Once in 1968, Mayo Smith decided to put in his pinch-hitting specialist far earlier in the game than normal. Brown, who usually didn’t come off the bench until a tight spot near the end of the game, was caught off-guard. “I was sitting at the end of the dugout, eating a couple of hot dogs,” he recalled. “It was only the fifth inning (and) I never expected Mayo to call on me to pinch-hit that early.” Since he didn’t want Smith – who often harped on Brown to lose a few pounds – to see him eating during the game, Brown quickly shoved the hot dogs down his shirt before heading to the plate. “That’s the only time I ever wished I’d strike out,” he said. But being the clutch hitter he was, he didn’t get his wish. Instead, he cracked a double and ended up having to slide head-first into second. While Tigers fans roared and cheered, Brown realized he had made quite a mess of himself. “I had mustard and squashed meat all over me,” he laughed, recalling that all his teammates were bent over laughing.1

So despite his success as one of the greatest major-league hitters off the bench, Gates Brown wasn’t a pinch-hitting robot after all. He was simply one of the guys. He played poker with teammates. He snored. He played catch with relievers during games. He was a press favorite. But most importantly, he always supported his teammates – so much so that his first big-league manager, Charlie Dressen, often referred to him as “Governor Brown.” But that was Gates Brown in a nutshell – a team player who always said and did the right things to help his team win.

William James “Gates” Brown was born in Crestline, Ohio, on May 2, 1939 (the same day that Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak came to an end). His father, John William Brown, a Georgia native, was a laborer working for the US government’s Depression-fighting WPA. Crestline was a town along the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, and by the time of the 1950 census he was listed as “laborer, railroad.” He and Phyllis Brown, a native Ohioan, had six children.

Gates grew to be 5-feet-11 and 220 pounds. He batted left-handed, but threw right-handed and played in 1,051 major-league games, all for the Detroit Tigers.

He was nicknamed Gates by his mother when he was a toddler. He claimed he didn’t know why. “I had it long before I went to school. … Maybe it had something to do with the way I walk – kind of bowlegged, I really don’t know.”2

Crestline, like much of northern Ohio in the 1940s and ’50s, wasn’t the greatest area to grow up in. It was flat, desolate, and poor. Most youngsters from the area got in trouble with the law at some point. A sociologist would say it wasn’t their fault they turned to a life of crime, but was a result of where they grew up.

Brown didn’t make it out of Crestline with a clean record. Even though he was a standout football star at Crestline High School, he got into more than his fair share of trouble growing up. When he turned 18, he was arrested for breaking and entering and was sent to the nearby Mansfield State Reformatory. (The prison was used in the film The Shawshank Redemption.)

Even though Brown had played some baseball in high school, it was in Mansfield that his talents as a ballplayer were developed. At 5-feet-11 and 200-plus pounds of pure muscle, he was encouraged by a prison guard who coached the institution’s baseball team to try out at catcher. In awe of his raw ability with the bat – and encouraged that baseball might lead Brown out of a life of crime – the coach, Chuck Yarman, wrote to several major-league teams, including the Tigers.3

In the fall of 1959, Detroit sent scouts to the prison to see Brown. Impressed, one of them called onetime Tiger Pat Mullin, later the team’s top scout. Mullin made the trek from Detroit to see for himself. After Brown belted a daunting home run in Mullin’s presence, the Tigers decided to help him get paroled a year early. He was signed to a $7,000 bonus pact almost immediately upon his release.

Brown has said that other clubs, including the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, were interested in springing him. But he stuck with Detroit because “they didn’t have any Negroes at that time and I figured they’d have to have some soon.”4 In fact, Ozzie Virgil, a Puerto Rican, had joined the Tigers in 1958 – becoming the Motor City’s first Black ballplayer. But Brown was right in that the Tigers obviously lacked the integration of most other big-league clubs in the late 1950s.

Before Brown’s first professional season, 1960, Mullin advised him to give up catching and switch to the outfield. More concerned about staying out of trouble than he was about a position change, he was fine with the new position.

Brown – on legal probation from Mansfield during his first season – joined the Tigers’ organization in Duluth that year. He shined almost immediately – especially for someone only a few months out of prison. In 121 games, he hit .293 with 10 homers. He also led the Northern League with 13 triples and was second in stolen bases (30) and runs scored (104). But his real character test wouldn’t come until later.

The following year he headed south to Durham of the Carolina League. It was here that Brown found out firsthand that being Black and an ex-con was fuel for the fire for Southern crowds. “It was tough just being a Negro down there,” he said. “I had to contend with people calling me ‘n—–” and other stuff.”5

Being an ex-con didn’t help as Southern newspapers printed stories about his criminal history, leading to more quips and threats from the crowds. “They called me all the names, ‘Con,’ ‘Jailbird,’ the whole thing. They were pretty vicious,” Brown recalled. But he had to learn to ignore the jeers and to use the negativity as motivation to improve. “Some of the guys wanted to go up into the stands after those people, but I told them to just let it lay. It made me do better. It made me try harder. I decided that they could beat me physically, but no way were they going to beat me mentally. And do you know something, I hit the ball hard that season and led the league in hitting,” topping the circuit in 1961 with a .324 mark. His outstanding play began to win over the same Durham fans who had heckled him earlier in the season. “By the end of the year, they were all on my side,” Brown said, laughing.6

After showing continued success at the minor-league level – including another .300 campaign for Denver in 1962 – it was clear that Brown was on the fast track to join the big club. And with the Tigers’ lack of early-season success in 1963, Brown was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on June 17 – one day before Dressen was named the team’s new manager. It would be Dressen who would call on Brown to take his first major-league hacks.

Brown officially debuted for the Tigers against the Boston Red Sox on June 19 at Fenway Park. With Boston up 4-1 in the fifth inning, Brown entered the game as – what else – a pinch-hitter for pitcher Don Mossi.

With Dressen getting his first look at the young outfielder, the situation was much like when Pat Mullin saw Brown play at Mansfield for the first time. As it happened, Mullin was at Fenway Park that day – having been made Dressen’s first-base coach. Again, as he had during his Mansfield tryout, Brown did not disappoint his onlookers. He hit a 400-foot home run well into the Boston sky, becoming only the third Tiger in history to homer in his first at-bat.

Brown remained with the club for the rest of the season, primarily as a pinch-hitter. Detroit rebounded with him on the team and had a winning record for the rest of the year. Overall, Brown hit .268 with two home runs in his rookie season. He stuck with the Tigers in 1964, primarily as the starting left fielder. Playing alongside Al Kaline in right field and a troika (Bill Bruton, George Thomas, and Don Demeter) in center, Brown hit .272 with 15 home runs and was second on the team with 11 stolen bases.

Despite his solid 1964 season, however, Brown lost his starting job in the outfield in 1965 to the young power hitter Willie Horton. And even though he was disappointed in returning to his role as a pinch-hitter and reserve outfielder, Brown would never let his personal frustration get in the way of the team. He slugged 10 home runs that season in barely half the at-bats he had in 1964. And despite his stocky 225-pound frame, he also stole six bases and was regarded unofficially as the fastest Tiger on the team. Brown didn’t know it then, but he was on his way to becoming the most successful pinch-hitter in American League history.

Despite Brown’s clutch contributions, his reserve status – and a budding mix of young outfielders – made it difficult for him to get raises from his bosses in Detroit. In fact, prior to the 1965 season, Brown had to pass up winter ball for the first time. With a wife and child plus a second on the way, Brown took a second job as a furniture salesman in the offseason.

Brown pressed on, however, and returned in 1966 and had similar success in the same role – batting .325 as a pinch-hitter. Overall he hit .266 with 7 home runs in 169 at-bats. Although he remained quietly disappointed with his role, it was clear that Brown was the Tigers’ best offensive option off the bench.

Tragedy befell Brown and the Tigers that season, however. Charlie Dressen died on August 10. Dressen had been suffering from heart and kidney problems for most of the season.

Brown struggled with injuries in 1967 before finally being shelved with a dislocated wrist. Even when he played, he never could find his swing under new manager Mayo Smith. As a pinch-hitter, he hit only .160 (4-for-25). However, that Tigers team nearly made the World Series before they were beat out by the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox on the final day of the season. Mayo Smith and the rest of the Tigers vowed to return to the 1968 season with a vengeance. But the greatest turn-around of all would come from Brown.

