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Post by tonyo on Feb 5, 2007 23:15:24 GMT -5
CAMILO PASCUAL: “THE FORGOTTEN STRIKEOUT KING”
One of the best pitchers ever to come out of Cuba is also one of the most underrated hurlers of the 60’s. He was the ace on the staff of a normally second division team. Still in a six-year period from 1959 through 1964 a pitcher named Camilo Pascual put up some very impressive numbers.
Camilo began his major league career in 1954 with the old Washington Senators. By 1959, he had emerged as one of the premier pitchers in the American League. That year he won 17 games and posted a 2.64 E.R.A. He led the league in complete games with 17 and shutouts with 6. He also fanned 185 batters. In 1960 he won 12 games with a 3.03 E.R.A. In 1961, the old Senators moved to Minnesota and although Camilo went 15-16 on the season he led the American League with 8 shutouts and 221 strikeouts. It was the first of three straight seasons leading the American League in the whiff department.
By 1962, the Harmon Killebrew led Minnesota Twins and was beginning to gain respectability. Riding on the arms of Jim Kaat and Pascual the pitching staff began to solidify. Camilo won 20 games that year. He also led the American League in complete games and shutouts as well as strikeouts. In 1963, Pascual won a career high 21 games and again led the circuit with 18 complete games. He also posted a 2.46 E.R.A. In 1964, Camilo won 15 games with a respectable 3.30 E.R.A. while striking out 213.
In 1965, the Twins won the American League pennant but lost to the Dodgers in the World Series. Camilo went 9-3 on the year. In 1967, the Twins send the fading veteran to the 1961 expansion Senators where he won 12 games. He won 13 for Washington in 1968. His career now fading, he spent brief time with the Reds and the Dodgers before finishing in 1971 with Cleveland. In the six year span from 1959-1964, Pascual won 100 games. He had 90 complete games and 26 shutouts while fanning 1,170 batters. That is an average of 16 wins, 15 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 195 strikeouts per season. He won 20 games or more twice. He led the league in complete games, shutouts, and strikeouts three times each. Camilo finished his major league career with 174 wins and 2,167 strikeouts while ending up with a formidable 3.63 lifetime ERA. Hall of Fame numbers? Probably not, but never the less, very respectable.
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Post by tonyo on Feb 4, 2007 16:38:22 GMT -5
BERT CAMPANERIS
Bert Campaneris was one of the premier base stealers in the American League during the 1960's and 70's. Born in Cuba in 1942 he broke in with the Athletics in 1964. In 1965 he topped the 50 stolen base mark with 51. He followed that with 52 in 1966 and 55 in 1967. Bert really turned on the burners in 1968 with 62 swipes. In 1969 Campaneris set a personal high with 69.
Bert dipped to 42 in 1970 and in 1972 he again broke 50 with 52. The last time Bert topped 50 was in 1976 with 54. He was sent to the Rangers in 1977 and in 1979 he went to the Angels. He finished his career in 1983 with the Yankees.
Bert was never known as a power hitter and had single digit home run output in every season but one. That was in 1970 when he " blasted " 22. He ended up with 79 in his career. He never topped the .300 batting average mark but he did hit .290 in 1974. He hit .259 over the course of his career. He drove in 646 but he stole 649 bases during his major league career. He was caught 199 times giving him a .765 success rate.
In 1965 Bert even pitched one inning in a game. He struck out one, walked two, gave up a hit and an earned run giving him a 9.00 ERA.
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Post by tonyo on Feb 8, 2007 23:28:22 GMT -5
Lew Burdette who was the MVP of the 1957 World Series when the Milwaukee Braves defeated the powerful New York Yankees passed away February 6th a victim of lung cancer. He was eighty years old. The 1957 World Championship was the only one the Braves ever won in Milwaukee.
Ironically Lew broke in with the Yanks in 1950. He went to the Braves in 1951. In 1953 he went 15-5. He won 15 again in 1954 and 13 in 1955. In 1956 he went 19-10 with a 2.76 ERA. In the championship year he went 17-9. In 1958 and 1959 he won 20 and 21 games respectively.
