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Lou Brock facing Bob Veale was some sight to see

January 20, 2025 by retrosimba

A big man with poor eyesight, left-hander Bob Veale threw as hard as any pitcher in baseball. He had one of the best sliders in the game and a fastball, as Sports Illustrated put it, “that leaves a vapor trail.”

Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 220 to 280 pounds, Veale made some of the National League’s best hitters look inept. Lou Brock (.194 in 93 at-bats), Willie McCovey (.188 in 48 at-bats) and Ernie Banks (.108 in 83 at-bats) had career batting averages below .200 against Veale.

Their figures seemed robust, however, compared with those of Eddie Mathews. A slugger who totaled 2,315 hits, including 512 home runs, Mathews was hitless in 29 career at-bats versus Veale, striking out 16 times. Asked by The Pittsburgh Press in 1964 to compare Veale with Sandy Koufax, Mathews said, “Koufax has the better curve; Veale the better slider. I wouldn’t want to earn a living batting exclusively against either one.”

Nevertheless, Mathews said Juan Marichal was the toughest pitcher he faced, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame Yearbook. Banks picked Koufax. Brock and McCovey chose Veale.

In his autobiography, “Stealing Is My Game,” Brock said of Veale, “He just gave me fits … He could blow the ball past me like I was a birthday candle. He threw about as hard as anyone I ever faced in the major leagues.”

Veale wanted to play for the Cardinals when he turned pro. Instead, he joined the Pirates after the Cardinals opted for another left-hander, Ray Sadecki.

An 18-game winner in 1964 when he led National League pitchers in both strikeouts (250) and walks (124), Veale was 89 when he died on Jan. 7, 2025.

Steely determination

A pitcher who spent most of his big-league playing career in the Steel City of Pittsburgh, Veale was from the steel capital of the south, Birmingham, Ala.

Veale grew up in the family home on Lomb Avenue, a few blocks from Rickwood Field, the ballpark of the minor-league Birmingham Barons and the Negro League Birmingham Black Barons. His father pitched in the Negro League.

As a gangly youth, Veale spent his free time at Rickwood Field, doing jobs for Barons general manager Eddie Glennon. He worked in the concession stand and sometimes pitched batting practice. Among the players he saw there was a Black Barons outfielder, Willie Mays.

Veale was a teen when he pitched for the 24th Street Red Sox, a top industrial league team. He got an athletic scholarship to play baseball and basketball at St. Benedict’s College in Atchison, Kansas.

(Located on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River, St. Benedict’s College merged in 1971 with Mount St. Scholastica College and became Benedictine College.)

As a college basketball center, Veale showed “some of the smoothest post play the conference has seen in many years,” the Atchison Daily Globe reported. The New York Times described him as “the Bill Russell type,” because of his rebounding. In a charity game, Veale guarded Kansas center Wilt Chamberlain.

Baseball was the sport, though, that offered Veale the best chance at a pro career.

While in college, “I listened to every Cardinals game I could,” Veale told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was elated when the Cardinals invited him to St. Louis for a tryout during his junior year in 1958.

The Cardinals, though, became enamored of another hard-throwing left-hander, Kansas high school pitcher Ray Sadecki. After they signed Sadecki to a big bonus, the Cardinals offered Veale much less _ minor-league money, “a few doughnuts, a couple of bats and some spikes,” Veale told the Post-Dispatch.

Tired of haggling with the Cardinals over money and feeling slighted _ “I knew Sadecki didn’t throw any harder than I did,” Veale said to reporter Neal Russo _ Veale tried out with the Pirates while they were in Chicago and signed with them.

Swinging and missing

Four years later, in 1962, Veale, 26, reached the majors, gaining a spot on the Opening Day roster. When the Pirates went to San Francisco to play the Giants, Willie Mays invited Veale and fellow Pirates rookie Donn Clendenon to his home after a game. According to The Pittsburgh Press, Mays advised Veale, “With your stuff, all you have to do is rear back and throw. Don’t mess around and be cute, trying to find the corners. You can throw hard enough to fool anybody and all you have to do is get the ball over.”

After two months with the 1962 Pirates, Veale was sent back to the minors. Pitching for Columbus (Ohio), he struck out 22 Buffalo batters in nine innings.

Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh used Veale as a reliever in 1963 and he dazzled (0.70 ERA in 27 games). Moved to the rotation in late August, Veale made seven starts, pitched two shutouts, including one against the Cardinals, and completed the season with an 0.93 ERA. Boxscore

That performance vaulted Veale to the top of the Pirates’ rotation in 1964. On a staff with Bob Friend and Vern Law, Veale got the Opening Day assignment and pitched like an ace that season. He struck out 16 in a game against the Reds and 15 versus the Braves. Boxscore and Boxscore

Entering the final day of the season, Veale had a league-leading 245 strikeouts and the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson was at 243. Neither was scheduled to start that day. However, during the Pirates’ game at Milwaukee, Veale learned that Gibson had relieved starter Curt Simmons during the Cardinals’ game with the Mets.

Concerned Gibson might surpass him to become the 1964 National League strikeout leader, Veale approached teammate Jerry Lynch, who was managing the Pirates that day. (With nothing at stake in their game with the Braves, Danny Murtaugh took the day off and let Lynch manage. Braves skipper Bobby Bragan did the same, having Eddie Mathews manage the club.)

According to the New York Times, Veale asked Lynch, “How about letting me pitch two innings and pick up a few (strikeouts)?” Lynch said yes.

With the Braves ahead 6-0, Veale pitched the sixth and seventh innings and struck out five consecutive batters, boosting his season total to 250. Gibson worked four innings and fanned two, giving him 245, and got the pennant-clinching win for St. Louis. Boxscore and Boxscore

Veale played a part in the Cardinals finishing in first place, a game ahead of the Phillies and Reds. He was 1-2 against the 1964 Cardinals and a combined 6-1 versus the Phillies and Reds.

Blinding speed

In a stretch from 1964-66, Veale lost six in a row to the Cardinals. Then he went 3-0 against them in 1967, the year the Cardinals became World Series champions.