Discouraged by his poor season in 1967, Brown came to spring training on a mission in 1968. He was no longer upset about a lack of playing time, he just wanted to contribute. The Tigers, however, weary of Brown’s poor and injury-filled campaign in 1967, decided to bring back Eddie Mathews as the team’s primary left-handed pinch-hitter. General manager Jim Campbell and Smith even said that they thought about trading Brown, but couldn’t come close to pulling a trade because Brown had packed on a few pounds while waiting for his wrist to heal, a turnoff for prospective trading partners.

Brown got his chance to prove them wrong, however, on the second day of the season; when Smith, having already used Mathews earlier in the game, called on Brown to pinch-hit in the ninth inning in a tie game. Brown grabbed a bat and hit a game-winning home run off John Wyatt of the Boston Red Sox. It was how the 1968 Tigers won their first game of the season.

Brown did everything he could to tarnish the image of what would be known as the Year of the Pitcher. He hammered six hits in his first 10 pinch-hit at-bats on his way to an AL-record 18 pinch hits that season. Tigers fans soon became accustomed to watching him come off the bench and deliver over and over in key situations. But none was more key than during a Sunday doubleheader on August 11 against the defending American League champion Red Sox.

In the lidlifter that day, the Tigers were in an extra-inning struggle with the Red Sox until Mayo Smith finally found a time for Brown to get in the game in the bottom of the 14th inning. Tiger Stadium erupted when he was announced. But their cheers were nothing compared to when Brown smacked the game-winning home run a minute later.

Then in the second game, Brown strode to the plate in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth. With Mickey Stanley creeping off third, he singled to right to drive in the winning run, Giving him an unheard-of two game-ending hits in the same day. Even 16-year vet Kaline admitted he had never heard the Tiger Stadium crowd cheer the way they did for Brown that day.

In fact, Brown hit so unbelievably well in 1968 that Smith even started him in 16 games. Not bad for a guy who was trade bait when the season began. In the end, Brown hit an astounding .370 in 1968 – more than over 100 points higher than his career average, 135 better than the team average, and 140 better than the American League’s collective average. He was the only full-season Tiger to hit above .300 that season. He also averaged an extra-base hit every 6.9 at-bats – a remarkable stat when you consider that the mighty Álex Rodríguez averaged one every 7.2 at-bats in his MVP season of 2007.

Brown was not only clutch with the bat in 1968, he was also clutch as a teammate. One night during the season, he interrupted a melee between Denny McLain and Jim Northrup and made them understand the importance of what the team was trying to accomplish as a whole. During a road trip in the middle of the 1968 season, Brown was playing poker with a bunch of other players, including Northrup and McLain. Halfway through a hand, Northrup caught McLain cheating. Enraged, he flew across the bed and grabbed McLain by the throat. John Hiller, who was seated next to Brown, recalls Northrup screaming, “I’m gonna kill you, you bastard! I’m gonna kill you!” Red-faced and exasperated, Northrup continued to wring McLain’s neck in anger. But he was eventually pulled off from behind by Brown. A shocked Hiller remembered Brown looking Northrup dead in the eye and saying, “You’re not gonna touch him until after we win the pennant. Then he’s all yours.”7

Brown also remained popular with the Detroit writers that season. When asked about his remarkable success in the clutch, he developed a common response to give to reporters: “I’m square as an ice cube, and I’m twice as cool.” Detroit media couldn’t get enough of Gates.

Neither could Tigers fans. When the World Series rolled around and the Tigers lost Game One to St. Louis’s Bob Gibson – who also struck out 17 – Mayo Smith was bombarded by letters to put Brown into the starting lineup. One Tigers fan even wrote Smith asking him to start Brown at shortstop and bat leadoff during the series. “That guy must be nuts,” reacted Brown when told of the letter.8

Brown had only one appearance during the World Series: a pinch-hit fly out to left off Gibson in Game One. But for anyone who remembers how untouchable Gibson was that October day, it’s a miracle any man could come off the bench and even touch the ball.

Throughout the rest of his career, Brown enjoyed continued success as a pinch-hitter – including a .346 pinch-hitting campaign in 1971 – but nothing quite like the 1968 season, although he did enjoy more time in the baseball spotlight by becoming Detroit’s first designated hitter in 1973, a position tailor-made for the game’s Gates Browns.

Moreover, Brown became so beloved that some sportswriters who were adamantly against the DH when it was first implemented eventually said it didn’t bother them as much as they thought it would. One of the reasons: It was great for Tigers fans to see Brown at the plate every day.

The whole country got a chance to see Brown in July 1974 when Joe Garagiola, host of NBC’s pregame show Baseball World of Joe Garagiola, did an unusual two-part story on Brown. Garagiola rarely devoted his weekly show to anyone for two separate shows, but did so for Brown. The shows featured Brown and Garagiola back in Brown’s old stamping grounds at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. The program consisted of an interview in Brown’s former prison cell, as well as several rap sessions with current inmates.

Brown said he agreed to the interview inside the prison itself because “if I can help a few people who are mixed up by doing this [interview], it will be well worth it.” But he also mentioned that even if you did make the mistake of breaking the law, incarceration didn’t mean the end. “Just because a man has been in jail doesn’t mean it has to be the end of his whole life,” Gates told the inmates.9

After suffering through a 102-loss Tigers season in 1975, Brown decided to hang up his spikes at age 36. However, he loved the game too much to give it up completely. So he became a scout for the club less than three weeks after the season ended. Almost immediately Brown went from sitting in a major-league dugout to scouting teams in Florida, assisting in the free-agent draft; instructing the Tigers’ rookie-league team, and visiting various colleges nationwide to find new talent.

Brown continued his work as a scout until 1978, when he returned to the Tigers to become the new hitting coach under manager Ralph Houk. The Tigers’ team batting average rose from eighth in the American League in 1977 to second overall in Brown’s first season. That year the Tigers also enjoyed their first winning season in five years.

When Sparky Anderson arrived in Detroit in 1979, he kept Brown on. He helped bring along the hitting talents of Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker. Brown remained with the Tigers through their World Series championship in 1984. He wanted to continue coaching the Tigers beyond 1984 but couldn’t agree with the team on a contract extension. He quit on November 14, 1984 – almost 25 years after he signed his first professional contract fresh out of Mansfield.

Things weren’t always rosy for Brown in his years since the 1984 championship. In 1991 he was part of a business group that purchased Ben G Industries, a plastics molding company that was relocated from the Detroit suburb of Mount Clemens to Detroit after its purchase. The company was doomed almost from the start. First it was alleged that the previous owners had stolen $458,000 from Ben G before it was sold to Brown’s group. Then the Internal Revenue Service got involved and found that as the company’s president, Brown had failed to oversee the payment of taxes during his first two years of ownership. A civil suit against Brown by the IRS sought more than $61,000.10 However, he never faced criminal charges.

Brown also had to settle another IRS allegation a few months before the Ben G trial began. This time it was at the personal level. Brown and his wife, Norma, were accused of shorting income on their personal taxes and ordered to pay more than $36,000 in back taxes and penalties dating from 1992 to 1997.

Brown was not forgotten by the baseball world, however. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Beside Brown during his acceptance speech were his former hitting pupil, Lance Parrish, and former big-league pitcher Jim Kaat.11 Many of the voters said that Brown’s amazing story was a huge reason why they chose him.

Brown always liked to revisit and reflect upon that magical season of ’68. He had reached the pinnacle of his profession. He was a World Series champion. His climb from a prison cell to shaking hands with the likes of Bob Hope and Ed Sullivan was a great comeback story. But if you asked Brown, his contribution to the 1968 season was for his parents.

“I can never make up for all the grief I gave them in my life. I can never make up for all the humiliation they suffered, all the torture, when I spent time in (Mansfield),” Brown said. “But I promised them, when I got out of there I would never go back. If I didn’t make it in life, it would not be because I didn’t try. You know, you can do bad things in a big city and nobody ever knows about them. But do something wrong in a small town [Crestline’s population was 6,000] and everybody knows. That’s why I was so happy we won it all. I could finally give them something else to talk about.”12

In 2009 Crestline honored Brown by naming its high school baseball diamond Gates Brown Field. He said, “You dream about something like this, but you don’t ever think it’s going to happen. I didn’t want no fanfare when I was with the Tigers, but this is quite an honor.”13

In his 13 years as a player with Detroit, Brown was a part of nine winning ballclubs. He was part of seven more as a coach. Most Tigers fans will tell you that, despite his reserve role, Brown was a huge part of the successful era in Motown. His ability to come through in the clutch has not been matched in the AL. His .370 average in ’68 was the eighth-best season ever for a pinch-hitter. He had 107 pinch hits in his career, the most ever in the American League. He also still holds the AL records for pinch-hit at-bats (414) and home runs (16). Talking about his records in pinch-hitting, he once told a reporter, “Well, one thing, I didn’t do a lot of playing or I wouldn’t have been pinch-hitting.”14

But it wasn’t just with his bat, but with his attitude, that Brown became so successful on the diamond. He was everyone’s favorite teammate. He was a huge crowd favorite. He was an underdog who went from prisoner to champion.

