San Diego: A Rich Baseball Tradition

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt of an article that appeared in the January 1985 issue of Baseball Gold.

 

San Diego, with a population of 2,000, wasn’t much more than a speck on the map in 1876, the year the National League was organized. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and Father Junipero Serra had set foot here, but it would be many years before baseball would arrive and help establish San Diego’s place on the globe as a major city.

But, over the years, even before the Padres joined the Major Leagues in 1969, there were a number of talented local ballplayers who made their mark with the Pacific Coast League Padres, and professional baseball in general.

Of all the San Diego natives who made it in baseball, none made more of an impact than Theodore Samuel Williams. Ted, the “Splendid Splinter,” was born in San Diego in 1918 and first began to draw the attention of fans while a player at Herbert Hoover High School. As word spread that a tall, gangling youngster named Ted was smashing drives over the right field fence and into the yards of surrounding homes, people began flocking to the games to see if the stories they’d heard about the outfielder were true.

One afternoon H.W. “Bill” Lane, late owner of the PCL Padres, was in the Hoover High bleachers at the encouragement of his friend, umpire Bill Engeln. Lane wasn’t disappointed as Williams connected for two home runs and two doubles. Engeln was given a job as a PCL umpire and Williams a $150-a-month contract.

Williams got off to a rather slow start with the Padres in 1936, failing to hit a home run in 107 times at bat. He did, however, make a strong impression on many, and a great future was predicted for him. “Never let anyone change that beautiful swing,” Lefty ODoul, then manager of San Francisco and later to become the Padres’  skipper, told Williams while he was taking his cuts in the batting cage at Lane Field.

In 1937, Ted connected for 23 home runs and played a key role in the Padres’ pennant  triumph in the Shaughnessy Playoffs. The successful season was Williams’ last in San Diego as the Boston Red Sox immediately signed him and sent him to Minneapolis for more seasoning. There Ted blasted 43 homers and drove in 142 runs to earn a promotion to the Red Sox in 1939. The rest is history.

In 19 seasons with Boston (interrupted by Military service in 1943 and 1952), Williams compiled a lifetime average of .344 and a career slugging percentage of .634, second only to Babe Ruth. Other accomplishments include: 2,654 hits;   1,839 runs batted in; 521 home runs (career-high 43 in 1949); MVP in 1946 and 1949; Triple Crowns in 1942 and 1947; the AL record of drawing 100 or more bases on balls for six straight seasons; most years, 20 or more home runs, (16). And, in 1958 at age 40, he became the oldest player to win the batting championship with a .328 average.

Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966 becoming San Diego’s first, and only, native so honored. He stays involved in the game now by serving as the Red Sox batting instructor during spring training and has, over the years, managed the Washington Senators and the Texas Rangers.

While Williams was the most notable native son to make it in the Major Leagues, there were a number of other PCL Padres who had their start with San Diego before moving on to successful Major League careers.

One of the players the Padres obtained from the Red Sox in the Williams sale was outfielder Dominic Daflesandro, who was built like a fire plug. He delivered two fantastic seasons here — 22 homers, 91 RBI and a .309 batting average in 1 936, and 18 homers, 98 RBI and a .368 average in 1939 – before going back up with the Chicago Cubs for seven seasons.

The first player the PCL Padres actually sent to the Major Leagues was second baseman Bobby Doerr, who went to the Red Sox after hitting .342 here for the 1936 season. He remained with them for 14 years. Doerr finished with a .288 lifetime average, with a .325 mark in 1944 his best. He batted in more than 100 runs for six seasons — 120 in 1950 being his high figure. Twice he hit 27 home runs. A bad back finally ended Doerr’s playing days in 1951.

Although he had only a .226 lifetime average, Eddie Pellagrini spent the 1941 season playing shortstop for the Padres before going up for eight seasons with the Red Sox, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.

Shortstop George Myatt, who formed a smooth double play combination with Doerr here in 1936, went to the New York Giants for the 1938 season and stayed in the majors for seven years, ending his career in Washington. While with the Padres Myatt figured in an unusual incident at Lane Field in 1937: he was married in ceremonies at home plate.

Myatt managed in the minor leagues before coaching at Washington, with the Chicago White Sox, the Cubs, Milwaukee, Detroit, and the Phillies.

Myatt’s partner in the 1937 double-play Padres combination was Jimmie Reese. Many consider him the best fungo hitter in the history of baseball.

The powerhouse Padres teams which owner Bill Start (a catcher with the Padres from 1937-39) produced from 1947 through 1950 were

the talk of the baseball world. Old Lane Field saw much excitement as balls flew over the fences off the bats of Luke Easter, Max West, Harry Simpson and Jack Graham. Attendance for those four seasons alone was 1,711,631.