He continued his winning ways through 1960 when he won 19 and in 1961 he logged 18 victories. His win total dropped to 10 in 1962. He started 1963 with the Braves but then went to the Cardinals. He began 1964 with the Cards but then went to the Cubs. Lew opened 1965 with the Cubs but ended the season with the Phillies.
In 1966 and 1967 he played with the Angels. He retired after 18 seasons in which he totaled 203 wins. He had a lifetime ERA of 3.66 with 1,074 strikeouts. He even had 31 career saves.
Rest in peace.
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Post by tonyo on Feb 8, 2007 5:52:16 GMT -5
Milwaukee Braves pitcher Lew Burdette recently passed away . He was the MVP of the 1957 World Series when the Braves beat the Yankees. It was Milwaukee's only World Series win.
Mr. Burdette who had over 200 career wins died of lung cancer. He was in his 80's.
RIP.
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Post by tonyo on Jan 2, 2007 14:24:42 GMT -5
A "Bell" of a Different Era --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Cleveland baseball fans remember the awesome Albert Belle and the ever-popular Buddy Bell. How many fans recall the “other” Bell?
When the Cleveland Indians fell from grace after being swept by the Giants in the 1954 World Series there began a slow descent into mediocrity. In 1955, 1956, and 1959, they finished in second place. In all reality starting in 1958 the Tribe became almost a perennial .500 club. From 1958 through 1966 the Indians had only three winning seasons 1958, 1959, and 1965. In 1966 they broke even. From 1960 through 1964 Cleveland produced five consecutive losing campaigns. Still in that nine-year period (1958-1966) the tribe posted a .506 winning percentage (726-706). This seems somewhat remarkable when looking back at their rosters during that era.
The most consistent Tribe pitcher over this stretch may well have been Gary Bell. Over the aforementioned period Bell won 95 games while losing only 87, a .521 winning percentage. His lowest season ERA was 2.95 in 1963. His highest ERA was 4.33. With those numbers in today’s free agent market Bell would probably be a multi-millionaire. Unfortunately, Gary did not get a lot of run support, as the Tribe offense was normally weak. Only nine times did a Tribe player bat over .300. Tito Francona was tops with an impressive .363 in 1959. Tito also hit .301 in 1961. Minnie Minoso topped .300 in 1958 and 1959. Only four times did an Indian hit more then 30 home runs. Rocky Colavito hit 41 in 1958 and 42 in 1959. He also hit 30 in 1966 during his second tour with the Tribe. Only four times did an Indian break the century mark in R.B. I.’s. Three times by; you guessed it Rocky Colavito who drove in 113 in 1958, 111 in 1959 and 108 in 1965. Leon Wagner had an even 100 in 1964. In that same year “Daddy Wags” belted 31 home runs.
Gary Bell’s highest season win total was 16 in 1959. Only four Indian pitchers exceeded that mark. Dick Donovan won 20 in 1962, the only 20 game winner in this stretch. Cal McLish won 19 in 1959. Jim Perry won 18 in 1960 and “Sudden” Sam McDowell won 17 in 1965. McDowell would be the next Tribesman to win 20 games but that wouldn’t be until 1970.
Although Colavito seemed to be the hitting pacesetter some other Indians produced some better then average seasons. Minnie Minosa hit 24 HR’s and drove in 80 runs in 1958 and came back in 1959 to post (21-92-.302). In 1959 Francona hit 20 HR’s and drove in 79 to go with his .363 average. Woodie Held hit 20 HR’s in 1959. In 1961 Willie Kirkland rang up these stats (27-95-.259). In the same year catcher John Romano compiled (21-80-.299). Leon Wagner put together three solid seasons in a row, 1964 (31-100-.253), 1965 (28-79-.294) and 1966 (23-66.279). Max Alvis from 1963 through 1966 hit 78 homeruns. From 1959 through 1964 Woodie Held hit 127 dingers.