Brown suffered from diabetes and a bad heart, dying at age 74 on September 27, 2013, at a nursing home in Detroit.15 He and Norma had four children: Pamela, Rebekah, Lindsey, and William.

“It’s just a shame,” former manager Jim Leyland said. “We knew his health wasn’t good. To this day, a lot of people think maybe Gates Brown is maybe the best pinch-hitter of all time. Hopefully Gates is in a better place.”16

Acknowledgments

This biography originally appeared in a SABR publication: Mark Pattison and David Raglin, eds., Sock It to ’Em, Tigers (Hanover, Massachusetts: Maple Street Press, 2008). It has been brought up to date with additional research and writing by Bill Nowlin and David Raglin.

Sources

Brown’s quotes about being hounded by Southern fans while in the minors: Rich Koster article, St. Louis Globe Democrat, October 19, 1968.

Joe Garagiola interview information and quotes: Detroit Tigers press release, July 1, 1974.

Poker story with McLain and Northrup and quotes: Detroit Tigers Encyclopedia, 99.

Reference to Mayo Smith receiving letters to start Gates at shortstop during the World Series: Rich Koster article, St. Louis Globe Democrat, October 19, 1968.

Notes

1 Detroit Tigers press release, August 18, 1978. See Gates Brown player file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. See also Dave Kindred, “Baseball’s Comic Relief,” The Sporting News, April 25. 1994.

2 Associated Press, “‘On Track’ Gates Shows Youngsters Straight Path,” Bakersfield Californian, July 7, 1942: 42.

3 Brown later said, “He was in love with baseball and knew a few scouts, and he paved the way for them to come in and see me. … Other than that, I don’t know where I’d be today.” George Sipple, “Ex-Tiger Brown to Be Inducted, Twice.” Detroit Free Press, November 1, 2009, found in Brown’s Hall of Fame player file.

4 Rich Koster, “Gates Brown – Hero in Detroit,” The Sporting News, October 19, 1968: 8.

5 Associated Press, “Gates Brown Not Forgetting Past,” High Point (North Carolina) Enterprise, July 7, 1974: 42.

6 Joe Falls, “Gates Brown’s Life an Example for LeFlore,” The Sporting News, March 22, 1975: 18.

7 Detroit Tigers Encyclopedia, 99.

8 Rich Koster, “Gates Brown – Hero in Detroit.”

9Jim Hawkins, “Gates Picking Up Rust as Tiger Spot Swinger,” The Sporting News, July 27, 1974: 23.

10 David Shepardson, “Trial Begins for Former Tiger,” Detroit News, undated article in Brown’s Hall of Fame player file.

11 Mike Brudenell, “Parrish, Six Others Enter Hall of Fame,” Detroit Free Press, April 18, 2002.

12 Joe Falls column, The Sporting News, March 22, 1969: 2.

13 Jon Spencer, “Crestline Goes to Bat for Brown,” Mansfield (Ohio) News-Journal, March 17, 2009: 9.

14 William Yardley, “Gates Brown, Tigers’ Clutch Pinch-Hitter, Is Dead at 74,” New York Times, September 28, 2013.

15 Terry Foster, “Tigers Family Mourns Pinch-Hitting Legend Gates Brown,” Detroit News, September 27, 2013.

16 Brendan Savage, “The Complicated Story of Gates Brown, the MOST CLUTCH HITTER on the 1968 Tigers,” MLive, August 2, 2018. https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2018/08/not_all_memories_were_good_one.html. Accessed August 6, 2024.

While Les Cain’s rookie season, six years earlier, wasn’t nearly as prolific, it was nearly as good. The young left-hander had a strong first half that well could have put him on the American League All-Star team, and the media were talking about his chance to win 20 games. Then, in the second half of the season, the shoulder problems began to develop, hence the parallel to Fidrych. Just two years later Cain was out of baseball.

Cain’s story is still interesting. He’s had some brushes with Hall of Famers, and he’s also done something that no other pitcher has yet done. And he took a stand against the baseball establishment, so Cain’s story, while short, goes beyond his playing days.

Les Cain was born January 13, 1948, in San Luis Obispo, California, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. His family moved to El Cerrito, California, a suburb of Oakland. He required skin graft surgery on his right arm when he was 18 months old after hot grease was spilled on his arm.

Cain attended El Cerrito High School and played both basketball and baseball. He was all-league in baseball as a sophomore, but broke his foot between his sophomore and junior years. This didn’t seem to affect his performance too much; on April 28, 1965, Cain had a truly spectacular performance on the mound, pitching ten innings of a 12-inning contest and striking out 20.

None of his past exploits compared to what he did in 1966, his senior year, when he put the El Cerrito Gauchos on his back and carried them to the Alameda County Athletic League pennant. In one week in April, Cain threw a two-hit shutout then followed that with a no-hitter. The no-hitter pushed the Gauchos to a league-leading 7–1 record at the time. Then on May 24, he not only held the opposition to a single run in an extra inning, eight-frame game but also scored the winning marker in the Gauchos’ final game of the season. The win gave El Cerrito an 11–5 record that was good enough to win the pennant.

For his efforts, Cain was the only player on his team to be named on either the first or second All-Alameda County Team; he was also the only unanimous choice of league coaches. With a 9–5 record on the mound and a .363 batting average at the plate, he was named player of the year.

Just one day after his selection as player of the year, the Tigers made Les Cain their fourth-round pick (74th overall) of the major league player draft. He was signed by former major league player and longtime Tigers scout Bernie DeViveiros. The Tigers shipped him off to their Florida State League affiliate, the Daytona Beach Islanders. There, Cain’s strengths and weaknesses began to show. While he definitely had a live arm and had no problem striking batters out, he also had control problems that led to an inordinately high number of walks. He finished the season with a 4–4 record in eleven starts and five relief appearances, and while he struck out an impressive 85 batters in 92 innings, he also walked 56. Cain’s inability to find the strike zone at times would follow him throughout his pro career. Still, hopes were high for Cain, and Tigers general manager Jim Campbell was quoted by correspondent Watson Spoelstra in the December 3, 1966, issue of The Sporting News as calling him “a real prospect.”

The team felt that Cain pitched well enough to earn a promotion for 1967 to the Double A Southern League, where he played for the Tigers’ affiliate, the Montgomery Rebels. Cain got off to a rough start and lost his first four decisions before he finally picked up a win on a six-hit shutout May 12, 1967. He fell to 6–9 in mid-July but on July 22 Cain threw a no-hitter against the Birmingham Athletics. Barry Morgan, who would never play in the majors, made a diving catch of a line drive by future Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson for the final out of the game.

Cain showed some improvement in the second half of the season, finishing with an 11–13 record. He led the loop with 31 starts (he pitched twice in relief) and 104 walks, and was sixth in the league with a 2.77 ERA. Once again, he struck out his fair share of batters (133 in 185 innings) but also struggled with his control with all of the walks. Over the winter, Cain pitched for the Tigers’ Florida Instructional League team at Dunedin, which won the league crown.

At age 20, Cain was the youngest player invited to the Tigers’ spring training camp heading into the 1968 season. While he was probably a long shot to make a team that had fallen just one game short of tying for the American League pennant the year before, Cain made an immediate impact by throwing three shutout innings in his first spring game, on March 10. He gave up just one hit and struck out two against a Minnesota Twins first-string lineup. He tossed three more shutout innings against the Washington Senators in a relief appearance on March 26. For his efforts, he joined infielder Tom Matchick and pitchers Daryl Patterson and Jon Warden as one of four rookies to make Detroit’s opening day roster. In the April 20, 1968, issue of The Sporting News, manager Mayo Smith said, “When we need a fifth starter, Cain would be the one.” Even more impressive was the fact that Cain was the youngest player to make a big league opening day roster (Gary Nolan, four months younger than Cain, supplanted him when he made his season debut that May 31, and all other players who were younger than Cain in 1968 all made their debuts during September call-ups).