Veale’s vision in his right eye was minus-2/20. In his autobiography, Lou Brock said, “He wore glasses that looked like the bottom of Coke bottles.”

In a game at St. Louis in May 1967, Veale had a 1-and-2 count on Brock and was wiping his glasses when a lens broke. Plate umpire Doug Harvey ordered Veale to pitch without the spectacles until a spare could be brought from the clubhouse, but Brock refused to stand in the batter’s box until Veale put on eyeglasses. “Even when he could see, Veale had trouble finding the plate with his pitches,” Brock explained in his autobiography.

Veale told the Post-Dispatch, “I can’t blame Brock. I see six people when I’m not wearing glasses.”

When the replacement pair arrived, after a lengthy delay, Veale struck out Brock on the next pitch. Boxscore

“Veale has developed one of the best sliders in the game,” Brock told the St. Louis newspaper. “I’ve always felt that for the first four or five innings, for sheer speed, he was faster than Sandy Koufax.”

According to the New York Times, after Veale struck out 16 Phillies in a game, their manager, Gene Mauch, said, “I’ve never seen such sustained fire.” Boxscore

Big Bob

From 1964-67, Veale had season win totals of 18, 17, 16 and 16.

Eventually, though, he didn’t stay in shape, gained too much weight and was moved to the bullpen. In 1971, when the Pirates became World Series champions, Veale was 6-0 but his ERA ballooned to 6.99. He spent most of 1972 in the minors before the Red Sox acquired him in September that year.

When he tipped the scales at 230 pounds in 1974, Veale told the Birmingham Post-Herald, “Two-thirty is a lot better than coming in at 280. I did that at Pittsburgh. When I came to Boston (in 1972), I came in at between 260 and 270.”

The 1973 Red Sox pitching staff included Luis Tiant (20 wins) and Veale (11 saves). Peter Gammons of the Boston Globe noted that Tiant and Veale could be found smoking cigars in the clubhouse whirlpool.

Veale completed his big-league career with a 120-95 record, 20 shutouts, 21 saves and 1,703 strikeouts in 1,926 innings. His 1,652 strikeouts with the Pirates are the most by a Pittsburgh left-hander. Veale averaged eight strikeouts per nine innings with Pittsburgh.

After a stint as a minor-league pitching instructor, Veale resided near the Rickwood ballpark in Birmingham “and often just shows up to help take care of the field,” the Birmingham Post-Herald reported.

Posted in Games, Pitchers | 13 Comments »

Why Yadier Molina thought he was headed to Reds

January 15, 2025 by retrosimba

If the Reds had heeded the advice of Johnny Bench, Yadier Molina would have been their catcher.

A few days before the June 2000 baseball draft, the Reds brought Molina, 17, from his home in Puerto Rico to work out with other potential picks at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.

Among those observing the workouts for the club were two of the game’s most accomplished former catchers _ Hall of Famer Johnny Bench and Bob Boone, a special assistant to Reds general manager Jim Bowden.

From 1968 to 1979, Bench and Boone were the only National League catchers to earn Gold Glove awards. Bench got the honor in 10 consecutive years (1968-77). Boone was the recipient in 1978 and 1979. Boone also won five American League Gold Glove awards for catching (1982 and 1986-89).

The prospect Bench and Boone watched that day in Cincinnati would become their equal, earning nine National League Gold Glove honors as a catcher _ for the Cardinals, not the Reds.

Cincinnati kid

As a teen in Puerto Rico, Molina played in top amateur leagues as well as on the high school team and took pride in finding ways to outsmart opponents. “That’s part of my game _ pay attention to the little details and try to take advantage,” he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Molina also benefitted from having a baseball family. His father, Benjamin, was a renowned youth coach. Two brothers, Bengie with the Angels and Jose with the Cubs, reached the majors as catchers.

Based on his performance at the workout in Cincinnati, Molina seemed headed for the Reds. In an interview with Stan McNeal for the 2019 Cardinals Yearbook, Molina recalled how pleased he was in Cincinnati to be timed throwing from home plate to second base in 1.7 seconds.

“I was like, ‘Oh, man, Cincinnati is going to draft me,’ ” Molina said to McNeal. “I started reading books about Cincinnati when I got home.”

Hawaiian punch

Instead of Molina, the catcher the Reds drafted, in the second round, was Dane Sardinha, 21, a Pepperdine University junior from Hawaii.

Recalling his reaction, Molina told Cardinals Yearbook, “I was like, yeah, Cincinnati is going to pay.”

Jim Bowden and Reds scouting director De Jon Watson were convinced Sardinha was nearly ready for the majors. Bowden told The Cincinnati Post he rated Sardinha as one of the top 15 players available in the draft. “Sardinha is the best catcher drafted since Charles Johnson (by the Marlins in 1992),” Bowden said.

Bob Boone told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, “Sardinha can catch and throw in the big leagues right now. He is as advanced defensively as an catcher I’ve seen in the three years I’ve been here (with Cincinnati).”

Apparently, one who disagreed with the choice was Johnny Bench. Though asked for his advice, Bench didn’t have a front office role. Molina said to Cardinals Yearbook, “Johnny Bench told me, ‘I told them to draft you, but they never listen to me.’ “

Risky business

Nine catchers were drafted before the Cardinals selected Molina in the fourth round. Catchers chosen ahead of Molina were:

_ First round: Scott Heard (Rangers), Dave Parrish (Yankees).

_ Second round: Mike Tonis (Royals), Sardinha (Reds), Jared Abruzzo (Angels).

_ Third round: Scott Walter (Royals), Omar Falcon (Padres), Tommy Arko (Orioles), Sean Swedlow (Indians).

Only two of those nine _ Tonis and Sardinha _ reached the majors. Tonis played in two games for the Royals. Sardinha played in two games for the Reds, then was a backup for the Tigers and Phillies. In 59 games in the majors, Sardinha hit .166.

The Cardinals chose four players _ outfielder Shaun Boyd, pitchers Blake Williams and Chris Narveson, and shortstop Chase Voshell _ before drafting Molina. Of those four, only Narveson reached the majors. He never won a game for the Cardinals and spent most of his career with the Brewers.

