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Archive for the ‘Pitchers’ Category

Pedro Guerrero and his feud with Danny Darwin

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on August 13, 2020| 4 Comments »

Cardinals cleanup hitter Pedro Guerrero resorted to using his hands, not his bat, to connect against Astros pitcher Danny Darwin.

On Aug. 16, 1990, during a game between the Astros and Cardinals at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, Guerrero got upset with Darwin for throwing a pitch too close to him.

When Darwin reached first base on a single, he and Guerrero argued and Guerrero struck him.

Feeling frustrated

With the Astros ahead, 3-1, in the sixth inning, the Cardinals had runners on second and third, two outs, and Guerrero at the plate. Darwin threw a fastball that was “head high, but looked to be over the inside corner of the plate,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Guerrero said he thought the pitch was intended to hit him, but plate umpire Mark Hirschbeck told the Post-Dispatch, “It was not even close.”

After Guerrero struck out, stranding the runners, he glared at Darwin. “He was just looking to start something,” Hirschbeck said. “He was yelling, ‘I’m going to get you.’ ”

Said Darwin: “I don’t appreciate the look he gave me.”

Sticks and stones

The hard feelings carried over to the next inning.

With two outs and none on in the seventh, Darwin singled versus reliever Scott Terry. Standing at first base, Darwin and Guerrero jabbered at one another.

According to Guerrero, “When he got to first base, I said, ‘Hey, man, what’s wrong? Can’t anybody look at you?’ ”

According to Darwin, “When I got to first base, Guerrero said, ‘What’s your problem?’ I said, ‘What’s my problem? You mean I can’t pitch inside?’ He said, ‘I know you’re going to pitch inside.’ I said, ‘Then why’d you give me that look?’ ”

Guerrero said Darwin “pointed a finger in my face” and started cussing at him. Umpire Bob Davidson said both players were cussing at one another.

Davidson stepped between the two, but Guerrero reached around and hit Darwin, the Post-Dispatch reported. Video at 4:28 mark

Both benches emptied. Guerrero and Darwin were ejected, and Astros manager Art Howe also was tossed for arguing with the umpires.

In a corridor leading to the clubhouse, Guerrero and Astros coach Ed Ott shouted at each another before police arrived and separated them, the Post-Dispatch reported. Boxscore

Guerrero said he offered to fight Darwin anywhere he wanted to meet. “I’m not afraid of anybody,” Guerrero said.

Darwin said, “He’s a cheap-shot artist. I think he’s gutless. If he thinks he can intimidate me, he’s crazy. I’ve hit guys a lot meaner than him.”

Play ball

In remarks to Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon, Guerrero said Astros pitchers threw at him in a series at Houston, and he needed to put a stop to it when Darwin pitched him high and tight at St. Louis.

Guerrero may have been brushed back by the 1990 Astros but he wasn’t hit. Guerrero got plunked once in 1990 and it happened in September when he was struck on the right forearm by a pitch from the Phillies’ Jose DeJesus.

On Aug. 26, 1990, 10 days after his altercation with Guerrero, Darwin again started against the Cardinals at Houston and got a complete-game win. Guerrero wasn’t there for a rematch. He was on the disabled list because of a strained lower back. Boxscore

Guerrero batted .333 (8-for-24) versus Darwin in his career and never was hit by a pitch from him.

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The night Bob Gibson pitched 14 innings for a win

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Records on August 10, 2020| 4 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 24, 2024)

In the longest outing of his Cardinals career, Bob Gibson set a record that illustrated his consistency, dominance and endurance.

On Aug. 12, 1970, Gibson pitched 14 innings for a complete-game win in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over the Padres in St. Louis.

In the second inning, Gibson got his 200th strikeout of the season when he fanned Nate Colbert. Gibson, 34, became the first pitcher to strike out 200 batters in a season eight times.