Cain didn’t see action until two weeks into the season when the Tigers played their doubleheader against the New York Yankees at Tiger Stadium on April 28. After a tough 2–1 Tigers loss in the first game, Cain made his first major league start in the nightcap and did as well as any first-timer could, pitching into the eighth inning and holding the Yanks scoreless through the first seven. The lone run scored against him came on a solo home run by first baseman Andy Kosco to lead off the eighth inning. Cain then left the game in that inning with the score tied 1–1. The Yanks scored another run in the eighth, but the Tigers pulled out the game with two runs in the ninth on solo homers by Bill Freehan (who caught Cain in his debut) and Jim Northrup. Cain also picked up his first career hit with a double in his first at-bat to lead off the third inning.

For the next three weeks, Cain was used as a reliever. In three appearances, he held the opposition to just one unearned run in 5.2 innings. He finally got another start in a doubleheader against the Washington Senators on Sunday, May 19. This time, he didn’t waste the opportunity and with Jim Price as his backstop, threw 6.2 shutout innings and picked up his first major league win. He had problems finding the plate at times, walking six batters, but struck out eight. To cap off a busy week, Cain used a West Coast trip the following weekend to marry his high school sweetheart, Vera Nell Washington.

Cain got two more starts in 1968, but neither went well. On May 28, he was pulled with one out in the third inning after giving up a run on three hits and four walks. Four days later, on June 1, he was humbled by the Yankees, who tagged him for four runs and five hits before he was taken out with just one out in the first inning. In both of those two poor starts, the Tigers came back to win the games so Cain escaped a loss.

After another poor relief appearance on June 15, Cain was demoted. Whether it was to get more seasoning or to work on his control, he put together some nice numbers for the Triple A Toledo Mud Hens. Finishing out the season with Toledo, he went 7–5 with a 3.27 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 41 walks in 77 innings. More importantly, Cain got the start in the Mud Hens’ final game of the season, on September 8 against the Rochester Red Wings, with the International League pennant at stake. Cain not only held the Red Wings to three hits in a shutout win, but he also starred on offense with a grand slam home run and six RBI in the 17–0 victory.

The winter of 1968 and the 1969 season were setbacks for Cain with one exception. He played winter ball in the Puerto Rican Winter League for the Mayaguez Indians, and after struggling with a 2–6 record to start the season, he pitched a no-hitter on December 3, 1968. It was only the eleventh no-hitter in the league’s history.

Cain found himself once again playing for the Mud Hens in 1969, but this time there was no pennant or happy ending to the season. He struggled most of the season, walking almost as many batters (71) as he struck out (79). He finished the season just 4–12 with a disappointing 5.71 ERA. Things worked out better for Cain in 1970, though, and despite finding himself back in Toledo to start the season, he put together three impressive starts in which he gave up just four runs in 25 innings. His performance was good enough to warrant another look by the Tigers, who brought him back after Daryl Patterson was called to serve a few weeks of active Army duty.

Cain’s first Detroit start of 1970 didn’t go well. Although he struck out nine batters in just five innings, the Chicago White Sox tagged him for six runs in a 13–6 loss on May 1. But he followed with his first major-league complete game and second career win with a solid start on May 6, defeating the Minnesota Twins, 5–2, with a seven-hitter, though he walked six. In his third start, on May 12, he was back in the loss column despite giving up just three runs in seven innings of a 7–2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

From late May through early July, Cain put together a string of starts that, while not always phenomenal, were good enough to garner the left-hander eight consecutive wins. He gave up his share of walks and two or three runs in each of his starts, but he struck out his share of batters, and as the Tigers headed into the All-Star break, Cain sported an impressive 9–2 record with a 3.62 ERA. His first half was impressive enough to warrant consideration for the All-Star Game, and that year’s American League manager, Earl Weaver, was quoted in the August 1 issue of The Sporting News as saying, “Cain should have been with us here in Cincinnati,” where the All-Star Game was played. He added, “The last time I saw him, he was about the best six-inning pitcher in the league.”

The second half of 1970 didn’t go nearly as well for Cain and it was later revealed that he was pitching with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the last two weeks of the season. He did finish the season with 156 strikeouts, a Tigers rookie record that still stands. He did show his propensity to miss the plate with 98 walks, but his 12–7 record and 3.83 ERA were certainly respectable. His 7.77 strikeouts per nine innings were good for third-best in the American League. Only Cleveland’s Sam McDowell and Kansas City Royals rookie Bob Johnson had higher marks among starters.

Cain had another setback the next year. The 1971 season paralleled his disappointing 1969 season with the Mud Hens. Cain missed all of April and most of May because of the shoulder injury. But when he came back, he started the season on fire and after his first seven starts had a 5–1 record with a 1.10 ERA. Then when his arm troubles returned in late June and July, he lost seven consecutive decisions, and his ERA ballooned to 4.46. He finally ended his skid August 23 with a 4–2 victory over the Twins in a game in which he struck out a career-high 13 batters. In his next start, on August 28, he won his second straight, 5–4 over the White Sox, and hit his second career homer. (It was the last home run hit by a Tigers pitcher before the institution of the designated hitter—and the last homer hit by a Tigers pitcher until Jason Johnson hit one 24 years later in 2005.)

On September 12, 1971, Cain threw 3.2 unspectacular innings in a start against the Red Sox. One run came on a home run by Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, the first hit of what would be 2,356 in his Hall of Fame career.

Cain finished strong in September, winning his last three decisions to put his record at 10–9. He once again showed he could strike batters out with 118 whiffs in 144.2 innings, but he was also handing out lots of free passes, with 91 during the season.

On November 14, 1971, Cain became the first person ever to throw two no-hitters in the Puerto Rican Winter League with a 1–0 victory for the Mayaguez Indians. The three no-hitters as a professional, plus his fourth when he was in high school, had to have been the greatest moments of Cain’s baseball life.

Cain’s career came to an abrupt end in 1972. After nursing the shoulder injury in his previous two years, he got off to a horrible start, losing his first three starts of the season. Then in his fifth start of the season, on May 28, Cain walked the first batter he faced, the Yankees’ Horace Clarke, and then was forced to leave the game because of shoulder pain. He went on the 21-day disabled list, and it turned out to be the end of Cain’s major-league baseball career.

Cain almost got one last shot July 8. Tigers reliever John Hiller told the story in the Detroit News in 2005. Hiller was himself coming back from his three heart attacks and intestinal bypass surgery the year before, and Cain was trying to come back from his shoulder injury. As Hiller recalled it, Tigers manager Billy Martin told both Cain and Hiller, “Warm up. I’ll keep one of you and release the other.” Hiller apparently made more of an impact that day, and went on to be the greatest relief pitcher in Detroit Tigers history. Cain was eventually sold to the San Francisco Giants organization.

With the Phoenix Giants, Cain struggled in two starts and three relief appearances, giving up nine runs in just 11 innings. Those outings with Phoenix were his last in professional baseball. He was invited to spring training by the Giants in 1974, but he failed to make the team.

Les Cain’s story doesn’t end with his baseball career, though. While players like Curt Flood took on the reserve clause and Andy Messersmith, Dave McNally, and Catfish Hunter paved the way for free agency, Cain took a stand in a different way. With his baseball career over, he filed a disability claim against the Detroit Tigers in 1973 with the Michigan Bureau of Workman’s Compensation. He said he was effectively forced to play through the injury. Though Cain was employed when he filed the claim—he was in California working for Bank of America in Oakland—he was unable to play baseball.

In late 1976, Cain received a favorable verdict; the Tigers were forced to retroactively pay him $111 a week for the rest of his life, and The Sporting News said on January 1, 1977, that the decision “could set a precedent for all of professional sports.” No longer could a player be abused by his team then dumped without just compensation. Cain said it best in an Associated Press story printed in the February 8, 1977, issue of the Oakland Tribune on February 8, 1977. He said, “I paid into the disability program and felt I should be compensated for the injury. The baseball people look at the verdict as unusual I guess because they’d been saving a lot of money all of those years. They’d never had to pay anybody before.”

Les Cain, recently widowed, currently resides in Richmond, California, and he has one son, Brian Earl Cain Sr., and one grandson, Brian Earl Cain Jr. Brian Jr. currently lives with his mother. Although he isn’t following in his grandfather’s footsteps as a baseball player, he’s become one of the top prep soccer goalies in the state of California and an honors student at his high school in Citrus Heights.

