for Yaz & the Kid

2011-06-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball" ...

(May 31, 1961) Batting for Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox pinch hitter Carroll Hardy bunted for a single in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the New York Yankees.

Yastrzemski, Boston's rookie left-fielder, was 0 for 3 in the game and batting .233 through the first 2 months of the 1961 season. Leading off the bottom of the eighth, the right-handed hitting Hardy faced Yankee lefty Luis Arroyo and bunted down the third base line, reaching first safely.

Hardy moved to second on a walk to Jackie Jensen and scored on Frank Malzone's single to center field. Hardy played left field in the ninth inning and batted again in the bottom of the ninth. He reached first on an error by Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek.

Hardy played 8 seasons in the major leagues with Boston, Cleveland, Houston and Minnesota. He had a career batting average of .225, with a career best .263 in 1961.

Hardy has the distinction of being the only player to pinch-hit for both Captain Carl and Ted Williams. On September 20, 1960, Williams' final season, the Hall of Famer fouled a batted ball off his foot, and left the game. Hardy finished the at-bat, making him officially Williams' pinch hitter. Hardy lined into a double play.

One final note about Carroll Hardy's career as a pinch hitter: as a member of the Cleveland Indians, Hardy also pinch hit for Roger Maris in 1958, hitting a home run off Billy Pierce.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

The Amazing Ageless Arm

2011-06-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The winningest left-handed pitcher in major league history, Warren Spahn could just as easily appear in a book of great players from the 1940s and 1950s. And while the 1960s were, for him, the least productive of his three chronological decades as a ballplayer, Spahn had some of his best years in the early 1960s, continuing his run of pitching excellence well past age 40.

Spahn’s professional baseball career began prior to World War II, as he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Braves in 1940. He debuted for the Braves in 1942, appearing in only 4 games before returning to the minors. A tour in the U.S. Army kept Spahn out of the major leagues until his discharge in 1946. In 1947 he went 21-10, the first of 13 20-victory seasons in his career. From 1947 through 1952, as the Braves closed out their stay in Boston, Spahn won 114 games with a 3.03 ERA. In 4 of those 6 seasons, he won 21 or more games.

Spahn remained the ace of the now Milwaukee Braves throughout the rest of the 1950s. He was a 20-game winner 6 out of those 7 seasons, leading the league in victories 4 times, in complete games 3 times, and in innings pitched twice. His combined ERA for those 7 seasons was a sparkling 2.86.

Spahn turned 39 at the beginning of the 1960 season, but his excellence on the mound continued. From 1960 to 1963, he won 83 games, leading the league twice in victories and all 4 years in complete games. His 3.02 ERA was the league’s best in 1961. In both 1960 and 1961, Spahn finished second in the Cy Young award voting. (His only Cy Young title came in 1957.)

Spahn also pitched his only no-hitters during the 1960s, shutting down the Phillies in September of 1960 and blanking the Giants the following April. In 1961, Spahn became the first National League lefthander to post 300 career victories.

A terrific hitter for a pitcher, Spahn smacked 35 career home runs, tied (with Bob Lemon) for 2nd-best all-time among pitchers (Wes Ferrell had 37). In 1958, Spahn achieved a rare feat, winning more than 20 games and batting better than .300 in the same season.

He ended his 21-season career with the San Francisco Giants in 1965 after starting the season with the New York Mets. The rest of his career was with the Braves. His http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif363 career victories (plus 4 World Series wins) put him at the top among all southpaws. His 63 career shutouts are also the best among all major league left-handed pitchers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Warren Spahn is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Bullish on Runs

2011-06-02T04:47:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

If you want to know how good a ballplayer Orlando Cepeda was in his prime, consider this: for more than 6 years, he kept a future Hall of Famer with 521 career home runs out of the starting line-up. That player was the great Willie McCovey, one of the most feared hitters in National League history, and deservedly so. But in the early 1960s. McCovey wasn’t good enough to displace Cepeda from first base in the Giants’ starting line-up.

Though remembered as a slugger himself, and deservedly so, Cepeda (nicknamed “The Baby Bull”) was actually a well-rounded ballplayer. He was signed by the Giants in 1955, and was San Francisco’s starting first baseman by the beginning of the 1958 season. He was the National League’s Rookie of the Year that season, hitting .312 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He also led the league with 38 doubles. His second season was even better, hitting .317 with 27 home runs, 105 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

In 1961, Cepeda led the league in both home runs (46) and RBIs (142) while hitting .311. He finished second in the MVP voting to Cincinnati’s Frank Robinson. From 1960 through 1964, Cepeda batted a combined .307, averaging 34 home runs and 109 RBIs per season.

During weight training following the 1964 season, Cepeda injured a knee, and tried playing through the injury without telling team management. Knee surgery sidelined him for most of the 1965 season, and in 1966 the Giants traded Cepeda to the St. Louis Cardinals for left-handed pitcher Ray Sadecki, a 20-game winner 2 seasons before. The Cardinals got the better end of the deal, as Cepeda’s bat rebounded with the gradual improvement in the health of his knee. For the Cardinals in 1966, Cepeda hit .303 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs in 123 games.

In 1967, Cepeda captured the National League’s Most Valuable Award as the offensive leader of the pennant-winning Cardinals. He hit .325 with 25 home runs and a league-leading 111 RBIs. His power numbers slipped to 16 home runs and 73 RBIs as the Cardinals repeated as National League champions in 1968. However, in the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Cepeda hit 2 home runs with 6 RBIs.

In the spring of 1969, Cepeda was traded to the Atlanta Braves for catcher-first baseman Joe Torre. His 22 home runs and 88 RBIs played an integral role in the Braves’ divisional championship. The following year, Cepeda had his last strong season, hitting .305 for the Braves with 34 home runs and 111 RBIs. He retired in 1974 after stops in Oakland, Boston and Kansas City. In 17 seasons, the 11-time All-Star finished with 379 home runs and a career batting average of .297. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Orlando Cepeda is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Innings Eater - Win Producer

2011-05-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

During the mid-1960s, the Philadelphia Phillies had arguably the second-best righty-lefty starting pitcher tandem in the National League … second to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-Cy Young award combo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

The Phillies tandem was buoyed by right-hander Jim Bunning, who won 19 games in each season from 1964 and 1966. Bunning’s left-handed counterpart was Chris Short, who won 20 games in 1966 and averaged 17 victories per season from 1964 to 1968.

Short was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1957 and made the big league club to stay in 1960. He was a spot starter for Philadelphia from 1960 through 1962, with a combined record of 23-30.

A 2.95 ERA in 1963 was good enough for only a 9-12 record, but in 1964 – Bunning’s first season with the Phillies – Short emerged as one of the best pitchers in the National League, posting a 17-9 record with a 2.20 ERA (third best in the league).

Short won 18 games in 1965 and went 20-10 in 1966. After slipping to 9-11 in 1967, Short rebounded with a 19-13 record in 1968. It would be his last season with a winning record. He went 17-31 over the next 4 seasons with Philadelphia, and retired after a 3-5 season for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1973.

Short finished his 15-season career at 135-132 with a combined 3.43 ERA. He remains third on the list for career victories in a Phillies uniform.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

White Sox Wily Second Sacker

2011-05-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Nellie Fox was the last American League Most Valuable Player of the 1950s, claiming the honor for the 1959 season, when the White Sox made it back to the World Series for the first time in 40 years.

Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1944, Fox played only parts of 3 seasons with the A’s when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Joe Tipton. He hit .247 in his first full season, but in his second season with the White Sox he raised his batting average to .313. He would hit for a combined .305 for the rest of the 1950s, leading the American League in hits in 4 different seasons. In his MVP campaign of 1959, Fox hit .306 and drove in a career-high 70 runs.

Fox’s defense up the middle was at least as valuable to his White Sox teams as his hitting … maybe more. He was the American League’s Gold Glove second baseman in 1957, 1959 and 1960. He was an American League All-Star 12 times, and at one point played in 798 consecutive games at second base, a major league record.

Fox rarely struck out. His highest strikeout total in any full season came in 1953 when he struck out a total of 18 times … in 624 official at-bats.

From 1960 to 1963 – his post-MVP seasons with the White Sox — Fox saw a gradual decline in his hits and batting average, though he remained one of the most productive and efficient lead-off hitters in the league. He led the league with 10 triples in 1960.

After the 1963 season, the White Sox traded Fox to the Houston Colts for Jim Golden, Danny Murphy and cash. In his only full season with Houston, Fox hit .265. More importantly, he provided invaluable mentoring to a promising talent named Joe Morgan.

Fox retired 21 games into the 1965 season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Banks Drives in 7 as Cubs Rout Padres

2011-05-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

(May 13, 1969) In today's 19-0 rout of the Padres, Chicago Cubs first baseman Ernie Banks drove in seven runs on two three-run homers and a double.

Dick Selma (3-3) allowed just three hits, giving Chicago its third shutout in a row, following consecutive no-run performances by Ferguson Jenkins and Ken Holtzman. Selma struck out 10 Padres batters and walked 4.

Banks wasn't the only Cub who had a big day in the batter's box. Second baseman Nate Oliver drove in 4 runs and left fielder Don Young had 3 RBIs on his seventh inning home run. Future Hall of Famer Billy Williams had 2 RBIs, and third baseman Ron Santo drove in one run.

Altogether, the Cubs collected 15 hits. Even though they scored 19 runs, the Cubs still managed to leave 10 runners on base.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

Catfish Done to Perfection

2011-05-16T04:02:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(May 8, 1968) In front of only 6,298 Oakland fans, Jim "Catfish" Hunter hurled the first American League perfect game in 46 years as the A's defeated the Minnesota Twins, 4-0.

Hunter (3-2) struck out 11 Twins batters in pitching the gem. He was also the game's hitting star, with 3 RBIs on 3 hits, including a double.

The losing pitcher for the Twins was Dave Boswell (3-3).

The 22-year-old Hunter would finish the 1968 season with a 13-13 record and a 3.35 ERA. He was still 3 years away from his first 20-victory season. He would win 20 or more games 5 times in the 1970s.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

Terrific, Even Miraculous

2011-05-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

When the New York Mets lost a modern-day record 120 games in their inaugural season of 1962, it would have been hard to find even a die-hard fan who would genuinely imagine a championship season for the Mets … ever, let alone by the end of the decade. Yet the Mets did the miraculous in 1969, as the team was carried to the World Series on 2 young arms: the left one belonging to Jerry Koosman, the right one to Tom Seaver.Tom Seaver

A highly recruited college pitcher, Seaver signed with the Mets in 1966 and joined the big league club for good after a single season of AAA ball. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1967, going 16-13 as the first bona fide Mets pitching ace. The next year Seaver again won 16 games, posting a 2.20 ERA with 5 shutouts and 205 strikeouts. His achievement that year was somewhat overshadowed by fellow Mets pitcher Koosman, who went 19-12 in his rookie year with a 2.08 ERA and 7 shutouts. While fans debated which of the young Mets aces was the better pitcher, most agreed that the Seaver-Koosman tandem provided the pitching foundation for a genuine Mets contender.

Contend they did, and then some. Led by a Cy Young season from Seaver, the “Miracle Mets” won the East Division by 8 games (thanks to the Chicago Cubs’ collapse), swept the Atlanta Braves in the league championship series, and then beat the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 5 games to capture the decade’s last World Series.

Koosman turned in another strong showing (17-9 with a 2.28 ERA) and provided some important clutch pitching down the stretch of the pennant race. But Seaver was magnificent from start to finish, ending the year with a 25-7 record and a 2.21 earned run average.

During the “miracle” season of 1969, Seaver nearly pitched a perfect game. On July 9 against the Chicago Cubs, he pitched 8.1 perfect innings before giving up a double to Jim Qualls. Seaver won the game 4-0, striking out 11.

By age 24, Seaver had already won 57 big league games on his way to 311 victories in a 20-year pitching career. He would lead the league in victories 3 times and in ERA 3 times, and strike out 3,640 batters to rank sixth all time, leading the league in strikeouts 5 times.

Tom Seaver is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Keen on Hitting

2011-05-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

He could seemingly hit in his sleep. And if he had played 2 decades later, he might well have put up Hall of Fame career numbers as a full-time designated hitter. He was made for it.

As it was, Harvey Kuenn put up impressive hitting numbers throughout his major league career. He lacked base path speed and was average at best in the field. But his bat was a threat to every pitcher … in both leagues.

Kuenn was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1952. He needed only 63 games in the minors (where he hit .340) before he was called up to Detroit at the end of the 1952 season. He opened 1953 as the Tigers’ starting shortstop, hitting .308 his rookie season while leading the major leagues with 209 hits. That season he was both an All-Star and Rookie of the Year.

From 1954 through 1958, Kuenn hit a combined .308 as the Tigers’ shortstop, leading the American League 2 more times in hits and twice in doubles. In 1959, he again led the league in both hits (198) and doubles (42), as well as leading the league in hitting with a .353 average.

It was his last season as a Tiger. Just before the opening of the 1960 season, the reigning American League batting champion was traded to the Cleveland Indians for the reigning American League home run champion, Rocky Colavito. Colavito had been one of the most popular players ever in Cleveland, and Kuenn was practically vilified by the Cleveland fans for replacing their beloved Colavito in the Indians’ lineup. He hit “only” .308 that season, and then was traded to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Johnny Antonelli and outfielder Willie Kirkland.

Kuenn’s best years as a hitter were behind him when he joined the Giants. In 4-plus seasons, he hit a combined .280, and then he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, where he hit .220 as a part-time player over 2 seasons. Kuenn’s final season as a player was 1966 with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he hit .296 in only 159 official at-bats. He was released by the Phillies after the 1966 season, and went on to coach and manage in the major leagues following his playing career.

Kuenn’s 15 major league seasons produced 2,092 hits and a lifetime .303 batting average. He was an All-Star 8 times, all for the American League.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Willie Passes Mel as NL Home Run Leader

2011-05-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(May 4, 1966) In today's 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park, Willie Mays became the all-time National League home run leader.

The San Francisco Giants center fielder stroked career home run number 512 off Dodger starter Claude Osteen. It was Mays' seventh home run of the season. He would finish the 1966 season with 37 home runs and 103 RBIs.

As the new National League career home run leader, Mays surpassed another Giant, breaking the mark of 511 home runs held by Hall of Fame outfielder Mel Ott.

Ott played for the New York Giants from 1926 to 1947. He led the National League in home runs 6 times, and finished with a career batting average of .304.

Ott was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951, the same year Willie Mays broke into the major leagues. Mays joined Ott in the Hall of Fame in 1979.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

The Cub in the Corner

2011-05-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

From Player Profile at 1960s Baseball ...