In the four seasons Colavito played (1958, 1959, 1965, and 1966) he hit 139 home runs and drove in 404 runs. From 1964 through 1967 Leon Wagner hit 97 home runs while driving in 299 runs. Although Bell won the most games, Jim Perry and “Mudcat” Grant made significant contributions as did Dick Donovan, Cal McLish, Barry Latman, Pedro Ramos and newcomers Sam McDowell, Sonny Siebert, and Luis Tiant.
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Post by tonyo on Jan 2, 2007 14:17:28 GMT -5
The Tribe of the 60's: A decade of Frustration
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As a youth, I began following the Indians in 1960. I was just a boy but I knew their names, numbers, positions, etc. Shortstop Woody Held was my first "favorite" player. It was the season after the controversial Rocky Colavito for Harvey Kuenn trade. Harvey put together a respectable season with 9 Hr's and a .308 average, but Rocky's power outage was sorely missed. Jim Perry with 18 victories was the pitching ace with "Mudcat" Grant, Gary Bell and Barry Latman rounding out the rotation. The colorful duo of Jimmy Piersall and Vic Power were major contributors to the offense. Tito Francona and catcher John Romano turned in solid seasons. Still the Indians finished one game under the .500 mark. The late season changing of managers from Joe Gordon to Jimmy Dykes made little difference.
Dykes was still at the helm in 1961, the year of the Yankees. Woody Held continued to be one of the top power hitting shortstops in the game. Willie Kirkland emerged as a true long ball threat with 27 HR's and 95 RBI's. Francona and Romano again posted good years. Piersall battled .322 and Bubba Phillips at third base racked up 18 HR's and 72 RBI's. The pitching ace this year was "Mudcat" Grant with 15 wins. Latman, Gary Bell, Jim Perry and Frank Funk all ended up with double figure. Still the Tribe ended up at 78-83 and Dykes was gone.
Mel McGaha took over in 1962, and again the Tribe finished just shy of the .500 mark. Kirkland hit 21 HR's, but his average dropped to .200. Held, Francona and Phillips all slumped. Romano had one of his best seasons with 25 HR's and 81 RBI's. Chuck Essigian my next "favorite" player had 21 HR's. Al Luplow as a part time outfielder would contribute 14 Hr's. Dick Donovan would win 20 games becoming the Indians first 20 game winner since 1956. Jim Perry, Gary Bell, and Pedro Ramos would each win 10 or more games. "Sudden" Sam McDowell who would later become one of my all time favorites went 3-7 with a 6.03 ERA
. Birdie Tebbetts took over in 1963 and Max Alvis became the new third baseman producing 22 HR's. Fred Whitfield at first base would hit 21 HR's. The Immortal" Joe Azcue would unseat Romano as starting catcher and hit 14 HR's. Vic Davalillo in center field would bat .292. It became a changing of the guard as Held, Francona, Kirkland and Romano began giving way to younger players. The pitching was suspect as best. Grant and Jack Kralick had 13 wins each. Donovan won only 11 games. No one else hit double figures and the Tribe ended up with a dismal 79-83 record.
In 1964, Indians under Tebbetts would match their 1963 record. Slick fielding, Dick Howser took over at shortstop, but Held in a utility role still cranked out 18 HR's in 364 bats. Leon "Daddy Wags" Wagner would pace the club with 31 HR's and 100 RBI's. Max Alvis again turned in a solid 18 HR performance. Bob Chance who took over at first base would hit 14 HR's with Whitfield adding 10 more. Romano who was back at catcher would bang out 19. This was the year that the Tribe pitching staff began to take on a new look. Kralick would lead the club with 12 wins, but Sam McDowell, Luis Tiant and Sonny Siebert were beginning to establish themselves.
