When Cardinals rookie Paul Dean learned to mix his pitches, hit the corners of the strike zone and, most importantly, quit trying to emulate his larger-than-life older brother, he became an effective starter for St. Louis.
In 1934, Paul Dean, 21, debuted with the Cardinals, won his first eight decisions and went into the All-Star Game break with a 10-4 record.
In 2015, Carlos Martinez, 23, became the youngest Cardinals pitcher with 10 wins before the all-star break since Paul Dean. Martinez was 10-3.
Oh, brother!
Paul Dean’s brother, Dizzy, 24, had established himself as the 1934 Cardinals’ ace after winning 20 and leading the National League in strikeouts for the second consecutive year in 1933. Paul entered the Cardinals’ 1934 spring training camp as a candidate for a rotation spot after posting a 22-7 record in 1933 for the Cardinals’ Columbus (Ohio) farm club.
During that 1934 spring training, Dizzy brashly predicted he and Paul would combine for 45 wins for the Cardinals that season. Though well-intentioned, the remark put added pressure on Paul.
Some Cardinals veterans already thought Paul wasn’t ready for the big leagues and was being given preferable treatment in spring training because he was Dizzy’s brother.
Paul didn’t help matters with his combative nature. He feuded with first baseman Rip Collins and coach Mike Gonzalez and later got into a fight with outfielder Joe Medwick.
Needing a makeover
Paul made the Opening Day roster for the 1934 Cardinals. He yielded eight earned runs in six innings over his first three appearances and had an ERA of 12.00.
According to the book “Diz” by Robert Gregory, Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch told Paul, “You’ve got the speed, but it won’t matter how hard you throw. If it’s down the middle, these fellows are going to hit it.”
Said Cardinals pitcher Tex Carleton of Paul: “He doesn’t have a curve. No pitching finesse.”
Frisch and his coaches, Gonzalez and Buzzy Wares, worked with Paul to develop an off-speed pitch. Dizzy thought the instruction was a hindrance rather than a help. “There ain’t nothing wrong with Paul,” Dizzy said. “… He’ll be all right if them coaches don’t ruin him by trying to make him over. I want them to lay off that kid.”
In his next start, May 3 against the Phillies, Paul got his first big-league win, but he wasn’t sharp, yielding five runs in five innings in an 8-7 Cardinals victory.
“I was worried because he was obviously overawed by his big brother,” Frisch recalled years later. “Paul was imitating Dizzy’s style on the mound, but lacked his colossal self-confidence.”
Turning point
Paul’s next start was scheduled for May 11 against the defending World Series champion Giants and their ace, Carl Hubbell. Speculation was Paul would be sent to the minor leagues if he didn’t pitch well in that game.
“In many respects, Paul was pitching for his job,” The Sporting News reported. “He had done nothing prior to this outing and there were grave doubts about his ability to put a curve in there with his fast one that would keep the wolves away from the plate.”
A few days before the showdown, Frisch invited Paul to join him for dinner. Over porterhouse steaks, Frisch, who began his career with the Giants, explained to Paul how to pitch to each Giants batter. Frisch also told Paul to be himself, trust his talent and use the off-speed pitch he’d been learning.
Before a Ladies Day crowd at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, Paul mixed a changeup with his fastball and delivered some pitches from a sidearm delivery that helped hide the ball from batters. He held the Giants to two runs and got the complete-game win when the Cardinals snapped a 2-2 tie with a run off Hubbell in the 10th. Boxscore
“I think Paul Dean is in a fair position to become a great pitcher,” said Frisch. “His only trouble has been control and as long as he can pitch to spots he will be OK. We have worked hard on him and he has shown us that he knows how to pitch and can grab information and make the best of it. I like him.”
Dean demands
Paul became a consistent winner. Through May 31, Paul was 5-0, Dizzy was 6-2 and the Cardinals were in first place.
On June 1, Dizzy was scheduled to start against the Pirates. Instead, he staged a strike, refusing to pitch until the Cardinals gave his brother a $2,000 pay raise. Paul’s salary was $3,000. Dizzy’s salary was $7,500.
Dizzy ended his walkout the next day.
Paul won his next three decisions, boosting his record to 8-0 with a shutout against the Phillies on June 17.
Wrote The Sporting News: “He has passed the experimental stage and today unquestionably rates as the greatest young right-hander to come into the majors since Wes Ferrell and Lon Warneke.”
Deans deliver
After beating the Giants on June 26, Paul was 10-1 with a 3.92 ERA. He lost his next three decisions before the July 10 All-Star Game.
The Dean brothers continued to win in the second half of the season, especially in the September pennant stretch. Paul was 5-3 with a 1.93 ERA in September; Dizzy was 7-1 with a 1.54 ERA that month.
The Cardinals won the pennant with a 95-58 record, finishing two games ahead of the Giants.
Dizzy was 30-7 and led the NL in strikeouts for the third consecutive season. Paul was 19-11 with 16 complete games and five shutouts. With a combined 49 wins, the brothers had exceeded Dizzy’s prediction.
In the World Series, Dizzy and Paul each won twice, leading the Cardinals to the championship over the Tigers. In Paul’s two starts, he pitched complete games, yielding two earned runs in 18 innings.
Previously: How Dizzy Dean got the best of his matchup with Babe Ruth
Previously: Pennant clincher: How Dizzy Dean got 2 shutouts in 3 days
Previously: Cardinal cool: How Dizzy Dean survived armed robbery
Leave a Reply