Ron Santo was one of the best defensive third basemen of the 1960s (close but no Brooks Robinson – no one else was). He was maybe one of the best all-around third basemen of all-time. He was that good.

As a high school player out of Seattle, Santo was recruited by all 16 major league teams, signing with the Cubs in 1959. He was called up to join the Cubs’ roster midway in 1960, batting .251 with 9 home runs and 44 RBIs in 95 games.

In 1961, Santo’s first full season, he hit .284 with 23 home runs and 83 RBIs. By 1963 Santo was an All-Star, that year hitting .297 with 25 home runs and 99 RBIs. He was an All-Star for 5 of the next 6 seasons, and a fixture at third for the Cubs for the next decade. From 1964 through 1969, Santo averaged 24 home runs and 104 RBIs per season. He hit .297 over that period, and led the league in walks for 4 of those years. He was the poster child for offensive consistency.

Santo was a power hitter with strike-zone discipline. In 4 different seasons, he led the National League in bases on balls. Twice he led the league in on-base percentage. And though he suffered from diabetes throughout his career, Santo proved to be incredibly durable, averaging 160 games per year from 1962 through 1969.

Santo was also the best defensive third baseman in the National League. He won 5 consecutive Gold Gloves between 1964 and 1968. For his career, Santo holds or shares the National League record for years leading the league in chances (9), assists (7) and double plays (6).

Santo’s 337 career home runs put him fifth all-time among third basemen. If not the best all-around third baseman of all time, he’s certainly the best not yet in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Ron Santo is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

No Runs, No Win

2011-05-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

April 23, 1964) It was a major league first: a complete game, 9-inning no-hitter that did not result in a win for the no-hit pitcher.

Welcome to expansion baseball!

Today Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s pitched that no-hitter, and went home the pitcher of record in a 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Johnson (2-1) struck out 9 Reds batters and walked 2, facing only 29 batters in the game.

The Reds scored the game's only run in the top of the ninth inning. With 1 out, Pete Rose hit a hot grounder back to the pitcher's mound and reached first base safely on Johnson's throwing error, which allowed Rose to advance to second.

Chico Ruiz hit another hot grounder off Johnson, with Colt third baseman Bob Aspromonte fielding the ball and throwing out Ruiz. However, the force-out at first base allowed Rose to move on to third.

The next batter, Vada Pinson, hit a ground ball that should have ended the inning.
But second baseman Nellie Fox's error allowed Rose to score without the benefit of a hit.

The Reds pitcher, Joe Nuxhall (1-1), was nearly as outstanding as Johnson, allowing only 5 hits in 9 innings while pitching the shutout for his first win of the season.
Nuxhall struck out 6 Colt batters and walked only 1.

Johnson will finish the 1964 season at 11-16 with a 3.63 ERA. It will be his last full season in Houston.

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

Second Time's a Charm

2011-04-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

As outstanding as he could be, Mike McCormick never quite lived up to the promise of his youth, when he was signed by the New York Giants as a “bonus baby” in 1956 and led the National League in ERA by age 21. But when it seemed that his career was ready to fade into the sunset, he made a remarkable comeback during his second tour with the Giants ... a comeback that made him the first National League Cy Young award winner.

McCormick went from the sand lots to the big league Giants without the benefit of minor league seasoning. He became a member of the Giants’ starting rotation in 1958, winning 11 games that year and 12 the next. In 1960, pitching for the fifth-place San Francisco Giants, McCormick won 15 games and led the National League with a 2.70 ERA.

He slipped to 13-16 in 1961 (with a 3.20 ERA), and during the Giants’ pennant-winning season of 1962, arm problems caused McCormick to become the forgotten man on a strong pitching roster. He finished that year 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA in only 15 starts. That winter, the Giants shipped McCormick (along with with reliever Stu Miller and catcher John Orsino) to the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Jimmie Coker and pitchers Jack Fisher and Billy Hoeft.

The Orioles were no doubt hoping that McCormick would regain his 1960 form, but it wasn’t to be. In his 2 years in Baltimore, McCormick’s arm troubles continued as he pitched for a combined 6-10 record with a 4.40 ERA in only 29 appearances (23 starts). Just prior to the 1965 season, Baltimore traded McCormick to the Washington Senators for a minor leaguer and cash. In 2 seasons with the Senators, McCormick went 19-22 with a 3.42 ERA.

The Giants re-acquired McCormick prior to the 1967 season, and it turned out to be a smart acquisition. McCormick led the league with a 22-10 record. He tossed 5 shutouts and posted a 2.85 ERA. He became the first National League Cy Young pitcher. (Prior to 1967, only one Cy Young award was made to the best major league pitcher.)

McCormick never matched that performance again, going 23-23 for the Giants over the next 2 years. He retired in 1971 with a 134-128 record and a career ERA of 3.73.

Mike McCormick is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Top 5 Pitching Performances of the 1960s

2011-04-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

In a decade that will always be known for showcasing the best pitching since the introduction of the “lively” ball in 1920 – and, all things considered, maybe the best pitching ever – how do you call out 10 individual performances that stand above all others?

Pitching performances as outstanding as the 5 listed below actually make that process easier than it might seem. All 5 of the accomplishments cited here would make any decade’s "best list." Appearing as they do here, each of these certainly ranks as the best of the best.

1. Sandy Koufax: Perfect When He Had To Be - Baseball’s best pitcher in the 1960s, Sandy Koufax tossed 4 no-hitters during that decade – the last a perfect game. On September 9, 1965, Koufax retired all 27 of the Chicago Cubs he faced, 14 by strikeouts (the most strikeouts ever in a perfect game) as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cubs 1-0. The losing pitcher, Bob Hendley, allowed only one hit and two base runners, losing on an unearned run. Perfect, that night, beat nearly perfect.

2. Catfish Hunter’s One-Man Show - It would be hard to imagine any player – at any position – having a more “perfect” day than the one Jim “Catfish” Hunter had on May 8, 1968. Always a pretty fair hitter for a pitcher, Hunter went 3 for 4 that day, with a pair of singles and a double. He drove in 3 of the Oakland A’s 4 runs, including the game-winning run. He also happened to allow no base runners in shutting out the Minnesota Twins 4-0. Hunter struck out 11 Twins in route to pitching the first regular season perfect game in the American League in 46 years.

3. Bob Gibson’s Record World Series Whiffs - Yea, Bob Gibson had a pretty good year in 1968: 22-9, 1.12 ERA (league leading), 13 shutouts (league leading), 268 strikeouts (league leading). But he pitched even better in the World Series that year against the Detroit Tigers. In 3 starts, Gibby struck out 35 batters in 27 innings, including a record 17 Tigers he fanned in Game 1.

4. Denny McLain’s 30-Win Season - Denny McLain’s incredible season of 1968 produced the game’s last 30-game winner – and the first 30-game winner since Dizzy Dean in 1934. McLain’s 31-6 record was achieved with a 1.96 ERA. He led the league in winning percentage (.838), games started (41), complete games (28), and innings pitched (336). He also struck out a career-high 280 batters. In the year of outstanding pitchers in both leagues, McLain collected both the Cy Young award and the Most Valuable Player award for the American League.