Easter, who was a security guard when killed by bank robbers in Cleveland in 1979, was one of the greatest drawing cards in the history of the minor leagues. The Padres attracted 493,780 in 1949 when Cleveland sent Easter here on option. Fans used to pour into Lane Field well ahead of game time to watch Easter in batting practice. He hit so many home runs that Starr had a big screen put up to protect cars on Pacific Highway. When the Padres were on the road, overflow crowds greeted Easter, especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

One day in 1949 Easter played with a sore knee. As usual, the infielders played very deep  when Luke came to bat. So on his first time at bat, Easter laid a bunt down third, and beat it out as he hobbled down to first. The crowd went wild. In 273 trips to bat, he collected 99 hits, including 23 doubles and 25 homers and drove in 92 runs with a .363 average before going up. In six seasons with the Indians, Easter hit 93 homers and drove in 340 runs. He came back to the Padres in 1954, but wasn’t as productive as he had been in 1949, hitting .278 with 42 RBI.

West and Graham were drafted by major league teams after strong performances with the Padres, but neither stayed up long. West, now in the sporting goods business in Alhambra, came to the Padres in 1947 after playing with Boston and Cincinnati for six seasons. In his first season with the Padres, Max, a left-handed batter like Easter, Graham, and Simpson, hit 43 homers and drove in 124 runs with a .306 average. After batting only .178 for Pittsburgh in 1948, West was back with the Padres. Starr gave him $30,000 for the 1949 and `50 seasons — a lot of money then — and West responded, hitting 48 homers and batting in 166 runs in 1949 and 30 homers and 109 RBI the following year. He wound up his career in 1953 with Los Angeles and compiled a career-total 295 home runs and 1235 RBI, with a lifetime average of .278.

Graham was headed for a PCL home run record until he was beaned by Red Adams on a Sunday in July before a capacity crowd at old Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. He had 46 homers at the time, but after recovering from the injury he hit only two home runs. His .298 average and 136 RBI did, however, give him a chance to play for the St. Louis Browns, but he returned to the Padres in 1950 after hitting .238 in St. Louis. In his second go-round with the Padres, Graham hit 33 homers and drove in 136 runs. He was sold to Baltimore of the International League after the 1952 campaign. Graham lives in Long Beach.

Simpson, who died four years ago, was a tremendous hitter for the Padres in 1950. His 33 homers tied him with Graham for the club lead and he led in hits (225) and RBI (156). His totals earned him a shot with Cleveland, and he played in the majors for eight years, compiling a .266 lifetime average before returning to the Padres for the 1961 season. That year, his last in baseball, Simpson batted .303 and had 105 RBI and 24 home runs.

One of the most colorful Padres in PCL days was Orestes “Minnie” Minoso. With the Padres in 1949 and 1950, Minoso led the club in hitting during the 1950 season with a .339 average. He also scored 130 runs, and stole 30 bases. Minoso wound up playing for Cleveland, the White Sox, Washington and St. Louis for 15 years compiling a lifetime average of .299. Over his career he hit more than 20 home runs four times and hit over .300 eight times. He also drove in more than 100 runs four times, including a career-high 116 for Chicago in 1954.

Al Rosen, was also a member of the Padres who went on to an illustrious 10-year career in the majors after playing for San Diego in 1949. A lifetime .285 hitter, Rosen hit 37 home runs for Cleveland in 1950. Three years later his 43 home runs and 145 ABI brought him the American League’s MVP award. He finished his career with a lifetime total 192 homers and 717 RBI.

The Padres also had one of the famous DiMaggio brothers on their roster in 1936. Vince struck out a lot and didn’t have the power of his brother, Joe, but he did have a great arm, once throwing out pitcher Jack Salveson at first after he had singled to right field. Vince went on to the Boston Braves in 1937 and stayed in the majors for 10 seasons ending his career with a lifetime mark of .249.

In exchange for Vince, the Padres acquired Jim Chaplin, a talented pitcher who earned 43 victories for San Diego in 1937-38, before dying in a car accident. Another great Padres pitcher was Yank Terry, who earned 26 wins and lost only eight in 1941, an all-time Padres record, but then only posted a 20-28 record in five seasons.

Other pitchers fared somewhat better after first gaining experience with the PCL Padres. Herb Score, a member of the 1961 Padres, was 55-46 in eight years with Cleveland and the White Sox and now does color commentary for a television station in Cleveland. The hard-throwing left-hander had his best season in 1956, earning a 20-9 record with 263 strikeouts for the Indians.

Hard-throwing Gary Bell, who showed promise in 1957-58, went on to put together a 121- 117 record in 12 years with Cleveland, Boston and Seattle. Sam “Toothpick” Jones, an ace fastballer with San Diego in 1951, was 16-13 and struck out 246 batters. He went on to a 12-year ML career, posting a 102-101 career record, with 1,376 strike- outs and winning 21 games for San Francisco in He often struck out the side, top batters included.