Gibson’s 14-inning stint versus the Padres surpassed a pair of 13-inning complete games he pitched against the Giants on July 7, 1965, Boxscore and on July 25, 1969. Boxscore

Wobbly warm-up

Before his Wednesday night start against the last-place Padres, Gibson didn’t throw well in the bullpen. “I wouldn’t have given two cents that he’d go nine innings,” manager Red Schoendienst told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Though he lacked command of his pitches, Gibson retired the first nine batters in a row, including four on strikeouts. “I was lucky in the early innings that they were swinging,” Gibson told the Associated Press. “A lot of the strikeout total has to do with the ballclub you’re facing.”

The Padres scored a run in the fourth and three in the sixth. Colbert, a St. Louis native, put the Padres ahead, 4-3, in the sixth with a two-run home run that landed 10 rows up in the seats in left. “I was hitting the corners, but I hung some pitches, too,” Gibson told the Post-Dispatch.

The Cardinals tied the score at 4-4 in the eighth on Dick Allen’s home run versus starter Danny Coombs.

Carrying on

Gibson held the Padres scoreless over the last eight innings.

He worked out of a jam in the 11th. After the Padres loaded the bases with one out, Gibson’s former teammate, Ed Spiezio, batted. With the count 3-and-2, Gibson got Spiezio to ground into a double play. “Gibson didn’t have his real good stuff, but you could see him reach back for something extra in that spot,” Padres manager Preston Gomez said to the Post-Dispatch.

In the 13th, Gibson struck out the side. After pitching the 14th, Gibson was ready to come out if the Cardinals didn’t score in the bottom half of the inning, he told the Post-Dispatch.

Ron Willis, a former Cardinal, was the Padres’ pitcher in the 14th. Dal Maxvill, who batted .201 for the season, led off the inning with his fourth consecutive hit, a single. Gibson, who hit .303 in 1970, was allowed to bat. He bunted and reached safely on a fielder’s choice, with Maxvill advancing to second. Lou Brock’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and Leron Lee got an intentional walk, loading the bases.

The next batter, Carl Taylor, worked a walk, scoring Maxvill from third with the decisive run and giving Gibson his hard-earned win. Boxscore

Wins matter most

Gibson gave up 13 hits and struck out 13.

Asked about becoming the first to achieve eight 200-strikeout seasons, Gibson told the Post-Dispatch, “I’m pleased to have the record. It shows I was a consistent pitcher over the years. Winning games is the big thing, though.”

Gibson threw 178 pitches in the marathon against the Padres, but said, “I don’t care about the number of pitches. You can throw 90 pitches and lose.”

(In a 2018 interview with Stan McNeal of Cardinals Yearbook, Gibson said, “I never came out of a game because of pitch count … I went out there to win a ballgame and complete a ballgame. The idea of getting through the fifth inning with a lead was very important. It doesn’t seem to be anymore. A manager will take you out if he sees you’re in trouble in the third inning and have a three-run lead. I’d have a heart attack if they’d tried that with me.”)

The win gave Gibson a 16-5 record for the season. He went on to finish at 23-7 with 274 strikeouts, earning his second National League Cy Young Award. The 23 wins and 274 strikeouts were his single-season career highs.

Gibson had a ninth season of 200 strikeouts when he fanned 208 batters in 1972. His 3,117 career strikeouts, as well as his 251 career wins, are most by a Cardinals pitcher.

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Cardinals inspired winning efforts by Bob Sebra

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on August 7, 2020| 2 Comments »

The Cardinals were the opponent when Bob Sebra saved his spot in the Expos’ rotation, and again when he fulfilled a boyhood dream with the Phillies. Near the end of his career, Sebra pitched in the Cardinals’ system.

A right-hander, Sebra pitched in the majors with the Rangers (1985), Expos (1986-87), Phillies (1988-89), Reds (1989) and Brewers (1990).

Sebra, who had a career record of 15-29 in the majors, was 3-2 against the Cardinals. He had more wins versus the Cardinals than he did against any other foe.

In 1993, hoping for a chance to get back to the majors, Sebra signed with the Cardinals and spent the season as a starter for their Class AAA Louisville team.