5. Dean Chance’s Shutout Show - Dean 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. He led the league in inning pitched (278) and complete games (15), and recorded the majors’ best ERA at 1.65. But the most impressive aspect of that season pointed to the 11 shutouts he hurled. Six of those shutouts were 1-0 victories. Chance also pitched 14 shutout innings in a game against the New York Yankees in which he didn’t figure into the decision.

Mets Open Shea Stadium with ... a Loss

2011-04-24T23:32:00.001-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(April 17, 1964) In their first game at Shea Stadium, the New York Mets did what they did most ... lose to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.

Three Pirate hitters - Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Donn Clendenon - accounted for 10 of the team's 16 hits. Stargell went 4 for 5 including a home run and a double, scoring 2 runs and driving in 2 runs. Stargell's home run, off Mets starter Jack Fisher, was his third of the season and the first ever in Shea Stadium.

The winning pitcher for Pittsburgh was Bob Friend (1-0) who gave up 7 hits in going the distance for his first victory of the season. Friend struck out 5 Mets and walked one.

The losing pitcher was Mets reliever Ed Bauta (0-1).

It's Freee! If you would like email updates on what happened each week in 1960s, join the 1960s Baseball Club: http://www.1960sbaseball.com/1960sBaseball_Club.html

Second to None with a Glove

2011-04-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

He was so good at his position that other players stopped what they were doing to watch him practice. He was an artist whose materials were horse-hide and leather. The keystone was his canvas.

You can’t talk about the great second baseman unless you include the man who did it better and longer than just about anyone else. That was Bill Mazeroski.

With shortstop Dick Groat, Mazeroski turned the double play into his own private possession. Groat was a first-rate shortstop, but even after he moved on to St. Louis, Mazeroski would keep turning double plays with whomever would get him the ball. He is the only second baseman in major league victories to have participated in more than 1700 double plays. (Nellie Fox’s 1619 is second all-time to Maz’s 1706.)

Winner of 8 Gold Gloves, Mazeroski holds more defensive record than any other player in major league history.

He also wasn’t a bad hitter, finishing his 17-year career (all with Pittsburgh) with more than 2,000 hits and a .260 lifetime batting average. Of course, it wasn’t his glove but his last at-bat in the 1960 World Series that made Maz a household name.

Leading off in the bottom of the ninth in a 9-9 Game #7, Mazeroski sent a Ralph Terry fastball over the left-field fence to make the Pirates world champions and send Casey Stengel, ultimately, to the National League (as the fired Yankee manager reborn as the inaugural field manager of the expansion New York Mets).

It was the first World Series to end with a walk-away home run, and perhaps it was somewhat ironic that it wasn’t one of the Pirates sluggers but their defensive whiz who torpedoed the Yankee juggernaut with one swing. However, it wasn’t Mazeroski’s only display of power. He hit as many as 19 home runs in a season (1958), and finished his career with 138 homers, seventeenth all-time among second basemen … none of which could match him in the field.

Mazeroski retired 34 games into the 1972 season. He’s fifth in Pirate history in games played (2,163), sixth in career at-bats with the team (7,755), and eighth in career hits (2,016). A 7-time All-Star, Mazeroski was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bill Mazeroski is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Top 5 Relievers of the 1960s

2011-04-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

The 1960s saw the arrival of the relief specialist as an essential part of a major league team’s winning strategy.

No longer just the “mop up” guy, the relief specialist brought a different mind-set and pitching strategy to the game. The adoption of the “save” as an official baseball statistic in 1969 (though saves were being unofficially calculated and published as early as 1960) confirmed the value and unique role of the closer.

Here’s Hardball Bob's rundown of the top 5 relief pitchers of the 1960s, based on a combination of their closing effectiveness and overall pitching performance in terms of strikeouts and ERA.

1. Hoyt Wilhelm – Riding his trademark knuckleball all the way to Cooperstown, Hoyt Wilhelm was a dominating pitcher for 21 years, and a reliever almost exclusively for all but a couple of those years. Throughout the 1960s, he won 75 games and saved 152 more, with an ERA of 2.19 for the decade. Today Wilhelm remains the all-time major league leader in career relief wins (124) and career innings pitched in relief (1,871).

2. Dick Radatz - During his short career, Dick Radatz more than any other pitcher redefined the role of reliever. During his rookie season with the Boston Red Sox in 1962, Radatz appeared in 62 games, going 9-6 with a 2.24 ERA, striking out 144 batters in 124 innings pitched, and leading the major leagues with 24 saves. His dominance continued over the next 2 seasons. In 1963, Radatz finished 58 of the 66 games he appeared in, going 15-6 with a 1.97 ERA and 25 saves. That year he struck out 162 batters in only 132 innings. In 1964, Radatz led the majors with 29 saves, finishing 67 games in 79 appearances, and posting a 16-9 record with a 2.29 ERA. He struck out 181 batters in 157 innings pitched.

3. Ron Perranoski – Ron Perranoski established himself as the Dodgers’ closer in 1962, appearing in 70 games and finishing 39 of them, with 20 saves and a 2.85 ERA. In 1963, Perranoski had a career year, with a 16-3 record and 21 saves with a 1.67 earned run average. Over the next 4 years, Perranoski appeared in 256 games for the Dodgers, saving 54 with a 2.73 ERA. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins following the 1967 season, and saved 65 games for the Twins over the next two years, leading the American League in that category both seasons.

4. Roy Face – Roy Face’s best season came in 1959, when he set the major league record for winning percentage (.947) on an 18-1 record. But he was also a consistently effective reliever throughout the 1960s. In 1960, Face went 10-8 for the world champion Pittsburgh Pirates, with 24 saves and a 2.90 ERA on a league-leading total of 68 appearances. He led the league again in saves in 1961 (17) and in 1962 (28), when he had the lowest ERA of his career (1.88). Face continued pitching for Pittsburgh through the 1967 season, and pitched for Detroit and Montreal before retiring toward the end of the 1969 season. In his 16-year career, Face posted a 3.48 ERA while accumulating 193 saves pitching in 848 games.

5. Phil Regan – Phil Regan is an example of a sometimes effective starter who found great success in relief work. As a starter for the Detroit Tigers from 1960 to 1965, Regan went 42-44 with a 4.50 ERA. As a reliever for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs from 1966 to 1969, Regan went 44-21 with a 2.60 ERA and 69 saves. His best year was 1966, when he went 14-1 for the Dodgers with a 1.62 ERA and a league-leading 21 saves. He also led the league with 25 saves in 1968, splitting a 12-5 season between the Dodgers and the Cubs.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Cardinals' Strong Right Arm

2011-04-17T04:07:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Hard-throwing, dominating, intimidating: throughout the 1960s, no pitcher was as consistently effective as the Cardinal’s Bob Gibson.

In a decade loaded with great pitchers, no one won more games than Gibson in the post-season. A power pitcher with great control and a seemingly indestructible arm, Gibson only got better as the decade progressed, and continued his dominance of hitters into the 1970s.

Gibson was called up to the Cardinals in 1959. By 1961, he was a member of the starting rotation, a job he would keep for the next 15 years. The next year he won 15 games with an ERA of 2.81. He had 15 complete games, and he led the majors with 5 shutouts. He also struck out 208 batters that season, and would strike out 200 or more batters in a season 9 times in his career.

Gibson posted 18 victories in 1963. In the Cardinals’ championship season of 1964, Gibson won 19 games during the regular season. In the 1964 World Series, he posted two complete game victories, including the deciding seventh game. His performance earned him the Series MVP award. At the end of 1964, Gibson was clearly the Cardinals’ ace, and his best years were still ahead of him.