Jack Harshman, a native of San Diego who pitched and played first base for the Padres in 1945-46 and 1961 was 69-65 in eight years as a Major League pitcher for the New York Giants and the White Sox.

Cal McLish, who won 17 games for the Padres in 1955, finished with a 92-92 record for nine years in the majors with the Indians, Reds, White Sox and Phillies. In 1957 while with the Indians, McLish had the dubious distinction of tying a Major League record when he allowed four homers in one inning. McLish, now a coach for Milwaukee, is believed to have the longest name of any ballplayer in history: Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish.

Other former Padres pitchers made name for themselves in the majors. Left-hander Gary Peters, a member of the Padres in 1960-61 led AL pitchers in ERA in 1966 with a 1.98 mark for the Chisox, marking the second time he was No. 1. His 2.33 ERA also was low for 1963. Joel Horlen, on the `61 club here, was the ERA leader (2.06) in the AL in `67 for Chicago.

Joe Nuxhall, who went up to Cincinnati at the age of 15 and pitched here in 1962, earned a 135-117 record in 16 years in the majors. Sammy Ellis, another fastballer who was with the Padres in 1962-63, and now is the New York Yankees’ pitching coach, compiled a 63-58 record in seven years with the Reds, Angels and White Sox. He was a 22-game winner for Cincinnati in 1965.

One or the most colorful PCL Padres pitchers of all time was Jim “Mudcat” Grant, who also threw bullets. After turning in an 18-7 record, with a 2.32 ERA for the Padres in 1957, Mudcat entered the majors and wound up winning nearly 150 games in both leagues through the early `70s. His 21-7 record for Minnesota in 1965 was tops in the AL.

Another ERA Leader was lefty Hank Aguirre, who was on the mound here in 1957. His 2.21 figure for Detroit in 1962 set the AL pace.

Harry Elliott, who coached baseball at El Cajon Valley High School, was optioned to the Padres by the Cardinals for the 1954 season, and he wound up the league’s best hitter at .350. He drove in 110 runs, pounded out 42 doubles, four triples and 15 homers. After nearly two seasons with the Cards, Elliott finished with a lifetime .256, before returning to San Diego in 1956.

Another heavy hitter for the Padres was Ed Bailey, who batted .282, with 16 homers and 60 RBI here in 1955, then delivered 155 homers and drove in 540 runs in 14 seasons with the Reds, the Giants, and the Angels.

Deron Johnson, a native San Diego, played for the Padres in 1963 and went on to spend 15 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Phillies, Oakland, Milwaukee, the White Sox and Boston. His lifetime average was .244, with 923 runs batted in, 130 of them coming in 1965 for the Reds.

Steve Boros, who played every infield position except first for the Padres from 1964-65, saw Major League duty with Detroit, Chicago and Cincinnati. His lifetime average for just under six seasons was .245, but he has been successful as a manager and coach.

Carroll Hardy, who played in the Padres outfield in 1958 before putting in eight seasons in the majors with Cleveland, the Red Sox, Houston and Minnesota, now is head scout for the Denver Broncos.

Tommy Helms, the late Steve Mesner, and Whitey Wietelmann were among the leading shortstops for the Padres in minor league days. Wietelmann is still in baseball, having been a Padres coach since 1969. After a big 1940 season here, Mesner went to the Cardinals in 1941 where he hit .341, collected 232 hits, scored 114 runs, and was credited with 801 assists to lead the team and figured in 129 double plays. Helms batted .3093 in 1964 to nose out Tony Perez, who finished at .3089. Perez, who played first, third and the outfield while here on option from the Reds, went on to a long stand in the majors after hitting 34 homers, driving in 107 runs and batting .309 for San Diego in 1964. In 1970, his best year for the Reds, Perez hit 40 homers, 129 RBI, and compiled a .317 average. He wound up his playing days with the Red Sox ten seasons ago and finished with a lifetime average of .276.

Boros isn’t the only ex-Padres player who became a manager. Billy Hunter, an infielder on the 1959 club, managed the Texas Rangers for more than a year after serving as a coach for more than 10 years under Earl Weaver at Baltimore.

Don Heffner, Dave Bristol,  Bucky Harrisand, and Bob Skinner were all other former Padres managers who became managers in the Major Leagues. Heffner, who led the team to the 1962 pennant, managed Cincinnati in 1966, but was replaced by Bristol in July. Bristol managed the Reds through 1969, then Milwaukee, Atlanta and San Francisco. Now he’s a Philadelphia coach. Aside from players who got their start in professional baseball with the early Padres, there have been, over the years, many players from San Diego’s local high schools and colleges whove made  ~ their mark in the Major Leagues. Going back a bit, catcher Dave Duncan, out of Crawford High School, put in 11 years with Oakland, Kansas City, Baltimore and Cleveland, with a lifetime average of .214 and 109 home runs. He is now pitching coach for the White Sox.