The 1965 Indians may have been the most underachieving club in Tribe history. Although under Tebbetts they finished at 87-75, they were still far off pace of the pennant winning Twins. The returning Rocky Colavito, (my all-time favorite Indian), led the A.L. in RBI's with 108 while clubbing 26 HR's. Wagner led the team with 28 HR's. Whitfield and Alvis each hit over 20 while Vic Davalillo hit .301. Chuck Hinton as a part-timer would add 18 Hr's. Sam McDowell became the premier pitcher in the A.L. with 17 wins, 325 SO's and a 2.18 ERA. Siebert would win 16 while posting a 2.43 ERA. Ex-Yankee Ralph Terry and Tiant would win 11 each.
The Indians slipped back to .500 in 1966. Tebbetts was out late in the season while the Tribe was 9 games over the break-even mark. Interim manager, George Strickland, won only 15 of 39 games. Colavito hit 30 HR's, but his average dipped to .238. Wagner hit 23 HR's, Whitfield 27 and Alvis had 17. Many players had sub-par seasons including McDowell with only 9 victories. Siebert paced with 16 wins and a 2.80 ERA. Veteran Gary Bell had a great comeback season with 14 wins, 194 SO's and a 3.22 ERA. Steve Hargan had 13 wins and Tiant garnered 12.
Former Brave slugger and ex-Indian, Joe Adcock took over the managerial job in 1967. There were some new faces on the field too. Rocky was gone again and the veteran Chuck Hinton took his spot in right field. Chuck would hit only 10 HR's. Tony Horton displaced Whitfield at first base and Vern Fuller took over second base from Pedro Gonzalez. Alvis led the team with 21 HR's. Wagner produced only 15 HR's. Again pitching rotation was solid with Hargan winning 14 games. McDowell won 13, Tiant 12, and Siebert had 10. Still the Tribe slipped to 75-87 and a lowly 8th place finish.
In 1968, Alvin Dark became the new Tribe skipper and the resurgent Indians moved all the way up to third place with a fine 86-75 record. Tony Horton led the weak hitting Indians with 14 HR's. A completely revamped outfield of Tommy Harper, Jose Cardenal and Lee Maye proved to be very unproductive. While the hitting was poor the pitching was absolutely outstanding. Tiant had 21 wins and a league leading 1.60 ERA. McDowell won 15 with a 1.81 ERA and an A.L. leading 293 strikeouts. San Williams had 13 wins and Siebert won 12. The Tribe had a total collapse in 1969, winning only 62 games, 24 less than 1968. Their 99 loses were the most in the decade. The hitting improved as Horton was emerging as a dangerous hitter with 27 HR's and 93 RBI's. Newly acquired Ken "Hawk" Harrelson also had 27 HR's. Duke Sims took over as starting catcher and banged out 18 round trippers. The pitching went into a virtual tailspin. Tiant went from a 21 game winner in 1968 to a 20 game loser in 1969. McDowell was the only bright spot with 18 wins, a 2.94 ERA and a league leading 279 SO's. Dick Ellsworth and Stan Williams managed only 6 wins each. Hargan went 5-14 with a whopping 5.69 ERA.
The Indians overall record for the decade was 783 wins and 826 losses with a .486 winning percentage. Outside of 1969 they were at least competitive each season. They finished over .500 twice. They finished right at .500 once and seven times finished below it. Only Luis Tiant and Dick Donovan broke the 20-victory mark. Rocky Colavito and Leon Wagner were the only ones to reach the 30 HR and 100 RBI marks. Jim Perry and Sonny Siebert won A.L. winning percentage titles. Perry in 1960 and Sonny in 1966. Colavito won the A.L. RBI championship in 1965 with 108. McDowell captured four A.L. strikeout titles in 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969. From 1964 thru the 1969 season Sam fanned 1,525 batters. An average of 254 per year. Luis Tiant had the league’s best ERA in 1968 with a stingy 1.60
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Post by tonyo on Dec 30, 2006 9:43:50 GMT -5
TONY AND VADA: Will the Hall Ever Call?