In 1965 and 1966, Gibson won 20 and 21 games, respectively. He was on his way to another 20-victory campaign in 1967 when a Roberto Clemente line drive fractured his leg and sidelined him for the second half of the season.

The Cardinals cruised to the National League pennant even without Gibson, who was able to come back and pitch in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. In Game 1, Gibson struck out 10 batters and allowed only 6 hits en route to a 2-1 victory. He returned in Game 4, this time giving up only 5 hits in pitching a 6-0 shutout. In the seventh game, he dominated again, taking his third World Series victory by a score of 7-2, with 10 strikeouts and only 3 hits. For the second time in the decade, Gibson was selected as the World Series MVP.

A healthy Bob Gibson no doubt looked forward to pitching a full season in 1968, but he could not have imagined the kind of season he would experience. In leading the Cardinals to another National League pennant, Gibson went 22-9 with a microscopic 1.12 ERA. He led the league in strikeouts (268) and led the majors in shutouts (13), pitching 28 complete games. (The mystery here was how a pitcher with those numbers on a championship team could lose even 9 games.) He won both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards.

In the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Gibson struck out a record 35 batters in 27 innings pitched. He won his initial 2 starts in that Series, though he lost a Game 7, only the second World Series loss of his career. It would be Gibson’s last World Series appearance.

Gibson closed out the 1960s by going 20-13 in 1969, with an ERA that “ballooned” to 2.18. His last 20-victory season was 1970, when 23-7 earned him his second Cy Young award. In his 17-year career, Gibson won 251 games and registered over 3,000 strikeouts. He also pitched 56 shutouts and won 9 Gold Gloves.

Gibson finished as the Cardinals’ career leader in nearly every pitching category, including victories, complete games (255), games started (482), shutouts (56), and strikeouts (3,117). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year of eligibility.

Bob Gibson is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Billy's Doubles Finish Phillies

2011-04-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(April 9, 1969) Chicago Cubs outfielder Billy Williams today hit four consecutive doubles in spurring the Cubs to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-3.

The Cubs collected 16 hits as a team to score those 11 runs. In addition to Williams' 4 doubles, Glen Beckert, Don Kessinger and Don Young each hit a double for Chicago. Beckert and Ernie Banks each had 3 hits for the Cubs. All of the Cubs starters had hits except catcher Randy Hundley and Pitcher Bill Hands (1-0).

The losing pitcher for Philadelphia was right-hander Rick Wise (0-1). Wise gave up 8 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 runs, 2 of which were earned.

Williams' 4 doubles produced 2 RBIs. He walked in his only other plate appearance of the day. He would finish the 1969 season with 33 doubles, 21 home runs and 95 RBIs with a .293 batting average.

Hands, the Cubs' starting pitcher and the game's winner, would finish the season at 20-14 with a 2.49 ERA.

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Catcher in the Wry

2011-04-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Joe Torre’s long and successful career as a major league manager should not have come as much of a surprise to those who knew him when he was a player. Joe Torre the catcher-first baseman was a heady player with great game instincts … and he was a heck of a hitter.

Torre was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1960 and made the big league club the following season, hitting .278 as a rookie catcher (and finishing second in the Rookie-of-the-Year balloting to Billy Williams). By 1963, he was the Braves’ everyday catcher, hitting .293 with 14 home runs and 71 RBIs. In 1964, Torre hit .321 with 36 doubles, 20 home runs and 109 RBIs. In 1966, he hit .315 with a career-high 36 home runs. He was named to the National League All-Star team each year from 1963 through 1967, and won the Gold Glove as catcher in 1965.

Just before the opening of the 1969 season, the Braves traded Torre to the St. Louis Cardinals for Orlando Cepeda. Now mostly a full-time first baseman, Torre drove in more than 100 runs in each of his first 3 seasons with the Cardinals. In 1971, he led the major leagues in hits with 230 and led the National League with a .363 batting average. He also hit 24 home runs and led the league with 137 RBIs, earning Torre the National League’s Most Valuable Player award.

Torre played for the Cardinals through the 1974 season and then was traded to the New York Mets. He could still hit for average (including a .306 batting average in 1976), but his power numbers were declining steadily and Torre retired after the 1977 season. Torre finished his 18-year career with 2342 hits and a .297 batting average. Of course, his retirement as a player opened the door for a second and even longer career as baseball manager.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Baseball's Worst Hitter Finds A New Home

2011-04-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(April 3, 1968) The Detroit Tigers today announced that they had traded left-handed pitcher Hank Aguirre to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later (minor leaguer Fred Moulder).

The All-Star southpaw was acquired by the Tigers prior to the 1958 season. After four seasons of limited success as a middle-inning reliever, Aquirre was thrust into the Tigers' starting rotation in 1962 and promptly led the American League in ERA at 2.21. He was 16-8 in 1962, and won 14 games in both 1963 and 1965.

Aguirre pitched for the Dodgers only one year. He was 1-2 with a 0.69 ERA as a reliever, appearing in 25 games. He pitched 2 more seasons with the Chicago Cubs, going a combined 4-0 in 58 appearances with a 3.05 ERA.

Despite his success as both a starter and a reliever, Aguirre was better known for being perhaps the worst hitter in major league history. In 388 at-bats during his 16-year career in the major leagues, Aguirre compiled a batting average of .085 while striking out in 61% of his at-bats.

His best season as a "hitter" was 1958, his first season with the Tigers, when 3 hits in 14 at-bats produced a career high .214 season average. In 1963, Aguirre's 10 hits (.132 average) produced single-season career highs in runs (5), RBIs (6) and his only stolen base. He also struck out a career-high 48 times (in only 76 at-bats).

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Jackson's Jaw Jolted

2011-04-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(March 27, 1961) Though known as the workhorse of the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff, right-handed starter Larry Jackson will be getting some uncommon time off as the curtain rises on the 1961 season.

Jackson today was sidelined for approximately 4 weeks with a broken jaw. Pitching in a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jackson shattered the bat of Dodger outfielder Duke Snider. A fragment of Snider's bat hit Jackson in the face, fracturing his jaw.

Jackson was coming off his best season to-date. In 1960, he was the leader of the Cardinals staff with an 18-13 record and a 3.48 ERA. Jackson led the majors with 38 starts and 282 innings pitched. From 1958 through 1960, he had pitched an average of 237 innings per season.

After his month's recuperation, Jackson would finish 14-11 for the Cardinals in 1961. His 211 innings pitched in 1961 would be Jackson's lowest season total during the 1960s.

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Red Sox Announce Williams' Replacement

2011-03-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(March 19, 1961) The Boston Red Sox today announced that rookie Carl Yastrzemski will start the regular season in left field, succeeding the legendary Ted Williams.

Williams closed out his Hall of Fame career in Boston by hitting a home run in his last major league at-bat.

Yastrzemski joined the Red Sox after 2 seasons in the Boston farm system, hitting a combined .356 over those 2 seasons. As a rookie, he would hit .266 in 1961 with 11 home runs and 80 RBIs. By 1963, he would win the first of 3 batting titles during the 1960s.