Molina was the 113th player taken overall in the draft. “With catching particularly weak in the Cardinals’ farm system,” the Post-Dispatch noted, Molina was one of three catchers chosen by the club in the first 12 rounds. The others were Dan Moylan and Rodney Friar. John Mozeliak, then the Cardinals’ scouting director, said of Molina to reporter Stu Durando, “With his arm and catching ability, he’s fairly well-advanced.”

Wise investment

Three months after being drafted, Molina and the Cardinals hadn’t come to terms. As Mozeliak recalled to MLB.com, a Cardinals scout, Steve Turco, called him and said, “What’s the issue here? … Give him anything he wants.”

Molina signed for $325,000 and reported to the Cardinals in 2001. Under the guidance of minor-league catching instructor Dave Ricketts _ “My angel,” Molina told the Post-Dispatch _ he developed rapidly while playing for Johnson City (Tenn.) of the Appalachian League.

In August 2001, Mike Eisenbath of the Post-Dispatch wrote, “Keep an eye on Yadier Molina … His defensive work behind the plate has drawn raves. Pitchers rarely shake him off, and he has been adept at blocking balls in the dirt and throwing out runners.”

According to USA Today, when Cardinals starting catcher Mike Matheny saw Molina in the club’s major-league camp at spring training for the first time, he went home and told his wife, “I just saw the kid who (is) going to eventually take my job.”

Molina debuted with the Cardinals in June 2004 as a backup to Matheny. He hit .313 against the Reds that year and played in the World Series. When Matheny departed to the Giants, Molina became the Cardinals’ everyday catcher in 2005. He switched from uniform No. 41 to No. 4 the following year.

Generational talent

Molina made good on his promise to make the Reds pay for not drafting him. He totaled more home runs (28) and more RBI (127) against the Reds than he did versus any other club.

During Molina’s 19 seasons, the Cardinals won four National League pennants and two World Series titles. The Reds won none during that time and some of their fans took out their frustrations on him.

As Stan McNeal of Cardinals Yearbook put it, “No city in baseball has been less welcoming to Yadier Molina than Cincinnati, where No. 4 is Public Enemy No. 1.”

In remarks to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips said of the Cardinals in 2010, “All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them. They’re little bitches … I really hate the Cardinals.”

The next night, when he stepped into the batter’s box, Phillips used his bat to tap Molina’s shin guards. Molina responded angrily, both benches emptied and the fight carried to the backstop.

Five years later, when Molina arrived at Cincinnati for the 2015 All-Star Game, he was assigned a locker in the Reds’ clubhouse used by Phillips. According to the Associated Press, Molina laughed and said, “It’s funny. You think they did that on purpose? I don’t mind. He’s a great ballplayer.”

When the Cincinnati crowd booed Molina during player introductions before the game, he laughed, turned his back and pointed with his thumbs to the name on his jersey. Video

In April 2018, while playing in Cincinnati, Molina moved ahead of Johnny Bench for career innings caught.

From 2004 to 2022, the time Molina played for the Cardinals, the Reds went through an array of starting catchers: Jason LaRue, David Ross, Paul Bako, Ryan Hanigan, Ramon Hernandez, Devin Mesoraco, Brayan Pena, Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson. The best of the bunch was Barnhart, who won two National League Gold Glove awards (2017 and 2020).

Barnhart told Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch in 2018, “I look up to Yadi. He’s a guy that I try to pattern every single part of my game after. I respect the hell out of him … As a catcher, that’s the poster guy that we look for.”

Mike Matheny said his generation spoke about Johnny Bench the way Barnhart spoke about Molina, Goold reported.

Two decades after Bench first saw Molina in that workout at Cincinnati, the torch _ one with a gold glove clutching it _ had been passed.

In assessing Molina, Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons said to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “He’s defensively the best catcher I’ve ever seen … He’s as good a catcher as anyone who played the game … I can’t imagine anyone being more valuable to a team. He had the intellect of an engineer. He was the perfect extension of a manager’s intent … It was like having a Tony La Russa on the field the way he handled everything.”

Posted in Hitters, Prospects | 13 Comments »

Cardinals hoped for hefty homer total from Steve Bilko

January 10, 2025 by retrosimba

Emerging from the coal country of northeastern Pennsylvania, Steve Bilko was something of a mythical baseball figure, a teen slugger as strong and dense as the anthracite mined in the region.

From the moment the Cardinals signed him, in 1945, Bilko intrigued with his power. He was big _ 6-foot-1 and, as the St. Louis Star-Times noted, “230 pounds of man” _ with thick legs and trunk.

A right-handed batter, he drilled line drives that jetted over fences like lasers. According to the Star-Times, a minor-league opponent said, “Someday a pitcher is going to throw one wrong to that guy _ low and outside _ and all they’re going to find on the (mound) are a glove and a pair of shoes.”

Before he played a game for the Cardinals, Bilko was being compared with the likes of Jimmie Foxx and Johnny Mize.

Cardinals calling

When Bilko was 16 in 1945, he was known in his hometown of Nanticoke, Pa., for his athletic feats. 

Cardinals pitcher Johnny Grodzicki also hailed from Nanticoke. After his debut with St. Louis in 1941, Grodzicki spent four years in the Army during World War II. He became a paratrooper and was dropped behind enemy lines into Germany in March 1945. Advancing on the town of Munster, an exploding shell sent shrapnel slicing into Grodzicki’s right hip and lower right leg, badly damaging the sciatic nerve. After surgery, he was sent home to recuperate.

Like nearly everyone from Nanticoke, Grodzicki was impressed with Bilko’s power. Grodzicki called Cardinals owner Sam Breadon and told him about the phenom, according to the Winston-Salem Sentinel. The Cardinals sent scout Benny Borgmann to take a look.

At a sandlot game in Nanticoke’s Honey Pot neighborhood (named for the large number of wild bees that once swarmed there), Borgmann, perched on a coal pile, watched Bilko blast a pitch about 400 feet, according to the Associated Press.

Borgmann arranged for Bilko to work out with the Cardinals’ affiliate in Allentown, Pa. Impressed, the Cardinals signed the 16-year-old in August 1945. Bilko made his pro debut on the final day of Allentown’s season, stroking a run-scoring single in his only plate appearance.