Going the distance

As a youth in southern New Jersey, Sebra was a Phillies fan, attended their games at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and hoped to pitch for them. He played collegiate baseball for the University of Nebraska, but it was the Rangers, not the Phillies, who selected him in the fifth round of the 1983 amateur draft.

Sebra made his big-league debut with the Rangers on June 26, 1985, in a start against the Mariners. After the season, he was traded to the Expos for slugger Pete Incaviglia.

On Aug. 12, 1986, Sebra pitched his first complete game in the majors in the Expos’ 10-3 victory over the Cardinals at Montreal. Sebra also produced two hits and a walk. His first major-league hit, a single versus John Tudor, sparked a seven-run inning. Boxscore

In control

In 1987, Sebra was an Expos starter, but he lost eight of his first 11 decisions, including four in a row, and was in danger of being dropped from the rotation.

On June 26, 1987, two years to the day after he made his debut in the majors, Sebra started against the Cardinals at Montreal, looking to show the Expos they should stick with him. Sebra was matched against Cardinals rookie Joe Magrane, who won his first five decisions and was undefeated in the big leagues.

Locating his breaking pitches, Sebra held the Cardinals to six hits, walked none and struck out 10 in nine innings, earning the win in a 5-1 Expos victory. Boxscore

When Sebra throws breaking balls for strikes “it makes his fastball so much more effective,” Expos pitching coach Larry Bearnarth told the Montreal Gazette.

After Terry Pendleton singled with two outs in the fourth, Sebra retired the next 13 batters in a row. Cardinals cleanup hitter Jack Clark struck out three times and grounded into a game-ending double play.

“He was kind of like a right-handed Fernando Valenzuela,” Clark said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He had everything.”

Said Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog: “I don’t think anybody would have beaten that guy tonight. He had control.”

Sebra also had a single in the fifth, igniting a three-run inning.

The Cardinals went on to win the 1987 National League pennant. Sebra finished the season with a 6-15 record.

Rooting interest

In 1988, the Expos demoted Sebra to the minors. Pitching on a staff with prospect Randy Johnson, Sebra was 12-6 with a 2.94 ERA for Class AAA Indianapolis.

On Sept. 1, 1988, the Expos traded Sebra to the Phillies. Two weeks later, Sebra got his first win for the team he followed as a youth, beating the Cardinals at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. It was Sebra’s first win in the majors since July 12, 1987, with the Expos, and ended a streak of eight consecutive losses for him in the big leagues. Boxscore

Sebra allowed five walks and four hits, but just two runs, in five innings against the Cardinals. “It was ugly,” he told the Philadelphia Daily News.

Said Lee Elia, manager of the last-place Phillies: “Getting this win was probably more important for him than it was for us. It gives him a sense of accomplishment.”

Down on the farm

Four years later, while in the minor leagues in 1992, Sebra had surgery on his right elbow. The Cardinals signed him to a minor-league contract in January 1993 and assigned him to Louisville.

Sebra was a consistent starter for Louisville, even though he felt persistent pain in his right arm. In the clubhouse, Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Pat Forde observed Sebra had 14 stainless steel acupuncture needles embedded in his right arm in an effort to relieve the pain.

“I had a friend in Omaha who studied acupuncture in China,” Sebra explained. “He said to do it for 10 days and see what happens. It’s feeling real good.”

Sebra, 31, led the Louisville staff in starts (26) and innings pitched (145) and tied with Tom Urbani for the team lead in wins (nine), but he didn’t get back to the majors.

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How Izzy made Cubs dizzy with doozy of a debut

Posted in Games, Pitchers on July 20, 2020| 5 Comments »

Before he became a Cardinals closer, Jason Isringhausen was a starting pitcher who appeared ready to anchor the Mets’ rotation for a long time.

On July 17, 1995, Isringhausen, 24, made his major-league debut in a start for the Mets against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Isringhausen, or Izzy as he became known to some, pitched impressively versus the Cubs, fulfilling lofty expectations after a stellar season in the minors, and went on to have a successful rookie year.