Sources

“Cain Goes Distance for Tigers In Beating Twins.” Ironwood Daily News, May 7, 1970.

“Cain Sparks Gauchos.” Oakland Tribune, May 25, 1966.

“Compensation for Les Cain Landmark Case.” Oakland Tribune, February 8, 1977.

“El Cerrito Pitcher Fans 20.” Oakland Tribune, April 28, 1965.

Fox, Bill. “Cain Able; Hens Win Pennant on Final Day.” The Sporting News, September 21, 1968.

Frau, Miguel. “Cain Reverses Skid—Hurls No-Hit Gem” The Sporting News, December 21, 1968.

Frau, Miguel. “Mayaguez’ Cain Uncorks Second P.R. No-Hitter.” The Sporting News, November 27, 1971.

“Gauchos’ Cain Fires No-Hitter.” Oakland Tribune, April 23, 1966.

Paladino, Larry. “Campbell Very ‘Scotch’ as Detroit Tigers GM.” Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Herald-Palladium, January 29, 1977.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Horton Hitting Gives Tiger Foes Case of Willies.” The Sporting News, June 1, 1968.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Pitcher Lolich Fielding Red-Hot Queries In Public Speaking Loop. The Sporting News, December 3, 1966.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Tiger Puzzler: Can Lolich Fill Hill-Ace Shoes?” The Sporting News, February 27, 1971.

“Two More Eastbay Preps Draft Picks.” Oakland Tribune, June 9, 1966.

“Two Vikings, One Pirate Named to All-County Nine.” Hayward Daily Review, June 7, 1966.

Watson, Michael. “Richmond Choice In ACAL.” Hayward Daily Review, March 16, 1965.

www.baseball-reference.com

www.retrosheet.org

Les Cain file, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Note

This article originally appeared in the book Sock It To ‘Em Tigers–The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, published by Maple Street Press in 2008.

Photo Credit

The Topps Company

David Wilson Campbell was born January 14, 1942, in Manistee, Michigan, a small town with fewer than 9,000 residents located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Along with his younger sister, Nancy, the family moved to Lansing when Dave was a small child. His mother, Frances, worked for the Michigan Highway Department and his father, Robert, was a teacher as well as a baseball and football coach at Sexton High School in Lansing. Robert Campbell had been a two-sport athlete at the University of Michigan, playing baseball and football there from 1935 to 1938. Coming from what he described as a “wonderful, supportive, sports-minded family,” Dave, coached by his father, played baseball and football for the Sexton High School Big Reds, graduating in 1959. Despite living in Lansing, the home of Michigan State University, Campbell always knew that he wanted to attend the University of Michigan because of his father.

Switching from shortstop to first base upon joining the Michigan baseball team in 1962, Campbell helped the Wolverines win their second NCAA baseball championship title. Although they finished second in the Big Ten, because of a sweep of Western Michigan—in which Campbell hit the game-winning home run in the final game—the Wolverines garnered an at-large invitation to the District 4 Regional Championships. The team largely rode to the College World Series on the back of pitcher John Kerr, who threw an astounding 320 pitches in 17 innings in a doubleheader victory over Illinois and Western Michigan to make the College World Series.

The Michigan team reached the finals facing the heavily favored Santa Clara Broncos. Not only were the Broncos the nation’s top-ranked team, but they also featured a then-record five players who would go on to play in the major leagues. In the longest title game in College World Series history, the Wolverines held tough, scoring two runs in the 15th inning to upset Santa Clara 5–4. Although he went hitless in six at bats in the championship game, Campbell was nonetheless named to the all-tournament team, joking, “It’s a good thing they voted on it in the eighth inning, because I didn’t do much in the title game.” The team went on to win the International Collegiate World Series by defeating Hosei University of Tokyo, the Japanese college champions, in a tournament held in Hawaii. Campbell’s talents also quickly attracted the attention of big league scouts and he was offered a contract by the Milwaukee Braves. He turned them down, however, wishing to remain in school. He was also approached by the Boston Red Sox, but declined to sign with them. As he recalled, “I could have signed with the Red Sox two years earlier [than signing with the Tigers] for more money but kids in Michigan dreamed of playing with the Tigers.”

The following season, although the starting infielders who turned 60 double plays in 44 games—including Campbell at first—all returned, the program underwent a major change when longtime coach Don Lund left the program to become farm director for the Tigers. Under new coach Moby Benedict, the Wolverines limped to a 7–7 conference record and did not qualify for the postseason. Batting cleanup, Campbell continued to play a key role for the team, knocking in the two winning runs in the ninth inning with the Wolverines trailing 5–4 against second-ranked Western Michigan. He was also the first player in three years to hit a home run out of the University of Arizona’s Hi Corbett Field—hitting it over the scoreboard at the 375-foot mark in left field.

The following year, with a number of graduation losses, Campbell was named captain of the squad. The team improved significantly, finishing second in the conference. Campbell switched back to shortstop and played well enough to earn All-Conference honors. Taking after his father yet again, Dave graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education, working in the off-season as a substitute teacher. His sister Nancy also became an educator, teaching for many years in the Wacousta, Michigan, school district. His dream of playing with the Tigers came true when Detroit scout Ed Katalinas signed him as a shortstop to a contract for a $10,000 bonus.

Campbell’s first assignment in the minor leagues was to the club’s Lakeland team in the Florida State League. He jumped off to a fast start with the club, hitting .369, with 13 RBI and a home run in 17 games. Campbell’s goal of playing for the Tigers was aided by a considerably larger number of younger players, since, as The Sporting News pointed out, “Vietnam and the draft situation, many prime prospects from the higher minors are back in school or involved in a reserve program.” As a result, clubs and managers were looking for more rookies and prospects than usual and Campbell was able to move up to Class AA Knoxville.

Over 51 games Campbell’s batting average at Class AA dropped to .209, although more than a third of his hits (13 of 33) went for extra bases, including three home runs. The next season, Campbell was still in Double A, now with the Montgomery Rebels, playing alongside former Wolverines teammate Fritz Fisher. Campbell’s average had rebounded to .310 by the time he was promoted to Triple A Syracuse of the International League.

He spent slightly over half of the season with the Chiefs, his nine home runs and 27 RBI helping the team to a 74–73 record and a spot in the playoffs. Campbell even received a vote in a poll conducted by The Sporting News as “Best Hustler.” He began the next season with Syracuse, although was sent back to Montgomery after struggling at the plate. He finished the season strongly there, driving in 28 and hitting six home runs in 53 games.

Campbell reported to the Tigers’ spring training in 1967 in Lakeland, trying to make the club as a utility infielder and number-three catcher. Full of exuberance and energy, on March 20 he played in his first exhibition game as a Tiger, hitting a single off Atlanta Braves pitcher Cecil Upshaw in his first at-bat. Unfortunately for Campbell, within the Tigers infield, anchored by Norm Cash, Don Wert, and Dick McAuliffe, there was no space for him at the beginning of the season, and started the season with Class AAA Toledo (Syracuse had switched its affiliation to the New York Yankees that winter).

Establishing himself at second base, 1967 was a breakout season for Campbell. His defense was spectacular, leading International League second basemen with a .977 fielding average while his offense improved dramatically as he hit 20 home runs. Even though Toledo was picked to finished last in the International League, they finished third and earned a playoff berth. After beating Richmond in the semifinals, the Mud Hens faced Columbus for the Governor’s Cup. After losing the first game, they won the next four games behind the clutch hitting of Campbell and took the title. Campbell hit a solid .350 in the series while scoring four runs. His three-run home run in the ninth inning of the fourth game proved decisive, giving the Mud Hens a 7–4 victory and a commanding 3–1 series lead. The next night, in a 0–0 tie in the bottom of the ninth, Campbell scored the game-winning run to clinch the title for Toledo.

Only two days after the club’s dramatic victory, Campbell finally got his chance in the majors when on September 17^â€he made his debut in the major leagues for the Detroit Tigers in a game against the Washington Senators at Tiger Stadium when he pinch-hit for shortstop Ray Oyler in the sixth inning. Campbell’s only other appearance for the 1967 Tigers came later that week, taking over for Eddie Mathews at first base in the seventh inning. He finished the season with the Tigers as the club nearly won the pennant in one of the closest races in major league history—finishing tied with the Twins one game behind the Red Sox.