Although it now seems very unlikely to happen, there are two former major leaguers who I feel have a strong case for induction into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. They are both outfielders who made their mark in the 1960’s. Tony Oliva who played his whole career for the Minnesota Twins and Vada Pinson who had his best years with the Reds but also enjoyed a few fine seasons with Cleveland. Oliva played in fifteen seasons but in truth his career was cut short due to injuries. Pinson played eighteen years in the big leagues. I would like to compare their statistics with those of Hall of Famer Al Kaline and to use Kaline as a measuring stick. Kaline played 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers and his final numbers are very worthy of Hall of Fame status. Al racked up 3007 hits and sent 399 baseballs out of the park while batting .297. Oliva on the other hand had only 1917 hits and 220 homeruns while batting at a .304 clip. Pinson who was healthy most of his career had 2757 hit and 256 home runs. To compensate for the years Oliva was not 100% and to show how impressive he was during his “prime” years I have amassed Tony’s stats over his ten best seasons. I then did the same for Kaline and Pinson.
So here goes. For Pinson I picked the seasons 1959 through 1971 omitting only 1964. His statistics for those selected ten years were as follows: AB-6255 – R-933 – H-1867 – D-334 – T-89 –HR-192 RBI-791 – AVG-.2984 – SB-226. For Oliva I picked the years 1964 through 1974 omitting 1972 due to an injury: AB-5679 – R-809 – H-1752 – D-314 – T-48 – HR-208 RBI-868 – AVG-.3085 – SB-86. For Kaline I picked the seasons 1955-59, 1961-63 and 1966-67. His stats for those year: AB-5308 – R-932 – H-1663 – D-267 – T-50 – HR-249 RBI-942 – AVG-.3133 – SB-78.
To try to be as fair in comparison as possible I brought Kaline and Oliva’s up to match Pinson’s high of 6255 at bats. Below are the pro rated stats of Kaline and Oliva along with Pinson based on 6255 at bats during the designated ten seasons for each player.
R H D T HR RBI AVG SB Pinson: 933 1867 334 89 192 791 .2984 226 Oliva: 956 1938 345 53 248 956 .3085 95 Kaline: 1098 1956 325 59 293 1110 .3133 92
As you can see the stats are very comparable. Kaline had 101 more home runs than Pinson but Vada had more than double the output of Al and Tony in stolen bases. Also Vada had a sizable lead in triples. There really isn’t much separating the three in batting average. Although longevity should be rewarded, Oliva should not be punished or to compare to his peers. In the ten years I listed for Tony, he led the league in runs scored once. He led the league five times in hits, four times in doubles and he won three batting titles. Pretty impressive. Kaline led the league one time in hits, doubles and batting average. Pinson led the league in runs once and twice led the league in hits, doubles and triples. Although Vada didn’t win a batting crown his .343 in 1961 topped Al’s .340 in 1955 and Oliva’s .337 in 1971.
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Post by tonyo on Sept 1, 2007 21:58:55 GMT -5
Walt " No Neck " Williams. OF for the White Sox and Indians.
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Post by tonyo on Aug 31, 2007 23:35:07 GMT -5
Ken Holtzman...Solid pitcher for the Cubs and A's !
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Post by tonyo on Aug 31, 2007 23:32:06 GMT -5
Bobby Knoop...Good fielding 2B for the Angels in the 60's.
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Post by tonyo on Aug 26, 2007 9:17:17 GMT -5
Sal Maglie..." The Barber "
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Post by tonyo on Aug 7, 2007 4:31:35 GMT -5
Pete Runnels...6,373 Major League at bats. He was a lifetime .291 hitter.
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Post by tonyo on Jul 31, 2007 22:12:41 GMT -5
Bobby Bonds...A very good player. 14 seasons, 332 HR's, 1,024 RBI's, .268 Avg. and 461 SB's. He passed away in 2003. May he rest in peace.
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Post by tonyo on Jul 25, 2007 21:19:19 GMT -5
Bert Blyleven...Should be in the Hall Of Fame !!!
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Post by tonyo on Jul 21, 2007 21:43:12 GMT -5
Gaylord Perry...Need I say more ?
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