Creating a buzz

After a big season in 1947 for Winston-Salem (120 RBI, 109 runs scored), Bilko, a first baseman, flopped at Class AAA Rochester the next year. Given another chance with Rochester in 1949, Bilko became manager Johnny Keane’s project. At spring training, Keane “spent hours, day after day, pitching in batting practice” to him, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In his first at-bat of the season, Bilko belted a grand slam, prompting Keane to dance a jig in the coaching box, the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle reported. With renewed confidence, Bilko walloped 34 homers, drove in 125 runs and scored 101.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Tigers scout Lena Blackburne called Bilko, 20, “a right-handed Johnny Mize.” Keane said his pupil has “more power than Jimmie Foxx.” Cardinals scout Joe Mathes told the newspaper, “He can hit a ball as far as anyone who ever played … He’ll hit them over any fence. His drive takes off like a good golfer’s tee shot.”

The Cardinals, in a pennant chase with Brooklyn, called up Bilko in late September 1949. In 22 plate appearances, he produced five hits and five walks. All signs pointed to him being the St. Louis first baseman in 1950.

Home cooking

After surgery to remove varicose veins, Bilko got married in January 1950. According to the Associated Press, “The couple ate regularly with the in-laws. Plenty of good, solid Polish food. The buttons started popping off his shirts.” Bilko told the wire service, “I didn’t want to hurt my mother-in-law’s feelings.”

A week before 1950 training camp opened, Cardinals owner Fred Saigh checked in with his prized slugger. “Bilko told me over the phone he was about six pounds overweight,” Saigh said to the Star-Times. “Well, I found out he had been estimating his weight. He never had been on a scale.”

“A walking ad for his mother-in-law’s cooking,” Bilko came to camp at 263 pounds, the Associated Press reported.

The Cardinals restricted his meals and went to work on his conditioning. “We had to get 30 pounds off him,” coach Terry Moore told the Rochester newspaper. “So we ran him ragged.”

For two weeks, Bilko wore a rubber pullover during workouts in the Florida sun. “Ounce by ounce, the fat drips off his frame,” the Associated Press reported.

Stan Musial said to the Rochester newspaper, “He’s melted off a lot of weight in a short time, and that bat feels to him as though it were made of lead.”

As Bilko recalled to the Los Angeles Mirror, “I starved 40 pounds off in six weeks and felt terrible.”

Bilko began the season with St. Louis, batted .182 with no homers in 10 games and was sent to the minors in May.

Polish power

Just as they’d done in 1950, the Cardinals put Bilko on their Opening Day rosters in 1951 and 1952, then sent him to the minors in May both years. The 1952 demotion came after he fractured an arm when he tripped going to the dugout.

A better break came in 1953. After a winter spent driving a 10-ton truck in Nanticoke, Bilko, 24, was one of three rookies who won starting jobs with the 1953 Cardinals. The trio of Bilko at first base, Ray Jablonski at third and Rip Repulski in center was dubbed the Polish Falcons.

(Cardinals left fielder Stan Musial and manager Eddie Stanky, born Edward Raymond Stankiewicz, also were of Polish descent.)

In the book “We Played the Game,” another 1953 Cardinals rookie, 18-year-old shortstop Dick Schofield, said, “You could look in some drinking spots and you’d find half the team in there. We had guys who could drink beer, like Steve Bilko, Rip Repulski and Ray Jablonski … We called Bilko ‘Humpty Bumpty.’ He was a big, strong, beer-guzzling guy who looked mean but was a very easygoing, nice man.”

Bilko was mean only to some National League pitchers. He had four games with four RBI for the 1953 Cardinals and totaled 84 RBI for the season. He also socked 21 home runs, but struck out the most (125) of any batter in the majors. In a game against the Reds, Bilko fanned five times. The next day, he bashed two doubles in one inning versus the Braves. Boxscore and Boxscore

Moving on

Rookie Tom Alston won the first base job in 1954, becoming the Cardinals’ first black player. After Bilko was sent to the Cubs at the end of April, Bob Burnes wrote in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, “Bilko was not the type of ballplayer with which the Cardinals are trying to rebuild … Stanky wants a running ballclub, a team of players quick to react to situations and take advantage of them.”

The Cubs, who had sluggers Ernie Banks, Ralph Kiner and Hank Sauer, acquired Bilko primarily as a pinch-hitter.

In the book “We Played the Game,” Cubs pitcher Johnny Klippstein said of Bilko, “I roomed with him for a while, and no matter when he would come into the room, he would be carrying a six-pack. He was a great guy. He was very serious when he was playing, but away from the park he was completely different.”

(Bilko and Rip Repulski bought a cocktail lounge on East Grand Avenue in St. Louis in November 1954.)

As it turned out, joining the Cubs was good fortune for Bilko, because it eventually landed him with their affiliate, the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League, and that’s where he became as famous as a Hollywood movie star.

La la land

In his three seasons with the Pacific Coast League Angels, Bilko was the Los Angeles version of Babe Ruth, or, at least, Tony Lazzeri. Bilko’s numbers: 37 homers, 124 RBI in 1955; 55 homers, 164 RBI in 1956; 56 homers, 140 RBI in 1957. The city of Angels was sky-high with excitement as Bilko pursued the league record of 60 homers hit by Lazzeri with the 1925 Salt Lake City Bees.

“When Bilko steps to the plate, an electric current of anticipation runs through the crowd,” Sid Ziff of the Los Angeles Mirror noted.

Angels manager Bob Scheffing told the newspaper in August 1956, “More people in L.A. today know of Bilko than Marilyn Monroe.”

Bilko became the first to belt 50 or more homers in consecutive seasons in the Pacific Coast League. “He has as much power as any of the home run hitters,” seven-time National League home run champion Ralph Kiner told the Los Angeles Mirror. “That goes for Mickey Mantle, Ted Kluszewski and Duke Snider.”

(From 1955-59, a TV comedy series, “The Phil Silvers Show,” on CBS featured Silvers as Sgt. Ernest Bilko. Silvers and Steve Bilko met and autographed baseballs for one another. A 1996 movie, “Sgt. Bilko,” starred Steve Martin as the title character.)