A right-hander, Isringhausen’s career went into reverse the following season when he had two arthroscopic surgeries _ one to repair a tear in his right shoulder and the other to remove bone chips in his right elbow.

Plagued by more illness and injuries, Isringhausen didn’t become an ace with the Mets, but he revived his career as a reliever with the Athletics before joining the Cardinals and becoming the franchise leader in career saves.

Longshot prospect

Isringhausen was born and raised in the village of Brighton, Ill., about 40 miles from St. Louis. He attended Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill., for two years and was an outfielder on its baseball team.

The Mets took Isringhausen in the 44th round of the 1991 June amateur baseball draft. He was the 1,157th player selected.

Converted to pitcher, Isringhausen made the most of the chance and rose through the Mets’ farm system as a starter. “The Mets are intrigued by the development” of Isringhausen, The Sporting News reported in May 1994.

In 1995, Isringhausen began the season at Class AA Binghamton and was 2-1 with a 2.85 ERA. Promoted to Class AAA Norfolk, he was 9-1 with a 1.55 ERA.

Amid much hype, Isringhausen made the leap from sleepy Brighton to bustling New York City when the Mets brought him to the majors in July 1995 and put him in their rotation.

Looking good

For his debut game in the big leagues, Isringhausen asked for uniform No. 44, a visual reminder of the high round he was drafted.

More than 30 friends and family members, including his father Chuck, celebrating his 54th birthday, made the 275-mile trek from Brighton to Chicago to see Isringhausen start against the Cubs on a Monday night.

Isringhausen didn’t disappoint. He retired the Cubs in order in six of his seven innings. The Cubs scored two runs, both in the fourth, on two hits and two walks. Otherwise, Isringhausen retired the first 10 batters as well as the last 10.

“It was much better than I expected,” Isringhausen told the New York Daily News. “It wasn’t easy. I worked my butt off. I was pretty nervous in the first inning, but after I got through the lineup one time I really calmed down.”

When Isringhausen departed after the seventh inning, the score was tied at 2-2. The Mets scored five times in the ninth for a 7-2 triumph. The win went to reliever Jerry DiPoto, who pitched two scoreless innings, but the story was Isringhausen. Boxscore

“The kid was everything they promised and more. Much more,” declared the Chicago Tribune.

Of the 25 batters Isringhausen faced, he threw 17 first-pitch strikes.

“The kid is real good,” said Mark Grace, whose single with one out in the fourth was the first hit against Isringhausen. “He had a great fastball and good curve. He still has to develop a third pitch, but if he does, then he’ll really be something. I have to say I was very impressed.”

Said Mets manager Dallas Green: “We know now he can pitch at the major-league level. He knows it now, too.”

First win

Isringhausen got no decision in his next start against the Rockies at Denver.

His third start, on July 30, 1995, versus the Pirates was his first in New York. Isringhausen pitched eight innings, yielded one run and got his first win in the majors. Boxscore

“Izzy had everything going, a good changeup, a real good curve and a good fastball,” said Mets catcher Alberto Castillo. “Everything he pitched, he put right in my glove.”

Said Dallas Green, “He’ll more than justify our faith in him. No question about that.”

After splitting his first four decisions, Isringhausen won his last seven in a row and finished 9-2 with a 2.81 ERA in 14 starts for the 1995 Mets.

Converted closer

At spring training in 1996, Isringhausen and two other young Mets starters, Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson, were drawing comparisons with the 1969 Mets trio of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan, but it didn’t work out. Isringhausen never had another wining season with the Mets.

After his shoulder and elbow surgeries in 1996, Isringhausen developed tuberculosis in 1997. He also broke his right wrist. He was sidelined all of the 1998 season after having reconstructive surgery on his right elbow.

In July 1999, the Mets traded Isringhausen (1-3, 6.41 ERA) to the Athletics, and the move saved his career. Isringhausen became a closer and in three seasons with the Athletics he produced 75 saves.

