Baseball in the 1960's: 2021

Monday, December 27, 2021

Deron Johnson; Well Traveled Slugger

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Tim Nathan of Berkley, MI, who correctly pointed out there were six pitchers who lost at least 10 games on the 1968 Chicago White Sox. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: By answering the TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY you are automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a Starbucks Gift Card. YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN. Don't forget to put your mailing address in with the answer so if you win we can send you the gift card in the mail.

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1965 Deron Johnson led the NL in Sacrifice Fly RBI. How many?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Ten pitchers lost at least 10 games for the 1968 Chicago White Sox.

While his career would start with the storied New York Yankees, he'd make his mark as a Cincinnati Red and finish as a member of the Boston Red Sox, while playing for five other teams in between. Make no mistake about it; Deron Johnson was a slugger extraordinaire.

He would play all three outfield positions, first base and his natural position; third base. He came up with New York in 1960 and was sent to Kansas City along with Art Ditmar for Bud Daley in 1961. Two years later he was sold to the Reds where he had his best seasons, blasting 90 homers in four years. He hit 32 and led the league with 130 RBI in 1965 while batting .287.

By 1967 the Reds sent him on to Atlanta in a four player swap which brought Mack Jones to the Reds. A year later he was sold to the Phillies. In the next four seasons he hit 87 homers including 27 in 1970. In the next three years he was traded three times, sold once, released twice and signed as a Free Agent once. And in all of his travels, the only name player he was swapped for really was Jones, a slugger in his own right.

So why was this really good player who could hit for a respectable average, blast long homers consistently and play good defense, so well traveled?

The 1961 Yankees were loaded so there was little need for developing a player of Johnson's caliber. Kansas City was a mess and who could figure anything Charlie O. Finley did during the 1960s. The Reds knew what they had. However, in 1967 Johnson's power had fallen off to 13 homers and he only hit .224. In addition, Lee May was waiting in the wings and ready. Johnson became very expendable.

Johnson didn't hit in Atlanta and the Braves picked up Orlando Cepeda so moving him on to the Phils was easy. He regained his stroke in Philadelphia and was again back in the power numbers with 17, 27 and 34 home run seasons to follow, with another 20 in the year they shipped him off to Oakland.

His stops in Milwaukee, Boston (twice), and with the White Sox were all career ending moves where he was used as a pinch-hitter and clubhouse experience-guy. At age 36 he did have a final year of power with 19 dingers but called it a career after the next season.

It was just one of those careers where he was in the right place at the wrong time, and for a short period of time at that. His 245 career home runs and 923 RBI were decent numbers for a guy who spent time with so many clubs during 17 years in the big leagues. Among his accomplishments was hitting four consecutive homers over two days against Montreal. He followed his playing career by serving as a coach and in 1992 while coaching the Angels he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died at age 53.

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Sunday, December 19, 2021

Wilbur Wood; He suffered the 1960s

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Roger Smith of Scarborough, Maine, who correctly identified Gerry Arrigo as the pitcher who gave up the first home run ever hit in the National League by Vic Davalillo. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: When Wilbur Wood had his breakout season of 1968 he led the White Sox in wins with 13. How many White Sox pitchers were losers of at least 10 games that season?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Vic Davalillo hit his first National League home run off Reds pitcher, Gerry Arrigo.

The decade of the 1960s must have been a blur for Wilbur Wood, and he must have thought about just hanging it up. Fortunately he didn't because it was after the decade where he became the most remarkable pitcher of his day and not without controversy.

(2013 Interview with Wilbur Wood.)

Wood came up with the Red Sox in 1961 and and after four seasons had still not won a big league game. He was 0-7 including the last two losses with Pittsburgh where he was sent in September, 1964 in a cash deal. By this time he had pitched in 39 games, tossing 104 innings and allowing 116 hits including 10 homers. Most pitchers would have given up by then. Not Wilbur. In a start and his first complete game, Wood pitched a nice game against the Braves but gave up the winning run in the ninth on a bases loaded walk to another Wood, Woody Woodward.

It was 1965 before he won his first game. It wasn't until August 29th Wood would see his name with a "W" next to it in the box score. In the 6th sixth inning and the score tied with Houston 2-2, Bob Friend allowed the first two batters to reach base. Harry Walker, the brash one, called upon the quiet man Wilbur Wood. Wood easily handled three straight hitters, Joe Morgan, Jim Wynn and Rusty Staub with a ground out, an intentional walk and a ground-ball double play.