Impressing Ike

Bilko got back to the majors with the Reds in 1958. In June, they traded him to the Dodgers, who were playing their first season in Los Angeles after relocating from Brooklyn. The Dodgers gave up Don Newcombe for Bilko, a deal Sports Illustrated predicted “will be good for the fans although not good for the team.”

After a stint with the 1960 Tigers, Bilko was selected by the Los Angeles Angels, who joined the American League as an expansion team in 1961.

At spring training in Palm Springs, Calif., the 1961 Angels were visited by Dwight Eisenhower, who recently completed his second term as U.S. president. According to the Los Angeles Mirror, when Angels manager Bill Rigney introduced the club’s hulking first basemen, Bilko and Ted Kluszewski, Eisenhower said, “They’d make a couple of good bodyguards.”

Eisenhower also suggested to Rigney, “I’d never have them bunt.”

Eisenhower autographed a baseball glove for Bilko.

Bilko fit in well with the expansion Angels, a team with characters such as Rocky Bridges, Ryne Duren, Art Fowler and Leon Wagner.

In the book “We Played the Game,” Angels second baseman Billy Moran recalled how at spring training, “Bilko would go in the bathroom and turn on the hot water to steam up the place. Then he’d climb into the bathtub with a case of beer right beside him. He’d sweat and drink the case of beer. That was his routine for getting into shape. We’d laugh at him all the time, but he was one of my favorite people, a big, easygoing guy with no temper.”

Bilko, 32, slugged 20 home runs in a mere 294 at-bats for the 1961 Angels. He came back with them in 1962, his last season in the majors.

After his playing days, Bilko returned home to Pennsylvania and worked for Dana Classic Fragrances, makers of Chantilly perfume for women and English Leather cologne for men. (In its TV ads for the cologne, a woman purred, “All my men wear English Leather, or they wear nothing at all.”) A packaging inspector in the receiving department, Bilko was a member of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union.

 

Posted in Games, Hitters, Prospects | 11 Comments »

Pen pal: How Gary Sutherland bid farewell to Cardinals

January 6, 2025 by retrosimba

A short stint with the Cardinals was the end of the line in the playing career of Gary Sutherland. Afterward, he dropped them a line in gratitude.

A utilityman whose best position was second base, Sutherland played 13 seasons in the majors with the Phillies (1966-68), Expos (1969-71), Astros (1972-73), Tigers (1974-76) and Padres (1977) before finishing with the 1978 Cardinals.

He appeared in 10 games for the Cardinals, a team on its way to 93 losses. Cut from the roster in May, Sutherland, 33, sent the team a letter. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it read:

“Dear Cards:

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to say goodbye to all of you and that I wasn’t able to contribute much to the ballclub other than keeping the smokers stocked in cigarettes, and having an unblemished record as a prosecuting attorney (in clubhouse mock court hearings).

“My career has been a very good one for me and I have no regrets whatsoever other than having to leave so many friends. Everyone’s playing days must end some day and it seems my time has come …

“I want to wish everyone the best of luck. There’s still a long way to go and I know you’re capable of making it to the top this year. How can you miss? If I can’t make the team, as great as I am, you’ve got to be the best.”

Sutherland went on to become a scout for the Dodgers and Angels, then moved into the Angels’ front office. He was 80 when he died on Dec. 16, 2024.

Baseball bloodlines

Gary Sutherland was raised in Glendale, Calif., by a father (Ralph) who pitched in the Cardinals’ system and was 15-3 for Newport, Ark., in 1936, and a mother who was a catcher for a semipro softball team in Culver City, Calif. Dad pitched batting practice to Gary and his brothers and mom caught their throws in the backyard. Gary’s older brother, Darrell, pitched in the majors for the Mets and Indians.

A second baseman at University of Southern California, Gary Sutherland was chosen for the U.S. team that went to the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Baseball then was a demonstration sport, not in medal competition.

The Phillies signed Sutherland, 20, in November 1964. Minor-league teammates dubbed him Casper, as in the cartoon ghost, because of his pale complexion. (Sutherland later was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.)

After reaching the majors in September 1966, Sutherland stuck with the Phillies as a utility player the next two seasons. He appeared at second base, shortstop, third base, left field, right field, and went to the Florida Instructional League to learn catching in case he was needed in an emergency.

A right-handed contact hitter _ “The name of his game is ping, not power,” Bill Conlin noted in the Philadelphia Daily News _ Sutherland stung the Cardinals a couple of times in 1968.

With the Cardinals ahead, 3-2, at Philadelphia, the Phillies had two on, two outs, in the ninth when Sutherland batted against rookie reliever Hal Gilson. Left fielder Lou Brock shifted toward left-center because, as manager Red Schoendienst told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sutherland “never pulls the ball.”

Gilson threw a slider down and in _ “Always a tough pitch for me to handle,” Sutherland told the Daily News. To nearly everyone’s surprise, he drove it toward the corner in deep left. Brock made a long run and leaped. The ball barely went over his glove for a double. Both runners scored, giving the Phillies a 4-3 walkoff win. “He probably won’t pull the ball to the left field corner the rest of the year,” Schoendienst moaned to the Post-Dispatch. Boxscore

Four months later at St. Louis, Ray Washburn started for the Cardinals in his first appearance since pitching a no-hitter. With the score tied at 1-1 in the ninth, the Phillies had a runner on third, two outs, when Washburn intentionally walked former teammate Bill White to pitch to Sutherland. Swinging at a slow curve, Sutherland lashed a double to center, driving in the winning run. Boxscore

Original Expo

The Expos selected Sutherland in the October 1968 National League expansion draft. Gene Mauch, Sutherland’s first big-league manager, was with Montreal. Expos scout Eddie Lopat, who watched Sutherland hit .339 for the Phillies in September 1968, told the Montreal Star, “He’s the best utilityman I saw in the National League.”

Sutherland became the Expos’ starting second baseman. Mauch stuck with him even after Sutherland went hitless in his first 22 at-bats.