Granted free agency after the 2001 season, Isringhausen, 29, came close to accepting an offer from the Rangers, but signed instead with the Cardinals to play near home.

In seven seasons (2002-2008) with St. Louis, Isringhausen had a franchise-record 217 saves, including a league-leading 47 in 2004 when the Cardinals won the pennant.

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Cardinals pitcher Bob Duliba experienced tragic accident

Posted in Games, Pitchers on July 14, 2020| 8 Comments »

On a journey to join in a happy occasion, Cardinals pitcher Bob Duliba was injured in a car accident in which two infants and a woman were killed.

On July 12, 1960, Duliba was driving from St. Louis to Kansas City to attend the wedding of teammate Ray Sadecki when his car skidded in the rain near Boonville, Mo., and was hit head-on by another vehicle.

In Duliba’s car were his wife, Alice, 21, and two other passengers, Sophie Wilga, 40, and her nine-month-old daughter, Anna Marie Wilga. The girl was killed in the accident, and Duliba and the two women were injured.

In the other car were the driver, Robert Haukap, 26, of Columbia, Mo.; his wife, Margie Haukap, 24; and their two sons, Robert Jr., 3, and nine-month-old Timothy. Killed in the accident were Timothy and his mother. Robert Jr. and his father were injured.

Duliba was charged with careless and reckless driving, but the misdemeanor charge was dismissed by a prosecutor when a jury couldn’t reach a verdict. Duliba resumed his playing career with the Cardinals and went on to pitch for three other big-league clubs.

Pitching prospect

Duliba was born in Glen Lyon, Pa., about 30 miles west of Scranton. He was 9 when his father, who worked in the coal mines, died.

In 1952, when Duliba was 17, he signed with the Cardinals. A right-handed pitcher, he played four seasons in their farm system before enlisting in the Marines in 1956. After three years in the Marines, Duliba returned to baseball with the Cardinals’ Omaha farm team in 1959.

The Cardinals promoted Duliba to the big leagues in August 1959 and he posted a 2.78 ERA in 11 relief appearances for them. Citing the young pitching talent available to the Cardinals, The Sporting News reported, “Among those who look like money in the bank are Bob Duliba, Bob Miller, Bob Gibson, Ernie Broglio and Marshall Bridges.”

In the fall of 1959, the Cardinals brought Duliba to their Florida Instructional League club to have a couple of tutors, former pitchers Johnny Grodzicki and Howie Pollet, work on improving his curveball. “We certainly feel they helped him,” said Cardinals general manager Bing Devine.

Heading into spring training in 1960, Cardinals manager Solly Hemus said he was counting on Lindy McDaniel, Duliba and Bridges to be the club’s top relievers.

In the first half of the 1960 season, Duliba, 25, made 27 relief appearances for the Cardinals and was 4-4 with a 4.20 ERA.

At the all-star break, Duliba prepared to attend Ray Sadecki’s July 13 wedding.

Highway horror

At about 7 p.m. on July 12, Duliba was driving west on U.S. Highway 40, about 10 miles past Columbia, Mo., when he lost control of the car on a curve in a rainstorm, a state trooper told the Kansas City Times.

Duliba’s passenger, Sophie Wilga, testified in magistrate court that the road was slick and the vehicle began skidding, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Wilga said Duliba’s car came to a stop in the wrong lane immediately before being struck by the car driven by Robert Haukap.

According to the Kansas City Times, Robert Haukap was an engineering student at the University of Missouri and worked for the State Highway department. He suffered a back injury, concussion and cuts in the accident.

His son, Robert Haukap Jr., suffered cuts and bruises.

Duliba’s wife, Alice, fractured her pelvis.

Sophie Wilga, who suffered cuts in the accident, was a former neighbor of Ray Sadecki. She planned to visit family in Kansas City with her daughter after attending the wedding. She was traveling with the Dulibas because her husband Stanley, a grain inspector, had to work in St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch reported.