In the bottom of the inning, Bill Mazeroski led off with a single, Jim Pagliaroni doubled him home and Jerry Lynch pinch-hit for Wood and drew a walk. The Bucs scored one more in the inning and went on to win 4-2. Wood had his first win.

One of the early cuts in spring training, 1966, Wood's wife, Sandra would later say he actually thought about quitting and he may have but she encouraged him to keep at it. With the Columbus Jets of the International League he was tremendous. He was 14-8 with a 2.41 ERA in more than 200 innings. The White Sox noticed him and sent former 19-game winner Juan Pizarro to Pittsburgh for Wood. One of the Bucs all time worst trades. Pizarro would win a total of nine games for the Pirates.

Wood meanwhile realized he needed to do something different, something bold. He'd experimented with a knuckleball while in high school. One of the best knuckleballers of all time was also with the White Sox and Wood approached Hoyt Wilhelm who agreed to help him. It changed Woods life forever. Using the weird pitch in 1967 he had a fine season, 4-2, 2.45. Then using it a lot more he broke out in 1968 the year of the pitcher and was named AL Fireman of the Year. He worked in a Majors leading 88 games, led the league in Games Finished with 46 for a 13-12 record and a 1.87 ERA. This was the start of the new Wilbur Wood.

The following season he closed out the decade strictly in relief again leading the AL with 76 games, 10-11 and a 3.01 ERA. At this point Wood had established himself and his knuckleball as one of the best relievers in the game.

However, as anyone who follows baseball knows it was in the 1970s he became a phenomenon. From 1971-1975 he never started fewer than 42 games in a season. He started 224 games during that time frame, each time either leading the AL or the Majors. He won at least 20 games for four straight years while winning 24 twice. He pitched over 300 innings each season except the last with 291. Twice he led the big leagues with 376 and 359 innings. He started 70 games on two days rest and even started both games of a double header.

He also had the dubious distinction of losing 20 twice during that span including in 1973 when he was 24-20. The latter a rare feat indeed. Wood finished his 17 year career in 1978 when he still pitched 168 innings with a 10-10 record but a 5.20 ERA. He entered Free Agency and when no one came calling he called it quits with a 164-156 record and a much fatter wallet. In 1967 when he came back to the majors he was making $12,000 a season. The year he retired he was making $140,000. Now that's progress.

Monday, December 13, 2021

Vic Davalillo; What Might Have Been

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Craig McGraw of Middleton, DE, who correctly stated Robin Roberts gave up the first home run ever hit in the big leagues by Jim Gentile. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Vic Davalillo hit his first NL home run as a pinch hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in 1969. Who gave up that home run?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Jim Gentile hit his first major league home run off HOFer, Robin Roberts.

Vic Davalillo was one of those players with great promise, who had a long career but a career which was made less productive by an early injury. The fleet Venezuelan came up quickly through the Cleveland ranks and in his rookie 1963 season was on his way to Rookie of the Year honors, batting .304 and leading off for the Indians. Then tragedy struck.

On June 12th, facing the Tigers Hank Aguirre in the first inning, Aguirre plunked Davalillo on the wrist. The wrist was broken. He returned weeks later to finish at .292 but he was never able to hit left-handed pitchers as well again. Especially in the power department. Never a power hitter, of his 36 lifetime home runs 28 were against righties, 8 against lefties.

Perhaps his best season was 1965 when he batted .301 with 26 steals. He'd remain in the upper .280's for much of his career but soon managers began to platoon him because his lack of hitting against lefties became obvious. His defense in center field always kept him in games though.

In 1968 he was sent to the Angels for Jimmie Hall and hit .298 in the year of the pitcher. The AL leader in BA that year was Carl Yastrzemski who hit .301. After suffering a nervous breakdown he would close out the 60s traded to St. Louis. In his first NL at bat he homered and revived his career. It was there he became an extraordinary pinch-hitter and would eventually become a record setter in that department, until it was broken.

Davalillo had his moments of greatness as well as his trying moments. In his 16 seasons in the big leagues he was clutch, getting key hits for the Dodgers in the playoffs and had solid moments in St. Louis and in Pittsburgh, along with a key playoff series with Oakland. He retired at age 40 but went on to play several more seasons in the Mexican League.

Imagine what might have been if not for breaking his wrist as a 23 year old outfielder in Cleveland?

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