On June 8, 1969, Sutherland helped the Expos end a 20-game losing streak. Ahead 2-0 on a Rusty Staub home run, the Expos had runners on the corners, one out, in the fourth against the Dodgers’ Bill Singer when Sutherland perfectly executed a suicide squeeze bunt, scoring Mack Jones from third. The Expos won, 4-3. Boxscore

Sutherland finished the 1969 season with 130 hits (third-most on the club) and 26 doubles. Platooned with Marv Staehle in 1970, Sutherland slumped to .206, then reverted to a reserve role in 1971 after the Expos acquired Ron Hunt.

Traded to the Astros in 1972, Sutherland spent most of that season and the next in the minors.

Tiger tale

Getting demoted “was quite a shock,” Sutherland said to the Detroit Free Press, but a silver lining was he got to play regularly and that helped improve his hitting. He batted .299 for Oklahoma City in 1972 and .294 for Denver in 1973.

The Tigers acquired Sutherland to be their second baseman in 1974. “I’m not going to be outstanding in anything because I’m limited in so many ways,” Sutherland cautioned the Free Press. “I don’t have enough power to hit a lot of home runs and I don’t run well enough to be a .300 hitter.”

He did enough to stay in the lineup. Adept at turning the double play “about as well as any second baseman in the business,” according to the Montreal Star, Sutherland also contributed at the plate for the Tigers. In 1974, he had career highs in hits (157), RBI (49) and total bases (194). With the 1975 Tigers, Sutherland combined 130 hits with a career-best 45 walks.

Though he ended up with just 24 home runs in the majors, Sutherland had some surprising swats. He slugged homers in consecutive seasons versus the Cardinals’ Steve Carlton at Montreal. Boxscore and Boxscore

With the Tigers, facing Catfish Hunter for the first time, Sutherland hit two homers in a game at Oakland. A disgusted Hunter told the San Francisco Examiner, “Both pitches in the same spot, fastball up, slider up, both landed in the same spot.” Sutherland, a good sport, said to the newspaper, “I’m sure the wind helped them out.” Boxscore

The Tigers dealt Sutherland to the Brewers in June 1976. Released after the season, he joined the 1977 Padres and hit .316 for them as a pinch-hitter.

Good connections

Hoping to keep playing after getting released by the Padres in December 1977, Sutherland called Buzzie Bavasi of the Angels and asked for a roster spot. Bavasi said he didn’t have an opening. Soon after, in a talk with St. Louis general manager Bing Devine, Bavasi learned the Cardinals were seeking a backup infielder. Bavasi suggested Sutherland.

The Cardinals signed Sutherland to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training as a non-roster player. Sutherland beat out Ken Oberkfell for one of the two reserve infield spots. The other went to Mike Phillips.

The 1978 Cardinals, though, were a mess. Manager Vern Rapp was fired in April, Ken Boyer replaced him and Sutherland no longer fit the plans. In eight plate appearances for the Cardinals, he produced one hit and two sacrifice bunts.

Just before getting released, Sutherland made an important contribution to the Cardinals. Bing Devine was considering a trade for Padres outfielder George Hendrick. Devine asked Sutherland for an opinion of his former Padres teammate. As Devine recalled to the Post-Dispatch, Sutherland “told me he never knew of a player who had a better relationship with his teammates than Hendrick did with the Padres.”

Devine made the deal and Hendrick helped the Cardinals become World Series champions in 1982.

The ability to assess talent helped Sutherland become a Dodgers scout and coordinator of their professional scouting department. Then the Angels hired him for the same roles.

Sutherland “was a significant influence” in the Angels’ decision to hire manager Mike Scioscia, the Los Angeles Times reported. Scioscia led the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002.

Sutherland became special assistant to Angels general manager Bill Stoneman. Sutherland and Stoneman had been Expos teammates. According to the Times, Sutherland rose to No. 2 on the Angels’ baseball operations staff.

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents | 11 Comments »

How Satchel Paige helped Browns become kings for a day

January 2, 2025 by retrosimba

For the 1953 St. Louis Browns, a downtrodden group accustomed to having the odds stacked against them, the numbers 14 and 18 added up to one in a million as they arrived in New York to play the Yankees.

Fourteen was the number of consecutive losses the Browns had suffered. Eighteen was how many the Yankees had won in a row. Recalling the team’s mindset entering the four-game series at home with the Browns, Mickey Mantle told “Voices From Cooperstown” author Anthony J. Connor, “We figured there’s at least four more wins.”

What the Yankees didn’t factor, though, was another number: 47. The oldest player in the majors, Browns pitcher Satchel Paige, turned 47 in 1953. At least that was his listed age. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested, Paige “is believed to be older than the American League,” which was formed in 1901.

Paige’s favorite number was zero. Those were the number of runs he allowed in securing the victory that ended the Browns’ skid and snapped the Yankees’ winning streak.

Together again

The story of Leroy “Satchel” Paige’s stint with St. Louis begins in July 1951. That was when Bill Veeck bought the Browns from Bill DeWitt Sr. and his brother, Charlie. A few days after Veeck closed the deal, he watched a dreary doubleheader in which Browns pitchers issued 15 walks to Philadelphia Athletics batters, losing both games. Boxscore and Boxscore

That’s when Veeck reached out to Paige, who was pitching for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro American League, and brought him back to the majors. “One thing about Satch is that he can get the ball over (the plate),” Veeck told the Post-Dispatch.

As owner of the Cleveland Indians, Veeck gave Paige his first shot at the big leagues, signing him in July 1948. Paige rewarded him, posting a 6-1 record and helping the Indians become World Series champions that year. After the following season, in 1949, Veeck sold the club and Paige was released by the new regime.

Senior league

Paige began pitching in baseball’s Negro League in 1927. He signed with the Browns on July 14, 1951, a week after he turned 45. Many suspected he was older than that. Even Veeck told the Post-Dispatch, “He’s at least 51.”

Trying to unravel the mystery of how ancient Paige was became baseball’s top parlor game. 

After attempting to determine Paige’s true age, columnist Henry McLemore of the McNaught Syndicate informed readers, “I have come to the conclusion that Satchel was 10th off the Ark, and that while the waters were receding he practiced his curveballs.”