That fall, Campbell went to play in the Florida Instructional League. His strong hitting, including a .315 average that placed him third in the league, helped the Tigers’ entry in the league win the pennant. Trying to make himself even more versatile, he even worked as catcher for a few games in the Florida Instructional League. Detroit vice-president Rick Ferrell commented on the “Florida experiment”: “Dave handles low throws real well and also did some good throwing.” In 23 innings behind the plate Campbell did not allow a passed ball.

Once again, Campbell reported to spring training in 1968 trying to find a permanent position with the Tigers. But with McAuliffe still firmly entrenched at second Campbell had to start the season in Toledo. Campbell’s offense continued to improve, as he raised his batting average 20 points to .265, and despite playing 40 fewer games than the year before, increased his home run total to 26, establishing a Toledo club record, and raised his RBI total from 36 to 64. His most dramatic home-run hitting that year came in the opener of a doubleheader July 6 against Louisville. He accounted for all of the team’s runs beginning in the bottom of the sixth inning when he hit a solo shot with the Mud Hens trailing 2–0. In the bottom of the next frame, Campbell hit a game-ending grand slam. Exactly a week later, Campbell had another two-homer game in a 16–12 slugfest against league-leading Rochester.

Campbell was among four Mud Hens selected to the all-star tilt in Louisville pitting the International League stars against the Cincinnati Reds. Flying from Indianapolis, the four were delayed as a result of a bomb scare when airline officials received two calls warning that a bomb had been planted on the plane. After making the passengers leave the plane, a search was unable to find any explosives. The FBI did pick up a 13-year-old boy from Chicago who admitted making the calls as a joke. The players eventually arrived safely, although three hours late.

After the excitement in Indianapolis, Campbell hit eight home runs in July, including two grand slams in four days, to help lead the Mud Hens to a seven-game winning streak to extend their lead at the top of the standings. While leading Toledo in most offensive categories, Campbell garnered a call-up to the Tigers at the end of July for two weeks when Tom Matchick was on summer military duty. Playing in a substitute role for his first five games, Campbell got his only start with the team August 7 against Cleveland at Tiger Stadium. His first hit was a dramatic one—a home run off Mike Paul in the eighth inning, helping the Tigers beat the Indians 6–1. It would be his only hit during his time with the Tigers in 1967 and 1968. Sent down to Toledo upon Matchick’s return in mid-August, everyone assumed that he would be back soon with the club, unfortunately however, his return to the Tigers would have to wait a year as he finished the season in the minors.

The 1968 season came to represent Campbell’s frustrations with the Tigers. Although he had been playing great offensively and defensively for Toledo, the local boy who had always dreamed of playing for the team, even turning down better offers from the Braves and Red Sox because he would have to leave the state of Michigan, now was unable to get a chance to play, and could only watch the Tigers’ championship 1968 season because he was buried too low on the depth chart. He was stuck behind Dick McAuliffe, the club’s All-Star second baseman. Although Campbell had “great admiration for Dick and the way he played the game,” and considered McAuliffe to be his favorite player, nonetheless he urged General Manager Jim Campbell (no relation) to trade him to another team.

Dave Campbell was so frustrated at being sent down to Class AAA once again that he considered quitting professional baseball. He was eventually convinced to play in the minors by the Tigers’ GM since it would give him exposure for any interested ball club. Dave told The Sporting News, “There are 24 major league teams and I feel I’m good enough to play for some of them. And this is the best summer job I could find.”

Stricken with mononucleosis, Campbell played only a limited role in Toledo’s dramatic pennant race, which like the Tigers’ in 1967 went down to the final day of the season. Trailing Columbus by a single percentage point, as the Mud Hens had more losses than the Jets (due to Columbus rainouts which were never made up), Toledo—needing a win combined with a Columbus loss to clinch the pennant—crushed Rochester 17–0 behind a marvelous game by pitcher Les Cain, who pitched a three-hit shutout in addition to belting a grand slam. Columbus lost their first game of a doubleheader, giving Toledo the title. Facing Jacksonville in the Governor’s Cup playoffs, the Mud Hens were eliminated in the semifinal round.

Campbell and his wife moved to Lakeland, the Tigers’ spring training home, in order to better improve his chances of making Detroit’s roster at the start of the season, and spent the winter working as a substitute teacher. Campbell’s power numbers with Toledo, particularly his 46 round-trippers 1967–1968, caught the attention of Detroit brass for 1969. The Sporting News wrote, “Dave’s right-handed power gives him the best chance to make it as one of Mayo Smith’s extra infielders. Campbell also qualifies as an emergency catcher.” Playing both first and second, Campbell’s early hitting in spring training impressed coach Wally Moses and he was rewarded with a spot on the roster to start the season.

Campbell began the year with the Tigers as a utility infielder. Playing in 32 games, he bounced between first, second, and third base and occasionally appearing as a pinch-hitter. While the Tigers as a team suffered through a post-championship malaise throughout the season, Campbell’s numbers in particular plummeted. He hit just .103—by far the worst of any the position players, although he only committed two errors all year. During the year, he made two short trips down to Toledo to try and improve his hitting. In 25 games with the Mud Hens, in what would be his final minor-league trip, Campbell hit a remarkable .427, with 15 RBI and three home runs. He seemed to be unable to transition his minor-league hitting to the majors, however.

While playing in the Puerto Rico Winter League, Campbell finally found his chance to be an everyday player when Tigers management traded him. With McAuliffe prepared to return to regular duty at second base, and the other infield positions filled by Don Wert at third, Cesar Gutierrez at shortstop, and Norm Cash (spelled occasionally by Al Kaline) at first, and looking to shore up their starting pitching behind Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich, the Tigers dealt Campbell along with pitcher Pat Dobson and $25,000 to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Joe Niekro in December 1969. Although he would be playing baseball outside of Michigan for the first time in his life, with the Padres he could now expect to be an everyday player.

Joining a San Diego franchise in only its second year of operation, Campbell was penciled in as the starting second baseman. Playing a full season for the only time in his career, Campbell was excited about his new team, telling The Sporting News, “Until this season, I’d never played five games in a row in the majors. I wasn’t getting any younger and couldn’t see much future with the Tigers.” San Diego manager Preston Gomez was also excited about his presence, saying, “Campbell‘s been a big plus for us. He’s steadied the right side of the infield. I like the way he takes charge out there. He has very good baseball instinct.” Playing in 154 games, Campbell led the National League second basemen in putouts (359) and assists (455) although tying for the league lead in errors with 22. Shifting to the leadoff and number-two spots in the lineup after getting off to a strong start, Campbell tailed off badly during the season. He led the team in stolen in bases with eighteen, but finished the season with a dismal .219 average; he nonetheless was one of eight Padres in double figures in home runs.

In a somewhat dubious distinction, Campbell got one of only two Padres hits against Mets pitcher Tom Seaver in his record-setting pitching performance on April 22 at Shea Stadium when he struck out 10 batters in a row, breaking the major-league record, and 19 total to tie Steve Carlton’s record. Seaver only allowed two hits that day, one a single to Campbell and the other a solo home run to left fielder Al Ferrara. In an omen of things to come for the Padres, they finished their season last in the NL West, 39 games behind the Cincinnati Reds, with a 63–99 record—worst in the league.

In order to give the Padres a sorely needed quality leadoff man, Campbell worked on switch-hitting in the Arizona Instructional League to improve his batting and on-base percentages. Going into the 1971 season Campbell was one of the standouts in the Padres’ spring training. The quandary was where to play Campbell. With competition from recently acquired Don Mason at second and starting third baseman Ed Spiezio holding out, Campbell was tried out at third base.

Early-season injuries to Spiezio, Mason, and shortstop Enzo Hernandez created an infield shortage for the Padres, giving Campbell once again the opportunity to play second, third, and shortstop on a daily basis. His utility value was again apparent to Gomez, who commented, “I don’t know what we would have done without Dave to fill in at shortstop and third base. He did a good job for us.” While continuing to play strong defense, Campbell started his second full season in the majors well, but once again his offense tailed off and his average dropped to .227 by season’s end, though his on-base percentage was up 31 points to .299. On September 6, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, Campbell was injured running out a sacrifice bunt. He underwent Achilles’ tendon surgery a few days later, ending his season. Campbell’s next two seasons with the club were overshadowed by recurring injuries to his Achilles’ tendon. He played in only 88 games total in 1972–1973 as he struggled to stay healthy.

The Padres’ 1973 season became dominated by talk of a move to Washington after only four years in San Diego, when the team was sold to interests hailing from the capital. The team’s dire financial straits forced them to sell off a number of players for little in return. Campbell was in the midst of one of the worst slumps in baseball history, going 0-for-45 beginning May 16 for three different teams. Eight days before the June 15 trade deadline, still hitless in the last month, the Padres shipped Campbell to the St. Louis Cardinals for $30,000 and erratic infielder Dwain Anderson.