Duliba suffered multiple injuries, including five rib fractures, a concussion, cuts and a bruised kidney, The Sporting News reported. The Cardinals declared him inactive for the remainder of the 1960 season.

Case in court

On Aug. 12, 1960, in the Boone County magistrate court, Duliba was charged with careless and reckless driving after a coroner’s jury held him responsible for the accident, citing his car being in the wrong lane when struck. Duliba posted a $100 bond and pleaded not guilty.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Haukap had no recollection of the accident, his attorney, James L. Walsh, said at the inquest.

Duliba declined to testify at the inquest on advice of his attorney, Arnold J. Willman, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported. According to the Post-Dispatch, Willman said his client had no auto insurance because he couldn’t afford it.

Willman requested a jury trial and a change of venue. His requests were granted, and the case was shifted from Columbia, Mo., to Fayette, Mo.

A month later, on Oct. 17, 1960, the charge against Duliba was dismissed. Prosecuting attorney Larry Woods of Boone County recommended dismissal after the trial in magistrate court resulted in a hung jury, the Post-Dispatch reported.

Playing again

Duliba recovered from his injuries and played winter ball in Venezuela with Cardinals teammate Bob Gibson before reporting to spring training in 1961. Duliba spent the 1961 season in the minors and made 59 relief appearances.

Back in the minors at the start of the 1962 season, Duliba, 27, got called up to the Cardinals in July. In his first appearance in the majors since the accident, he worked two scoreless innings in relief of Gibson. Boxscore

On July 19, 1962, Duliba got his first save for the Cardinals in three years when he sealed a win for Sadecki against the Cubs. Boxscore

Duliba was 2-0 with two saves and a 2.06 ERA in 28 relief appearances for the 1962 Cardinals.

He figured to be in the club’s plans for 1963, but on April 5 he was optioned to the minors. Duliba “angrily demanded the Cardinals trade him,” the Globe-Democrat reported, and he was sent to the Angels for pitcher Bob Botz.

In three seasons with the Cardinals, Duliba was 6-5 with three saves and a 3.07 ERA in 66 relief appearances. He went on to pitch for the Angels (1963-64), Red Sox (1965) and Athletics (1967). His best season was 1964 when he was 6-4 with nine saves in 58 games for the Angels.

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Mike McCormick worked magic versus 1967 Cardinals

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on July 9, 2020| 2 Comments »

In the year he won the National League Cy Young Award, Mike McCormick did his part to try to enable the Giants to keep pace with the Cardinals in the pennant race, but he didn’t get enough help from a pair of future Hall of Famers on the pitching staff.

McCormick, a left-hander, pitched 16 years in the major leagues. He had his best season in 1967 when he was 22-10 with a 2.85 ERA for the Giants.

Relying on a screwball to keep batters off stride, McCormick was 3-0 in three starts against the 1967 Cardinals.

The Cardinals finished with a 101-60 record, 10.5 games ahead of the second-place Giants (91-71). One reason the Giants couldn’t catch the Cardinals was the performances of two starters destined for Cooperstown, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. Marichal was 0-2 versus the Cardinals in 1967 and Perry was 0-5.

ERA leader

A baseball standout from Alhambra, Calif., McCormick was 17 when he signed with the Giants for $50,000 in August 1956. He went directly to the majors and made his debut with a scoreless inning of relief versus the Phillies on Sept. 3, 1956. “He could really throw when I first saw him,” Giants second baseman Red Schoendienst told The Sporting News.

McCormick’s first decision in the big leagues was a loss to the Cardinals in a start on Sept. 15, 1956, at the Polo Grounds in New York. Alvin Dark, who became McCormick’s manager with the 1961-62 Giants, hit a home run against him. Boxscore

The Giants moved from New York to San Francisco after the 1957 season. At their Bay Area home, McCormick and his wife became collectors of antique clocks. “I specialize in school and railroad clocks from the period between 1860 and 1880,” McCormick told The Sporting News.