Yastrzemski will remain a fixture in the Red Sox's lineup for the next 23 years and be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

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He Made Excellence Look So Darn Easy

2011-03-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Roberto Clemente was so good at every baseball skill, and so naturally fluid at everything he did, that sometimes you had to wonder whether he was truly human. His untimely death in a 1972 plane crash on his way to help survivors of a Nicaraguan earthquake proved that, regrettably, he was mortal. But so often it didn’t seem that way on the baseball field.

Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952, Clemente was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1954 amateur draft. He spent the rest of his career as a member of the Pittsburgh organization. Clemente made his debut with the Pirates in 1955, and was a solid, though not spectacular, player through the rest of the 1950s.

It was during the 1960s that Clemente emerged as one of the game’s premier players. Beginning in 1960, he hit .300 or better every season for the rest of his career except for 1968 – the “Year of the Pitcher” in baseball – when Clemente’s batting average “slipped” to .291. Clemente won his first batting title in 1961 with a .351 average. He repeated as National League batting champion in 1964 (.339), 1965 (.329) and 1967 (.357), when he also led the majors with 209 hits. In 1965, Clemente played the full season and led the league in hitting despite have contracted malaria that year.

Never considered a power hitter, Clemente’s highest single-season home run total came in 1966 when he belted 29 home runs and drove in 119 runs. He was voted National League Most Valuable Player that year. For his career, Clemente averaged 87 RBIs per season.

Hitting was only part of Clemente’s arsenal of baseball skills. He had great speed and was a tremendous, aggressive base runner, though he was never really concerned with stealing bases (his highest stolen base total was 12 in 1963). Clemente’s forte was turning line drives into doubles and stretching doubles into triples. He led the majors in triples once, with 12 in 1969 (when he hit .345). His career total of 166 triples was the most by any right-handed hitter in the post-World War II era.

Clemente was the game’s finest right fielder during the 1960s. His arm was strong and his throws extremely accurate. His 266 career assists as an outfielder is unmatched in the modern era. He was the National League’s only Gold Glove right fielder throughout the 1960s, and won 12 Gold Glove awards over his career.

In post-season play, Clemente actually elevated his game. In the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees, Clemente batted .310 with 9 hits and 3 RBIs in the 7-game series. He hit safely in all 7 games, a feat he repeated in the 1971 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Clemente collected his 3,000th career hit in the last game of 1972, his last season. He was inducted posthumously into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Roberto Clemente is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Reds Rookie Debut Nets 2 For 2

2011-03-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

From "This Week in 1960s Baseball ..."

(March 10, 1963) A highlight of today's Cincinnati Reds-Chicago White Sox spring exhibition game was the 2-hit debut of an unheralded rookie second baseman.

Pete Rose went into the game as a last-minute replacement for an injured Don Blasingame, the Reds starting second baseman. Rose went 2 for 2 in his first appearance against big league pitching.

It was a fitting debut for the man who would retire 21 seasons later as the most prolific batsman in major league history with 4,256 hits.

By the end of spring training, Rose would win the starting job at second. By the end of the 1963 season, Rose would be named National League Rookie of the Year.

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Moose Muscle

2011-03-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Throughout the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, as the New York Yankees were capturing one American League Championship after another, Bill “Moose” Skowron was a major run-producer and a middle lineup threat who presence allowed sluggers such Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris to see consistently better pitches.

Skowron was signed by the Yankees off the campus of Purdue University in 1950. He was called up to the big league club in mid-season 1954, batting .340 with 7 home runs and 41 RBIs in 87 games. Skowron hit .319 as the Yankees’ part-time first baseman in 1955, and batted .308 as the team’s everyday first baseman in 1956, hitting 23 home runs and driving in 90 runs.

Skowron’s offensive number declined slightly in each of the next 3 seasons, though he was named to the American League All-Star team each year from 1957 through 1961. After missing nearly half the 1959 season due to injuries, Skowron had a big comeback year in 1960, hitting .309 with 26 home runs and a career-best 91 RBIs. He followed up in 1961 with another strong season, batting .267 with 28 homers and 89 RBIs. After the 1962 season, when Skowron hit 23 home runs with 80 RBIs, the Yankees traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Stan Williams.

The Dodgers already had the National League RBI leader in Tommy Davis (with a franchise record 153 RBIs in 1962). Skowron’s bat was expected to produce more runs while protecting Davis in the batting order.

But Skowron struggled against National League pitching. He appeared in only 89 games for the Dodgers, hitting .203 with 4 home runs and 19 RBIs. He did hit .385 against his former team in the 1963 World Series, including a 3-run homer in Game 2.

Skowron would play in Los Angeles only in 1963. He was purchased by the Washington Senators in December, and then traded in mid-season to the Chicago White Sox. He had 1 productive season in Chicago, hitting .274 in 1965 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs. But after that, the hits and runs seemed to be gone from his bat, and he retired after spending part of the 1967 season with the California Angels.

While a good hitter against all kinds of pitching during his prime, Skowron was one of those players who raised his game a notch in the post season. In addition to his accomplishments for the Dodgers in the 1963 World Series, Skowron had several good series for the Yankees. In 35 World Series games in Yankee pinstripes, Skowron hit .283 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

The Senator Who Never Pitched for Washington

2011-03-19T03:39:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

If you visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, you’ll find six members who have been both pitchers and Senators. That group includes Walter Johnson, Clark Griffith, Early Wynn, Lefty Gomez and Stan Coveleski, all of whom played for Washington before the Senators moved to the Twin Cities in 1961.

The other pitcher, Jim Bunning, never pitched for Washington, though he did work there as the United States Senator from Kentucky. He earned his way to a place in Cooperstown by being a productive workhorse for 17 years, and by being the first pitcher to win more than 100 games in each league and the first to pitch a no-hitter in both leagues.

The Detroit Tigers signed Bunning out of Xavier University as a free agent. After 5 years in the Tigers’ minor league system and 2 years appearing with Detroit part-time, Bunning broke into the starting rotation in 1957, going 20-8 and tying for the American League lead in victories (with Chicago’s Billy Pierce) while leading the league in innings pitched with 267. His 2.69 ERA was third best in the league, and his 182 strikeouts were second by 2 to league leader Early Wynn.

From 1960 to 1963, Bunning was the Tigers’ premier starter, winning 59 games with a 3.36 ERA. The Tigers’ workhorse averaged 256 innings and 192 strikeouts during those 4 years, but had winning records in only 2 of those seasons. In December 1963, the Tigers traded Bunning and catcher Gus Triandos to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Don Demeter and pitcher Jack Hamilton. It was one of the best trades the Phillies ever made.

Bunning won 19 games in each of the next 3 years for the Phillies. In his 4-year tour with Philadelphia, Bunning won 74 games with a combined ERA of only 2.48. He averaged nearly 300 innings pitched and 250 strikeouts for those 4 seasons, leading the National League in strikeouts in 1967 with 253.

On Father’s Day in 1964, Jim Bunning pitched a perfect game against the New York Mets. It was his second career no-hitter, the first coming on July 7 20, 1958 against the Boston Red Sox.

After stops in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Bunning returned to Philadelphia to close out his career. He retired in 1971 after 17 seasons that produced 224 career wins and a 3.24 ERA. During the 1960s, no one pitched more innings than Bunning (2,590) and only Juan Marichal (191) and Bob Gibson (163) recorded more victories than Bunning (150). A 9-time All-Star, Bunning was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, 2 years before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Jim Bunning is one of the 1960s baseball stars featured in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

The Power of Orange Grand

2011-03-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Rusty Staub’s long and productive major league career began in the 1960s, first with the Houston Colts/Astros, and then the Montreal Expos, where he was that franchise’s first real star player.