After only thirteen games with the Redbirds, continuing his slump after going hitless in 21 at-bats, Campbell was traded once again—this time to the Houston Astros for outfielder Tommie Agee. He responded to moving yet again by telling The Sporting News, “It’s tough to leave a club that is in first place and has a shot at the big money. But due to my past association with Preston Gomez, it could be a break for me. Preston was the manager at San Diego when I was a regular there for four years. So he knows what I can do.” Reunited with his former skipper, Campbell broke his slump seven games in his tenure with the Astros, hitting a double September 19 against his old San Diego team. After the 1974 season, in which he played only 35 games and hit .087, Campbell decided to retire after eight years in the majors, finishing his career with a .213 average, 89 RBI, and 20 home runs.

Campbell’s broadcasting career had begun in 1972 following his season-ending surgery. Campbell recalled in the San Diego Union-Tribune, “After I got hurt I called Buzzie (Bavasi, Padres general manager) and volunteered to do the color commentary. I told him I’d do it for free if he’d pick up my hotel and meal money.” Bavasi agreed, and Campbell, to his recollection, “did 10 or 11 games that year.” Unfortunately, after retiring from the Astros he was unable to find an announcing job, and worked as a cameraman, reporter, and later sportscaster for a San Diego television station.

In 1977, frustrated that no broadcasting job had been offered, Campbell took a job managing the Padres’ Class AA team in Amarillo in the Texas League. The year before, the Gold Sox were one of four Padres affiliates to win minor league championships. Campbell had been offered coaching opportunities before. “Houston offered me a job as manager of its Columbus, Georgia, club in the Class AA Southern League following the 1973 season. At the time, I was just kinda tired of the travel, and perhaps baseball in general.” But when Gold Sox manager Bob Miller left to join the Toronto Blue Jays and the Padres called, Campbell decided the time was right. Unfortunately, under Campbell’s tutelage the team did not repeat its past success, finishing in last place, and he was fired after only one year, ending his efforts at coaching.

Campbell quickly moved back to the broadcast booth, calling Padres games with former second baseman and legendary broadcaster Jerry Coleman. He added another job to his resume, co-writing from 1984 to 1986 the annual Scouting Report alongside Brooks Robinson, Duke Snider, Denny Mathews, and Harmon Killebrew (who replaced Mathews in 1986). He also hosted a postgame and baseball history show in San Diego. However, unexpectedly in October 1988, Campbell’s contract was not renewed, ending his association with the club and creating an enormous amount of backlash for the club. A ballot in the sports section of the San Diego Union-Tribune asked fans if they agreed or disagreed with Campbell’s firing; only 150 of 2,500 took the Padres’ side. While it was never fully explained, many speculated his being let go was the result of personality conflicts with team officials due to his often critical comments of Padres’ players and management.

Unable to find another baseball broadcasting position for a major league team, Campbell called San Diego State football and baseball games for a time. During his time off, he also had the idea to in his words, “develop a game for anybody who liked baseball at all—kids, women, anybody.” Campbell created a board game, X-Tra Bases, that combined trivia and baseball strategy.

Campbell found two positions shortly thereafter, first hosting a Christian-oriented talk show, “Talk from the Heart,” for KBRT-AM in Costa Mesa, California. A decidedly non-baseball show, it dealt with such issues as abortion, pornography, and a perceived antireligious bias in the media. He was also hired by ESPN in 1990 to work as a baseball analyst on Tuesday and Friday night games. In 17 years with the network he has worked in a number of positions ranging from TV analyst, correspondent on “Baseball Tonight,” and calling games on ESPN Radio.

In 1993, while working for ESPN, Campbell was hired as the TV announcer for the Colorado Rockies. He stayed in Colorado until 1997 when Fox Sports Rocky Mountain purchased the TV rights to the games. And since “Fox didn’t want an ESPN personality on its telecasts, and ESPN was not about to allow Campbell to work for a competitor,” he was let go.

Campbell’s career as a broadcaster is in many ways defined by two things: his broad and in-depth knowledge of all components of the game and his willingness to speak his mind. The Sporting News perhaps best summed this up when it nominated him as the best television analyst of 1991, calling him the “master of the ‘first guess,’ [who] wouldn’t try to sugar-coat even his mother’s efforts if she booted a ground ball.” The Denver Post similarly noted his devotion to broadcasting, stating, “He estimates, he studies statistical references, scouting reports and historical books from four to eight hours almost daily in the off-season, then spends about four hours a day when the season starts compiling the statistics, anecdotes, and other material that seem to flow so easily and at such appropriate moments on a broadcast.” The respect for Campbell’s broadcasting is also demonstrated through the sadness expressed upon his departure from the Rockies; lamented his leaving, the Denver Post opined the “Colorado Rockies television viewers will be learning the game from a new teacher this year.”

From a playing career that was largely defined by inconsistency, Campbell’s broadcasting career has been remarkably stable. Working for the Padres, Rockies, and ESPN for 30 years had enabled Campbell, in the words of baseball broadcasting historian Curt Smith, to remain “tall and tan and young and lively,” and to become “baseball’s bronze warrior,” and one of the most respected baseball broadcasters of the past generation.

Sources

Adler, Richard. Baseball at the University of Michigan. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia. 2004.

Madden, W.C. and Patrick J. Stewart. The College World Series: A Baseball History: 1947–2003. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. 2004.

San Diego Union Tribune.

Smith, Curt. Voices of Summer. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers. 2005.

Sullivan, George, and David Cataneo Detroit Tigers: The Complete Record of Detroit Tigers Baseball. New York: Collier Books. 1985.

The Sporting News.

Denver Post.

Note

This article originally appeared in the book Sock It To ‘Em Tigers–The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, published by Maple Street Press in 2008.

Photo Credit

The Topps Company

By the end of 1987 Jim Campbell had set the major league record for most years as a general manager or president of one club (26), the Detroit Tigers. He continued to add to that record as president and CEO until his abrupt dismissal in August 1992. In all, Jim worked for the Tigers for 43 years, his entire career. He often said his first love was the Tigers, and there is little doubt that the Tigers benefited from that dedication.

James Arthur Campbell was born in the small Lake Erie town of Huron, Ohio, February 5, 1924. He was one of two children of Arthur A. and Vanessa Hart Campbell. His father, a salesman, died while Jim was still in high school, several years after he was severely burned in a freak electrical accident. Jim’s mother, in addition to raising him and his sister Betty, was a school teacher and later the first woman postmaster for Huron, a post she held for 25 years. Young Jim excelled in athletics at Huron High School. He played six-man football, basketball, and ran track for the Huron Tigers. The school did not have a baseball team, but Jim played baseball for the Huron G’s, a local department store team that played teams from nearby towns. Jim went to Ohio State University in 1942 on a football scholarship. He was part of the “Baby Buckeyes” coached by Paul Brown before he interrupted college following his freshman year to serve in World War II with the Naval Air Corps. Discharged in October 1945, Jim returned to Ohio State in 1946 and graduated in 1949 with a BS degree in commerce (now business administration). This time at OSU Jim’s main sport was baseball. He was a star outfielder for the Buckeyes, lettering three straight years, and batting a respectable .271 his senior year. But, as his lifelong friend and classmate, Dick Klein, noted, Jim already knew that what he wanted was a career in the management end of baseball. In December 1949 he got his first break—the only break he would ever need. A local Huron businessman with connections to then-Detroit Tigers General Manager Billy Evans got Jim an interview. Evans hired Campbell as business manager of the Tigers’ Class D farm team in Thomasville, Georgia, for the 1950 season.

The challenge presented the new business grad was one for which his schooling could never have prepared him. The first night of the home season the baseball park burned to the ground. “I thought that was it for me,” Campbell later told baseball writer Dan Ewald. But Jim’s response to the catastrophe showed the Tigers’ organization plenty. He borrowed uniforms to keep the team playing and had the field roped off so ticket admissions could be collected. He then had the stadium rebuilt in record time and, along with the rebuilding, added amenities like a popcorn machine and renovated women’s restrooms. The Tigers’ bosses were impressed enough to promote Jim the next year to business manager of the Tigers’ top farm club, the Toledo Mud Hens. Including the 1952 season as business manager at Buffalo, it took only three years for Jim to get his first organization-wide job as business manager for Detroit’s minor league system in 1953. In that post, Jim undertook the building of the Tigertown complex at the Tigers’ spring training site in Lakeland, Florida. He personally designed the buildings, dormitories, and diamonds. Though built in 1953, Tigertown is still considered one of the finest spring training facilities in major league baseball.