Noting that Paige is “the only baseball player in the world whose birthdays run backward instead of forward,” the Post-Dispatch concluded, “While Satch may be 50, his arm is only 25.”

After joining the 1951 Browns, Paige was invited to attend a gathering of 700 scientists that summer at the International Gerontological Congress at the Hotel Jefferson in St. Louis. Paige was a guest of the group’s president, Dr. E.V. Cowdry, professor of anatomy at Washington University school of medicine.

The “purpose of the congress is the discussion of aging, a subject close to Satch’s heart,” the Post-Dispatch reported. “Satch told the scientists he is still going strong because he works every day in the summer, hunts every day in the winter, eats lots of seafood, shuns beer, whiskey, chicken livers and lamb, and likes to sleep.” He added, “When I smoke, I don’t inhale _ just blow it out my nose.”

Mound magician

After making two starts for the 1951 Browns, Paige was moved to the bullpen, a role that better suited a pitcher of his advanced years. In 20 relief appearances, he totaled three wins and six saves using what the New York Times described as “an amazing assortment of trick deliveries” that included a hesitation pitch. According to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, the pitch got that name because when Paige threw it he went into a “big windup, stepped forward and stooped his body, but his arm continued in a wide arc” before he flipped the ball across the plate. “Damndest changeup pitch I ever saw,” Joe DiMaggio told the Times.

In a game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Paige got an 0-and-2 count on Ted Williams. On the next delivery, Paige went into a leisurely windup, and Williams moved forward in the batter’s box, expecting the hesitation pitch or something similar. Instead, Paige zipped a fastball, startling Williams, who swung late and missed for strike three.

Irate, Williams stomped to the dugout and “smashed his bat into pieces,” the Boston Globe reported. “He first whacked it against the railing of the runway leading to the dressing room. When that didn’t suffice, Williams flung the bat toward the rack. He still wasn’t satisfied, so he smashed it on the floor.”

During Ted’s tantrum, Paige was laughing on the mound, according to the Globe. He told the newspaper, “I’ve never seen anything like it in the big leagues. He was sore because I crossed him up.” Boxscore

For his career, Williams batted .222 (2 for 9) versus Paige. Both hits were singles. That was better than Joe DiMaggio did. The Yankee Clipper went hitless (with three strikeouts) in eight at-bats against Paige.

[In his induction speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, Williams said, “I hope Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson somehow will be inducted here as symbols of the great Negro (League) players who are not here because they were not given a chance.”]

Winners and losers

In 1952, Paige had 12 wins, 10 saves and a 3.07 ERA for the Browns. His last season with them was 1953.

The 1953 Browns lost nine in a row in May. Then came the 14-game skid in June. All 14 losses came at home. The Browns took a 19-38 record into the June 16 series opener against the Yankees at New York. Winners of 18 in a row, the Yankees were 41-11. Furthermore, their starting pitcher for the first game was Whitey Ford, who, in two seasons with them, was 16-0 as a starter.

A former Yankee, Duane Pillette, was matched against Ford that night. Pillette’s ERA for the season was 5.73.

What should have been a mismatch turned out to be a competitive contest. The Browns scored three runs against Ford, who was lifted after five innings. Pillette limited the Yankees to one run through seven.

In the eighth, after Billy Martin singled with one out, Pillette went to a 2-and-0 count on Joe Collins. Browns manager Marty Marion opted to lift Pillette for Paige.

(Perhaps looking to change the Browns’ luck, Marion, the former Cardinals shortstop, put himself in the starting lineup that night for the only time in 1953. Furthermore, he played third base for the first time in his career.)

Paige ambled from the bullpen to the mound. It took him about 10 minutes to stroll out there, according to the New York Daily News. As the Globe-Democrat noted, “His pants cuff was dragging but there was nothing wrong with the elastic in his arm.”

His first pitch to Collins was out of the strike zone, making the count 3-and-0. Then he retired him on a soft fly. After falling behind 3-and-0 to Irv Noren, Paige got him to pop out to the catcher.

With the Browns still holding a 3-1 lead, Mickey Mantle led off the bottom of the ninth against Paige. With two strikes, Mantle decided to try for a bunt single. In the book “Voices From Cooperstown,” Mantle said a bunt made sense to him because Paige “couldn’t hardly get off the mound.”

“I knew that if I could poke it past him I could beat him to first base,” Mantle said to the New York Times.

Instead, Mantle fouled the ball back to the screen on the bunt attempt, striking out. (More than a decade later, according to the Times, Mantle’s decision to bunt still rankled Whitey Ford. “That was a really stupid play,” Ford told Mantle. “I was so mad at you.” Mantle replied, “I still say it’s not necessarily such a bad play.”)

Paige retired Yogi Berra for the second out, but Gene Woodling singled, bringing Gil McDougald to the plate. Paige fell behind in the count, then got McDougald to pop up in foul territory, but catcher Les Moss dropped the ball.

McDougald fouled off two more pitches. As the Globe-Democrat noted, Paige “got the last bit of good theatre and ham out of the situation.”

With the count 3-and-2, McDougald popped up again _ this time in fair territory, near the mound. Marty Marion, who hadn’t made a play all night, rushed over from his spot near third base and caught the ball for the final out.

In the jubilant clubhouse, Satchel Paige said to the Associated Press, “Man, there’s no team I like to beat better than them Yankees.” Boxscore

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | 11 Comments »

Rickey Henderson, Willie McGee flipped ignition switch

December 27, 2024 by retrosimba

Imagine having the American League batting champion and the National League batting champion from the same season at the top of the order. The 1990 Oakland Athletics came close to having that happen.

Manager Tony La Russa put Rickey Henderson in the leadoff spot and Willie McGee in the No. 2 position during the last weeks of the 1990 season and then into the playoffs and World Series.

After leading most of the way, Henderson finished a close second to the Royals’ George Brett in the 1990 AL batting race. (His consolation prize, if you will, was the AL Most Valuable Player Award.) McGee, who played for the Cardinals before being dealt to Oakland near the end of August, won the 1990 NL batting title.