In 1960, McCormick led the National League in ERA at 2.70. The runner-up was the Cardinals’ Ernie Broglio (2.74). Hall of Fame left-hander Carl Hubbell, the Giants’ farm director, told the Sporting News, “McCormick has a lot of what I call pitching instinct. He doesn’t have a set pattern for pitching to any particular hitter, but he senses what to throw next. Mike amazes me with his poise and control.”

Two years later, the Giants won the National League pennant, but McCormick, who developed a left shoulder injury, was limited to 98.2 innings and had a 5-5 record. He didn’t pitch in the World Series against the Yankees.

After the season, the Giants traded him to the Orioles. “He had a sore arm, a hot temper and a fastball he thought he could throw past any batter,” The Sporting News noted.

Continuing to experience shoulder pain, McCormick was 6-8 for the Orioles in 1963 and 0-2 in 1964 before he was demoted to the minors. In April 1965, the Orioles dealt McCormick to the Senators and he was 19-22 for them over two seasons before being traded back to the Giants in December 1966.

“We think he can help us in relief and as a spot starter,” said Giants general manager Chub Feeney.

Pitching lessons

No longer a power pitcher, McCormick, 29, relied on control and changing speeds in his second stint with the Giants.

It wasn’t an easy transition. Because of rainouts and days off, he made a mere two starts in April 1967. At the end of May, his record was 3-2 with a 4.64 ERA and manager Herman Franks sent him to the bullpen. One of McCormick’s relief appearances came June 16, 1967, against the Cardinals. He pitched 4.1 innings and allowed one run. Boxscore

Returned to the starting rotation, McCormick won seven consecutive decisions from June 19 to July 15. One of those wins was June 27, 1967, a shutout versus the Cardinals at St. Louis. McCormick scattered seven hits and walked none. In contrast, Cardinals starter Steve Carlton walked six in 4.2 innings and gave up four runs. Boxscore

Cardinals hitting coach Dick Sisler said batters made the mistake of trying to pull McCormick’s screwball.

“You can’t play long ball against a screwball,” Sisler told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You’ve got to hit to the opposite field.”

Doing his part

On Aug. 10, 1967, the Giants opened a four-game series against the Cardinals at St. Louis. The Giants were nine games behind the first-place Cardinals and needed to win the series if they were going to challenge for the pennant. “If anybody can catch them, it’s us,” McCormick said.

Hoping to set the tone, McCormick prevailed in the opener, limiting the Cardinals to six hits in a 5-2 victory.

“When he makes you hit his pitch, he’s got you,” Sisler said. “When he wins, I’d say that nine out of 10 batters swing at bad pitches.” Boxscore

Unfazed, the Cardinals won the final three games of the series, beating Gaylord Perry and two former Cardinals, Lindy McDaniel and McCormick’s road roommate, Ray Sadecki. The Giants left St. Louis 11 games behind with 47 left to play.

Top of his game

McCormick faced the Cardinals for the final time in 1967 on Aug. 23 at San Francisco and beat them again, pitching another shutout. His ERA versus the Cardinals for the season was 0.86. Boxscore

“McCormick has done about all he can to stall the Cardinals’ pennant express,” declared the Post-Dispatch.

Said Cardinals outfielder Roger Maris: “He’s always on the borderline with his pitches. He’s on the inside corner or the outside corner, or right on the borderline high or low, but he never has thrown me a pitch down the middle of the plate.”

In games not started by McCormick, the Giants were 4-11 versus the Cardinals in 1967.

McCormick led the league in wins (22) and became the first Giants left-hander with 20 in a season since Johnny Antonelli in 1956. In winning the Cy Young Award, McCormick got 18 of 20 votes from the baseball writers.

McCormick followed the 1967 season with 12 wins for the Giants in 1968 and 11 in 1969 before he was traded to the Yankees in 1970. His last season in the majors was 1971 with the Royals. He finished with a career record of 134-128.

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