Cleveland Classic: Mr. Robert, Master Herbie

MAY 2, 1955 — Bob Feller walked into the clubhouse. He had just pitched a one-hitter, the 12th of his career, to beat the Red Sox 2-0.

Asked to evaluate his performance the great Mr. Robert said, “It was good as any game I ever pitched.” Yes, this included his three no-hitters, his fabulous strikeout feats. “I only faced 29 men,” he explained.

A 21-year-old pitcher sat in front of his locker thinking, “This is gonna be great … me coming on after that performance.”

Feller thought about it, too. “It’s going to be a tough act for the kid to follow,” he said.

“Just go out and tell him to do better,” grinned Jim Hegan seated nearby.

The kid went out, struck out the first three men on 10 pitched balls, struck out the side again in the second inning and again in the third. Nine strikeouts in three innings. Nine more to go and he would have tied the mark set by Feller himself, back in 1938.

The kid didn’t make it. He finished with 16 and the Indians won, 2-1, to take a doubleheader, putting them in first place. Herb Score had followed a tough act with an amazing one of his own.

In straight comparisons, Feller’s job had to be rated a shade better. But from the long range view Score’s performance is the more important. Feller, at best, has only a few more years to play. Score is but 21.

Sam Mele, a Red Sox hitter, judged Score to be the “fastest pitcher I have faced in the majors.” Said Mele, “He’s just a little faster than Bob Turley and he has a much better curve.”

Manager Al Lopez, mighty pleased that his pitching has been able to carry the club during this horrible hitting slump, insisted to unbelieving Boston writers that Score wasn’t his fastest yesterday.

“I’ve seen him faster this spring,” said Lopez, “and so will you. The more confidence he gets the harder he’ll fire. Now he still has a tendency to aim the ball.”

And how did these two great performances affect his pitching plans? Lopez was asked.

“It sets up our pitching,” declared the elated manager. “We’ve always been a pitching club and now to have a kid like Score is like finding a diamond to add to the greatest collection in the world.”

Master Herbie saw the first five innings of Mr. Robert’s masterpiece. Then he went into the clubhouse and tried to sleep on the trainer’s table. “It wasn’t exactly a sleep,” he said later. “I was concerned. Last two times I’d been knocked out of the box. I wanted to do well enough for them to keep me up here.”

Feller saw only the middle innings of Score’s strikeout story. He had his youngsters at the game and he wanted them home in time for dinner. He left in the seventh. That was his plane that buzzed over the Stadium.

Yes, Feller knew he had a no-hitter going until Sammy White singled to kill it in the seventh. “I tried to throw him a fast ball but it sailed. He reached out and nubbed it,” said Feller later, not at all unhappy about losing his fourth no-hitter. “If it’s in the books for me to pitch another no-hitter I’ll do it,” he said philosophically.

Mr. Robert credited his control for the excellent performance. “And when I didn’t get the ball where I wanted to I was lucky enough to have good stuff,” he added. In all, there were only three hard hit balls off Feller: two line drives and a long fly which Ralph Kiner caught.

Feller was particularly gratified, he explained, because he had worked so hard since April 16, when he made his first start and was knocked out of the box.

“I stayed late at the park each day, I did more running than regularly, I did more calisthenics to strengthen my back muscles and I tried to perfect every pitch I have.

“It paid off,” he concluded.

Score also was aware that he might be approaching a record. “I knew I had an awful lot of strikeouts,” he revealed later. “But I wasn’t counting ’em. I’ll tell you the best out of the game was Kiner’s catch of Sammy White’s drive.” It prevented a home run.

In the first inning Score surprised himself. After whiffing the top three hitters he came to the bench and said, “Where did I come up with that curve ball?”

Actually he came up with it during the week. Mel Harder worked several hours with Score in an effort to gain curve-ball control for the rookie.

“In the first innings I had a good fast ball and a great curve,” said Herb. “Later the curve wasn’t as good and neither was my fast ball. I’m just glad I got by.”

Yes, he had done better. Last summer he fanned 17 against Minneapolis. He whiffed 16 in seven innings against St. Paul. In high school he often fanned 22 and 23.

“But this,” he said, pleased with himself, “is the big leagues.”

 

Author’s note

This article is excerpted from The Best of Hal Lebovitz: Great Sportswriting from Six Decades in Cleveland (softcover/$14.95/352 pages), 2006, by Hal Lebovitz. The book is available online from Amazon.com.