The combination of Henderson and McGee as table setters, followed by bashers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, might make a pitcher reconsider his vocation.

Athletic ability

At Oakland Tech High School, Henderson excelled in multiple sports and the one he liked best was football. He recalled to the San Francisco Examiner, “That was my game, football … I wanted to play for the (Oakland) Raiders.”

His mother, though, preferred he pursue baseball. So, Henderson turned down a football scholarship offer from Arizona State and signed with the Athletics when they drafted him at 17 in 1976.

During his first stint with the Athletics (1979-84), Henderson achieved 130 stolen bases in 1982, breaking the record of 118 held by the Cardinals’ Lou Brock. Traded to the Yankees in December 1984, Henderson was reacquired by the Athletics in June 1989 and helped them become World Series champions.

Doing it all

In 1990, as the Sacramento Bee described it, Henderson, “flamboyantly acting as if he were the leading man in a Broadway show,” deployed all his considerable skills. He led the league in on-base percentage (.439), runs scored (119) and stolen bases (65), and placed second to Cecil Fielder in slugging (.577).

“There’s nobody in our league doing more than (Henderson),” Tony La Russa said to the Bee.

Athletics pitcher Scott Sanderson told the newspaper, “When Rickey is determined to dominate a game, he can do it.”

Henderson hit .330 or better each month from April through July in 1990. He entered August at .340 for the season.

When Athletics center fielder Dave Henderson (no relation to Rickey) suffered a knee injury in August, general manager Sandy Alderson acquired Willie McGee to fill in for the injured outfielder. Winner of the 1985 National League MVP Award, McGee hit .335 for the 1990 Cardinals. On Aug, 29, the day Oakland obtained McGee, Rickey Henderson led the American League at .323.

McGee was from the Bay Area and still resided there. The Cardinals opted to trade him (for Felix Jose, Stan Royer and Daryl Green) rather than lose him to free agency after the season.

“McGee batting behind Henderson gives the A’s incredible speed at the top of the lineup,” Oakland Tribune columnist Dave Newhouse wrote.

Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt told the Examiner, “With Rickey Henderson leading off and Willie McGee batting second, that’s a great lineup.”

Dynamic duo

Though it took McGee a while to adjust to being with a different team _ “Every day I expect red (uniforms), and it’s green,” he told the Sacramento Bee _ he and Henderson teamed up for several strong performances.

On Sept. 3, for instance, at Boston’s Fenway Park, Henderson led off the game with a single, McGee followed with another single and the rattled rookie, Dana Kiecker, threw a wild pitch. The Athletics went on to score five runs in the inning and won, 9-5. Henderson and McGee combined for four hits, two walks, two steals, three runs and three RBI.

Red Sox designated hitter Mike Marshall, who played for the Dodgers against the Athletics in the 1988 World Series, told the Boston Globe, “They’re a strong team, mostly because now they’ve got that leadoff threat. They’ve got Rickey and now they’ve got McGee. He’s almost just as bad (to defend against).” Boxscore

Later that week, at Yankee Stadium, “Henderson lit the fuse and McGee kept it burning,” the Oakland Tribune reported.

With the Yankees ahead 2-1, Henderson led off the eighth with a home run into the third deck in left against Mike Witt, tying the score. McGee then lined a single to right and, when Jesse Barfield juggled the ball, Willie dashed to second. Irritated, Witt threw a wild pitch, enabling McGee to reach third. Then came another wild toss, and McGee scored the winning run.

As the Sacramento Bee noted, “Each time, the moment the ball trickled away, McGee took off. Seriously quick instincts.”

Tony La Russa told Newsday, “He’s got real explosion, plus he’s got guts. Often the guts factor is underestimated with baserunning. Willie has more guts than most.” Boxscore

The next day, with the score tied 3-3 in the ninth, the Athletics had one on, two outs, when Henderson worked a walk against the Yankees’ Greg Cadaret. McGee was next. After falling behind in the count, he fouled off five two-strike pitches before sending a drive to right. Mel Hall said he thought the ball would come directly to him, but it carried and sliced toward the corner.

“Hall pirouetted in the outfield before falling face-first onto the warning track,” the New York Daily News reported. The ball landed there, too, and bounced against the wall. Both runners scored and McGee streaked to third with a triple. The Athletics won, 7-3.

“An at-bat doesn’t get any better than that,” La Russa told Newsday’s Joe Donnelly. “Willie’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been involved with. You can see it in the field, on the bases and at the plate.” Boxscore

Hit and run

In mid-September, George Brett, batting .256 through June, overtook Henderson in the race for the 1990 American League batting title.

With a week to go, Brett was at .330 and Henderson at .324. To protect his lead, Brett sat out three of the remaining six games, skipping two tough left-handers, Chuck Finley and Mark Langston, and knuckleballer Tom Candiotti.

Henderson said to the Oakland Tribune, “I respect (Brett), but I really thought he should have played. I guess I feel he did it a little different than I thought a good ballplayer would.”

Brett finished four percentage points ahead of Henderson, becoming at 37 the oldest American League batting champion since Ted Williams (40) in 1958. Brett also became the first player to win batting titles in three decades _ 1976 (.333), 1980 (.390) and 1990 (.329).

(No one ever won an AL batting title while playing for the Oakland Athletics.)

McGee had enough at-bats with the 1990 Cardinals to qualify for the National League batting crown. He won it with a .335 mark, finishing ahead of the Dodgers’ Eddie Murray (.330).

Comings and goings

The Athletics won their third straight American League pennant in 1990, sweeping the Red Sox in the playoffs, but then got swept by the Reds in the World Series.

McGee became a free agent and signed with the Giants, the team he rooted for as a youth. In December 1995, he returned to the Cardinals, who were managed then by Tony La Russa.

Henderson got traded to the Blue Jays in July 1993, returned to the Athletics five months later, left for the Padres in October 1995, returned to the Athletics in January 1998 and left again for the Mets in December 1998.

With the 1999 Mets, Henderson had 13 hits and five walks in 25 plate appearances versus the Cardinals _ a .720 on-base percentage.

He completed his big-league career in 2003 as the all-time leader in runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406).

Posted in Games, Hitters | 9 Comments »

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