A New Orleans native, Staub signed with Houston in 1961 and made his big league debut 2 years later at age 19. Staub struggled in his first 2 seasons with Houston, hitting a combined .221. But his batting average steadily improved, to .256 in 1965, .280 in 1966, and .333 in 1967, fifth best in the National League. In 1967 he led the league with 44 doubles. It was the only offensive category – and only time – when Staub would lead the league.

Yet he was one of baseball’s most productive hitters for nearly 2 decades. Staub hit .291 in 1968, and after that season was traded to the Expos. Nicknamed “Le Grand Orange” for his striking red hair, Staub had his best power seasons with the Expos (and away from the cavernous Astrodome). He hit .302 with 29 home runs and 79 RBIs in 1969, and followed up in 1970 with 30 home runs and 94 RBIs. Though his home run output for 1971 slipped to 19, he drove in 97 runs with a .311 batting average.

Staub played the next 4 seasons with the New York Mets. His best year in New York was 1975, when he tallied 105 RBIs. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1976, and he proceeded to rack up RBI totals of 96, 101 and 121 from 1976 to 1978. He stayed in the major leagues through 1985, spending 1 season with the Texas Rangers as well as return engagements with Montreal and his last 5 seasons with the New York Mets.

Staub finished his 23-year career with 2,716 hits and a .279 career batting average. A 6-time All-Star, Staub is the only player to collect 500 or more hits with 4 different teams. He is one of 3 players (including Ty Cobb and Gary Sheffield) to hit a home run before turning 20 and after turning 40 years of age.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 FromThe ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Miller Time

2011-03-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(March 5, 1966) It was barely noticed or reported at the time. But a changing of the guard in the players' labor union set in motion a chain of events that would transform America's pastime dramatically ... forever.

Marvin Miller, assistant to the President of United Steelworkers, was elected today as the first full-time executive director of the Major League Players' Association
by the player representatives.

As executive director of the MLBPA from 1966 to 1982, Miller oversaw the transformation of the players' union into one of the strongest unions in the United States. He negotiated MLBPA's first collective bargaining agreement with the team owners in 1968. He was instrumental in bringing arbitration and free agency to the game, altering the business of baseball dramatically and creating a financial windfall for the players.

During Miller's reign, the average player's salary rose from $19,000 to $241,000 a year. In 2010, the average player's salary had reached $3.3 million.

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Aces on Strike

2011-03-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(February 28, 1966) Seeking a three-year, $1.05 million contract, Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale today began a joint holdout, threatening to boycott spring training and the start of the season unless their demands were met for multi-year contracts .

Meeting their salary demands would make the Dodgers starters the highest-paid pitchers in major league baseball. The pitchers had agreed that neither would sign
with the Dodgers independently.

At first, the Dodgers' general manager, Buzzie Bavasi, would agree to negotiate only with the pitchers themselves. He refused to negotiate with Koufax's agent. (My how times have changed!)

After nearly a month's holdout, Bavasi met with Koufax and Drysdale at a corner table in the restaurant at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to hammer out a deal. The pitchers wanted $150,000 each for 3 years, a figure Bavasi could not accept, and the talks stalled.

Practically on the eve of Opening Day, the pair struck a 1-year deal: $110,000 for Drysdale, $125,000 for Koufax. They were still the highest-paid pitchers in baseball, and avoiding the 3-year deals worked out for the Dodgers, as 1966 would turn out to be the last season for Koufax.

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Getting 'Em Out the Jay Way

2011-03-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

The resurgence of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s was due in large part to the bats of Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, and to the pitching of Jim O’Toole and Joey Jay. Jay was the ace of the staff during the Reds’ pennant-winning 1961 season, posting the first of back-to-back 21-victory campaigns.

Jay has the distinction of being the first Little League player to make it to the big leagues. He was signed as a “bonus baby” by the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and made his debut with the Braves that year at age 17. Because of the bonus, Jay was required to stay on the Braves’ major league roster for 2 seasons (or be lost to another team). In his first 2 full seasons with the Braves, Jay appeared in only 27 games with a 1-0 record.

After 2 seasons in the minors, Jay returned to the Braves in 1958. He was never able to break into the Braves starting rotation that featured Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl. Over the next 3 seasons, he had a 22-28 records with a combined ERA of 3.29. After the 1960 season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for shortstop Roy McMillan, and his career took off.

In 1961, his 21-10 record tied him for the National League lead in most wins with Spahn. He also led the league with 4 shutouts. He was the winning pitcher in the Reds only victory during the 1961 World Series against the New York Yankees.

Jay followed up in 1962 with a 21-14 campaign and was fifth in the league with 273 innings pitched. But his fall from stardom with the Reds would be just as sudden as his rise had been. Jay’s record slipped to 7-18 in 1963, and to 11-11 in 1964. After winning 9 games for the Reds in 1965, Jay split a 6-6 campaign between the Reds and the Atlanta Braves in 1966. He was released by the Braves following the 1966 season and retired.

A switch-hitter (with 2 career home runs), Jay finished with a career record of 99-91. His career ERA of 3.77 was considered high in the 1960s, but would certainly make him a millionaire today. He was a member of the National League All-Star team in 1961.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

And the Walls Came Tumblin' Down

2011-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(February 23, 1960) - Twenty-eight months after the Dodgers played their last game in Brooklyn, the demolition of Ebbets Field finally began today.

Ebbets Field was the home of the Dodgers from 1913 through the end of the 1957 season, when team owner Walter O'Malley took the club to Los Angeles. Named after then-owner Charlie Ebbets, Ebbets Field saw its beloved Dodgers win 7 National League pennants and one World Series (1955) during its 45-season reign as the Dodgers' home.

Maximum seating capacity at Ebbets Field was 32,000. After demolition, the structure was replaced by apartment buildings.

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Cool Hand Kooz

2011-02-27T03:31:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Jerry Koosman pitched in only the last 3 seasons of the 1960s (at the start of a 19-year major league career), but his impact on baseball history for that decade, like that of teammate Tom Seaver, was immediate and unforgettable.

He was the left-handed half of a pitching duo that helped elevate the New York Mets – almost overnight – from being baseball’s worst team throughout most of the 1960s to World Series champions in the decade’s final season.

Koosman originally signed with the Mets in 1964 and led the International League in strikeouts in 1967. In his 1968 rookie season, Koosman led the Mets with a 19-12 and a 2.08 ERA. (His 19 victories were a club record until Seaver recorded 25 wins in 1969.)

Koosman suffered no “sophomore jinx” following his strong rookie campaign. He helped the Mets win their first National League pennant with a 17-9 record and 2.28 ERA. He won both of his World Series starts against the Baltimore Orioles, finishing the 1969 World Series with a 2.05 ERA. He would never lose a game in postseason play.

Koosman was a mainstay in the Mets starting rotation from 1968 through 1978, averaging 13 victories and 229 innings per season during that period. His best season with the Mets came in 1976, when he went 21-10 with a 2.69 ERA and 200 strikeouts. The next season he slipped to 9-20, through his ERA was a still-respectable 3.49 and he led the league with 7.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. Two years later Koosman was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he won 20 games in 1979 and 16 in 1980.