Don Larsen, a graduate of Point Loma High School, pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers for a 2-0 victory in the fifth game of the World Series on October 8, 1956. The performance helped the Yanks win the series, four games to three. Oddly enough, Larsen’s first major letter in sports at Point Loma came in basketball in the late `40s.

Umpiring dawn the right field tine the day Larsen spun his masterpiece was Ed Runge, a resident of San Diego since 1945. Runge was behind the plate on September 16, 1965, when Dave Morehead, a graduate of Hoover High, pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox against Cleveland. Morehead, who stilt resides here, was 35-56 in six seasons with Boston.

Ted Williams was not the only outstanding Major Leaguer to graduate from Hoover High School. Ray Boone, who began his career in 1948 with Cleveland, was also a Hoover High product. Boone’s 13-year career was highlighted by a league-leading 116 HBI for Detroit in 1955. He finished his career with a lifetime .275 average and 737 RBl. Boone’s son, Bob, spent several seasons behind the plate for the Caflfornia Angels after 10- years with the Phillies. A three-time Gold Glove winner, Bob attended Crawford High School and Stanford University. Someday, he may join his father, Ted Williams, the late Earle Brucker, Sr., Bob Skinner, and Deron Johnson in San Diego’s Hall of Fame in the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park.

Skinner, a native of La Jolla, graduated from La Jolla High School and spent 12 years in the majors as a first baseman and outfielder for Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. He turned in a lifetime average of .277 and later managed in the minors (leading the Padres to the PCL flag in 1967) and  at Philadelphia. Brucker played on the San Diego

High School baseball team which won the national championship (his homer won the game), then, in 1937, started catching for

Connie Mack’s Philadeiphia Athletics of the American League, and stayed 13 years.

San Diego High graduate Floyd Robinson began an outstanding career in the majors in 1960 with the White Sox after batting .318 for the Padres. He also saw action with Cincinnati, the Red Sox and Oakland before retiring after nine seasons with a .283 lifetime average. Robinson’s best year was 1962 when he hit .312 and drove in 109 runs for Chicago.

The first San Diego State ballplayer to do well in the majors was Jim Wilson, a native who attended high school in the East. He went on to the Red Sox in 1945, and in 14 years with seven teams he compiled an 86-89 record with a 4.91 ERA. He’s now head of the Central Scouting Bureau in L.A. One of San Diego State’s best-known graduates is the Padres’ Graig Nettles: a third baseman known for his sensational fielding and powerful bat. He ed the AL in homers in 1976 with 32, then hit five more the next year. In his career Graig hit over 300 homers and had over 1,000 RBIs. His brother Jim, also a native of San Diego, played with the Twins and the Tigers for four years.

Detroit’s shortstop Alan Trammell is a graduate of Kearny High School. A three-time Gold Glove award winner, Trammell signed in 1977 when only 19. He batted .306 in `79 and .300 the next year.  

Going up to the majors after playing for Oceanside High, Mira Costa Junior College and UCLA was Chris Chambliss, who batted .270, hit 20 homers and drove in 86 runs for Atlanta in 1982. Chris was with the Yankees five years before moving on to the Braves. Chris had a lifetime average of .280, plus 151 homers, and 815 RBI.

Other former Aztecs wearing big league uniforms now are outfielder Tony Gwynn of the Padres, and Buddy Black, a left-handed pitcher for San Francisco who started with Seattle in 1981.

When the Padres moved to Westgate Park in 1958, Ralph Kiner, former National League home run king, was their general manager. He now does broadcasting for the New York Mets.

Among managers the Padres had in the `40s was John “Pepper” Martin, one of the most colorful players in the National League’s history. He’s the third baseman who used to stop hot grounders with his chest as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Gas House Gang.

San Diego and the PCL have also given the Major Leagues some notable umpires. No San Diegan has spent more time umpiring in the majors than Doug Harvey, a San Diego State graduate. After one season in the PCL, he went to the ML. Paul Runge, a real estate man in the off season here, is following in the footsteps of his father, Ed, and will be umpiring in the NL for a 10th year in Ed was in the AL for 17 seasons, starting in John Kibler of Oceanside and Lakeside’s John McSherry, both in the NL, are other umpires living in the San Diego area.

With the success of the PCL Padres, it was inevitable that a Major League franchise would come to town, and 24 years ago the San Diego Padres became a National League team. Yet, as the record clearly shows, the modern Padres are only a continuation in the long history of San Diego’s rich baseball tradition.