Koosman was dealt to the Chicago White Sox during the 1981 season, and after 3 seasons in Chicago closed out his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He won 222 games in the majors, 140 in the National League. He was an All-Star twice.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Workhorse Tiger

2011-02-25T05:55:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

Every pitching staff can use a Mickey Lolich: lots of innings, lots of strikeouts, lots of wins. He’s the workhorse who keeps the pitching staff anchored. And on occasion, he rises to moments of true greatness, as Lolich did in October of 1968.

Lolich was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1958 and was promoted to the big league club in 1963. He went 18-9 for the Tigers in 1964, and followed with a 15-9 campaign in 1965. After 2 14-victory seasons, Lolich went 17-9 during the Tigers’ pennant-winning 1968 season. But in the season when Detroit’s Denny McLain won 31 games, Lolich emerged as the Tigers’ other ace during the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lolich went 3-0 in the Series, with 3 complete games and a 1.67 ERA. He struck out 21 batters in 27 innings, and even hit a home run in Game 2 … the only home run of his 16-year career. Lolich was selected as the 1968 World Series Most Valuable Player.

From 1964 through 1974, Lolich never won fewer than 14 games or pitched fewer than 200 innings. Four times during that period, he pitched over 300 innings in a season and was twice a 20-game winner, with a 25-14 record in 1971 and 22-14 in 1972. In 1971, Lolich led the American League in victories, games started (45), complete games (29), innings pitched (376), and strikeouts (308). He finished second in the voting for the Cy Young award to Vida Blue, whose 24-8 season garnered both the Cy Young and MVP awards.

Lolich won 207 games for the Tigers in the 13 seasons that he pitched for them, and then was traded to the New York Mets in 1975 in the deal that brought Rusty Staub to Detroit. His one season in New York, plus 2 seasons with the San Diego Padres, produced a total of only 10 victories.

A 3-time All-Star, Lolich leads all American League lefthanders in career strikeouts, and is third in career strikeouts among all lefthanders following Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson. He is still the only southpaw to win three complete games in a single World Series.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

Cincinnati Fireball

2011-02-23T04:01:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

He brought heat. And he threw strikes (mostly). That combination helped make Jim Maloney a dominant pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in the mid-1960s.

Maloney was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent in 1959. Pitching for Cincinnati’s AA minor league affiliate at Nashville in 1960, Maloney went 14-5 with a 2.80 ERA before being called up to the Reds in July, going 2-6 for the big league club. Over the next 2 seasons, Maloney was a combined 15-14 as a spot starter for the Reds.

His breakout season came in 1963. Maloney won 23 games for the Reds with a 2.77 ERA. He struck out 265 batters (second to 305 by Sandy Koufax), though his average of 9.5 strikeouts per 9 innings was the best in the major leagues. Maloney followed up in 1964 with a 15-10 record and a 2.71 ERA, then returned to the 20-game-winner circle in 1965 with a 20-9 record and a career-best 2.54 ERA (fourth best in the National League).

Maloney won 47 games for the Reds over the next 3 seasons, but arm problems cut short his career just as Cincinnati was about to enter its “Big Red Machine” era in the 1970s. He appeared in only 7 games in 1970, and pitched in 13 games for the California Angels in 1970 before being released at age 31. He tried comebacks with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, but the fastball was gone and he never pitched in the major leagues again.

In his prime (1963-1968), Maloney was one of the most overpowering pitchers in a National League full of overpowering fastballs. In those 6 years, Maloney averaged 18 victories and 212 strikeouts per season with a combined ERA of 2.92. He pitched 2 “official” no-hitters, as well as a third game where 10 hitless innings pitched resulted in an 11-inning, 1-0 one-hit loss to the New York Mets.

That was the career of Jim Maloney. So close to greatness … just not quite enough.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com

A Pain in the Hall of Fame

2011-02-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(February 17, 1964) The Baseball Hall of Fame today announced that shortstop Luke Appling had been elected for enshrinement.

Nicknamed "Old Aches and Pains," Appling was the first shortstop to win the American League batting title when he hit .388 in 1936. He also batted in 124 runs and scored 111 that season. Appling won a second batting championship in 1943.

During his 2 decades in the major leagues, all with the Chicago White Sox, Appling hit .310. His nickname came from his White Sox teammates as a result of his perpetual complaining about minor ailments.

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Every Dozen Years or So ...

2011-02-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

From This Week in 1960s Baseball ...

(February 13, 1968) For the first time in 12 years, West Coast rivals Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants completed a trade.

The Dodgers sent infielders Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver to the Giants for catcher Tom Haller and minor league pitcher Frank Kasheta.

A 7-year veteran, Haller had been the Giants' regular catcher since the team's pennant-winning season of 1962. A 2-time All-Star with the Giants, Haller's best season with the team was 1966, when he had career highs in home runs (27), RBIs (67) and runs scored (74).

The 1968 season would be his best during 4 seasons with Los Angeles. In 1968, Haller would hit .285 with a career bests in hits (135) and doubles (27).

The key player in the trade for the Giants was Hunt. He broke in with the New York Mets in 1963 and hit .272 (finishing second in the Rookie-of-the-Year race to Pete Rose). He hit .303 in 1964 and was a member of the NL All-Star team that season and again in 1966.

Hunt had been traded to the Dodgers in 1967 in the deal that brought Tommy Davis to the Mets. He hit .263 in his only season in Los Angeles, and would hit a combined .262 in 3 seasons with the Giants. He also played for the Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals before retiring in 1974.

And the Dodgers-Giants trade of 12 years earlier? It was a trade that never really happened. The (then) New York Giants sent Dick Littlefield to the (then) Brooklyn Dodgers for an infielder named Jackie Robinson.

Robinson retired rather than report to the Giants, and the trade was voided.

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No-No Astro

2011-02-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball ...

During his short but often spectacular career, Don Wilson was the first ace of the Houston Astros organization. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched 2 no-hitters and nearly a third, and from 1969 to 1972 was one of the dominant pitchers in the National League.

Wilson was signed by the Astros, the only team he ever played for, in 1966. He made the big league club in 1967, going 10-9 with a 2.59 ERA. In 1969, he won 16 games for the Astros, striking out 235 batters in 225 innings. He also led the National League with 16 wild pitches that season.

After going 11-6 in 1970, Wilson went 16-10 with a 2.45 ERA in 1971 and 15-10 with a 2.68 ERA in 1972. He won only 22 games over the next 2 seasons, his last game a two-hit, 5-0 shutout against the Atlanta Braves at the end of the 1974 season. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning in January of 1975.

Wilson’s first no-hitter came in 1967 with a 2-0 victory over Atlanta in the Astrodome. It was the first no-hitter pitched either in a domed stadium or on artificial turf, and Wilson struck out 15 Braves. Two years later, Wilson no-hit the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 one day after Jim Maloney had no-hit the Astros. Wilson nearly had a third no-no in 1974 against the Reds. But after 8 hitless innings, he was removed from the game by Astros manager Preston Gomez.

In 1968, again against Cincinnati, Wilson tied the then-major league record (with Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax) by striking out 18 batters in one game. He was a member of the All-Star team in 1971.

Relive the incredible accomplishments of the 1960s baseball stars. You’ll find them in 60 From The ‘60s: 60 Players Who Made the 1960s Baseball’s Real Golden Age. It’s a great introduction to baseball the way the game was meant to be played … without free agents, designated hitters or advanced chemistry. Check it out at http://www.60fromthe60s.com