When Campbell began his rise through the Detroit organizational ranks, the team was still owned by the Briggs family. Jim faced a second critical point in his career when the Briggs heirs sold the team to an 11-man syndicate. Jim later told Dan Ewald, “We were just like the fans. We didn’t know what to expect. There were so many owners; it looked like most just wanted to be around a major league team. They wanted to make decisions about things they really knew nothing about.” Jim did not need to worry. Instead of a setback the arrival of new ownership proved to cement Jim’s relationship with the Tigers for the rest of his career. Once the dust settled and John Fetzer emerged as the lead owner of the group and later the primary owner, Campbell’s future was assured. He became overall business manager in May 1957 at age 33. A year later Fetzer named him vice-president in charge of farm operations, making Jim one of the youngest men at the time to hold an officer’s job at the major league level. After a disastrous experience with veteran baseball man Bill DeWitt running the operation, Fetzer installed himself as president with Rick Ferrell as interim GM. After looking at all his options, Fetzer took a risk, naming Campbell general manager—the office with which his name later became synonymous in Tigers lore. Jim Campbell was 38.

To fully appreciate the boldness of Fetzer’s move, it is necessary to know that in 1962, when Jim was named to the post, the general manager was the chief policy maker. General managers, not the owners, ran the whole show, from signing and trading players to deciding ticket prices and choosing ballpark food. It was a time, Dan Ewald wrote, “when any baseball executive under 40 was considered to be just a greenhorn learning the intricacies of the game.” Fetzer himself told Ewald that when he started his search for a new permanent general manager he thought Jim was “about ten years away” from being able to step in and run the ballclub. But Fetzer soon recognized that Campbell “demonstrated an ability to take charge. He knew our whole system. He knew the game. And more than anything else, Jim Campbell was probably the most honest man I had ever encountered.” Fetzer never regretted his choice. The two worked together to build the Tigers into a winning franchise and keep the team competitive for 21 years, until Fetzer sold the team to Tom Monaghan, who wisely left the team in Jim’s capable hands until shortly before he sold the team to Mike Ilitch in 1992. John Fetzer set down three basic principles to guide the team’s operations: Stay competitive; build from within; and don’t lose money in the process. Jim Campbell implemented those principles. But it was the way he implemented them that made his reputation as one of the great baseball executives of all time. He proved that the traditional small-town values he had brought with him from Huron—honesty, integrity, loyalty and hard work—could produce and maintain a successful major league franchise even in the modern era.

One of Campbell’s first and most difficult tasks was not purely in the baseball realm. John Fetzer ordered Jim to make certain that all Tiger players were treated equally regardless of race. Although the Tigers had had black major league players since the late 1950s and had integrated their farm system with future major league prospects without regard to race, black major league players and their families still had to deal with segregation when they went to spring training in Florida. They had the choice of staying with local black families or living at the integrated Tigertown complex. They could not eat at area restaurants. As the civil rights movement grew in intensity in the early 1960s, Fetzer determined that he wanted to be on the right side of history. Yet he knew the situation could be explosive. Jim brought together the mayor of Lakeland, members of the city commission, and the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. The deal he negotiated required the local Holiday Inn, close to where the major league team trained, to house all major league players on a nonsegregated basis starting with spring training in 1963. The talks also yielded concessions to integrate dining establishments in the area. Typically, Campbell’s report to his boss gave the credit to others: “All of these men have recognized this problem, not only with baseball, but in other enterprises.…They feel the time has come when they want to take a stand.”

Fetzer’s gamble with Campbell was soon rewarded on the baseball field as well. Jim built the Tigers into consistent winners in only three seasons and world champions in six. The 1968 Tigers were built around homegrown talent. Joining veterans like Al Kaline and Dick McAuliffe were the likes of pitchers Denny McLain, Mickey Lolich, and John Hiller, and in the field, Mickey Stanley, Jim Northrup, Willie Horton, Gates Brown, and Bill Freehan, all Detroit farm products. These Tigers were a far cry from the “Fat Cats” of the 1950s, so named because they were overpaid and underperforming, consistently finishing in the second division and out of contention in the American League. Starting with his years as head of the farm system, Jim Campbell had developed an eye for talent—and just the right kind of talent to make the Tigers winners. New Yorker writer Roger Angell paid tribute to both general managers in describing the teams in this last “pre-inflationary, pre-playoff” World Series as “deep, experienced and exciting teams, whose individual attributes were admirably designed for the dimensions of their home parks—the Cardinals, the defending world champions, quick on the bases, brilliant in defense, knowing in the subtleties of the cutoff, sacrifice, and hit-and-run; the Tigers a band of free-swingers who had bashed a hundred and eighty-one homers and could eschew the delicate touch in the knowledge that their runs would come, probably late and in clusters.” When the Tigers capped off their comeback from a three-games-to-one deficit to capture the Series with a win over the previously indomitable Bob Gibson, Jim Campbell, as the architect of that team, stood at the pinnacle of his profession. Recognizing his accomplishment, The Sporting News named him Major League Baseball Executive of the Year for 1968.

Just as he reached the heights, however, Campbell faced new challenges. Baseball was changing. Continued expansion, playoffs, and free agency altered the staid baseball world. But Campbell, although a baseball traditionalist until his death, managed not only to survive but prosper in the new environment. It was Campbell’s style, and Fetzer’s, not to snow Tiger fans with a lot of promotions and gimmicks. The Tigers held few promotions. Jim built the best teams he could, believing that what attracted the fans most was a winning team. Hewing to the Fetzer principles, Campbell continued to keep the Tigers competitive most years, building from within and still turning a profit. There were two 100-loss seasons, in 1975 and 1989, but many more years with exciting teams and races. Despite tight budgets, the Tigers under Campbell finished second six times, won the American League East titles in 1972 and 1987, and won one more World Series in 1984. The 1984 team, like the 1968 team, featured a nucleus of players who had grown up in the Tigers’ minor league system, among them Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Jack Morris, and Dan Petry. At the postgame celebration following the 1984 World Series victory, Campbell told a Detroit newspaper reporter, “You know, a lot of guys have been in baseball for 34 years like I have and have never won anything. To win a league championship and a World Series is anyone’s goal. But it’s a long grind. You take a lot of heat. But the reward in the end is worth it all.”

While some general managers promoted, marketed, and bought high-priced free agents to attract fans and build champions, Jim Campbell stayed true to his principles. In choosing this path his own personal values helped him. John Fetzer was not the only man who thought Jim Campbell was the most honest man he knew. Although jokingly called “Buddha” because of his premature baldness, round face, and beer belly, Jim was anything but inscrutable. Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline said when Jim died, “one thing I’ll never forget is how totally honest he was. You didn’t need a signed contract, a handshake was just as good.” Even the media, who were often critical of his decisions and with whom he had little patience, admired this quality. Longtime Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell praised Jim: “To the media he is one of the most trusted of all sports executives. His honesty and integrity have never been questioned.” Detroit News sportswriter Joe Falls noted that, if he got information from a source and wanted to check it with Campbell, Jim would always be truthful, either telling him he was right or saying “I wouldn’t use that if I were you.”

Campbell’s honesty also helped him bridge the gap between labor and management and make the transition to the free agent era. Players trusted him. They felt free to come into his office and collar him at the ballpark or on the team bus just to talk baseball with him. They knew his passion for the game was as great as theirs. But they also knew he would be honest and fair with them regarding their contracts. Players from different eras tell the same story. In 1969 Tigers catcher Bill Freehan, a thoughtful university graduate, felt comfortable enough with Jim to informally negotiate with him while a dispute between the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association was pending. Once the dispute was settled, they were able to compromise on a figure with just over an hour of man-to-man talk at the ballpark. After his 1976 breakout year the free-spirited and talented young pitcher, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, who had become a media sensation, had offers from many agents to negotiate million-dollar contracts for him. But Jim Campbell chose a typically low-key, direct approach. Treating Fidrych as he had other players in the past, Jim called him and asked when he wanted to talk contract and whether he was going to get an agent. When Fidrych said he wasn’t getting an agent, Campbell was concerned enough to ask the young man who was going to help him. When Fidrych answered that his dad would help, Jim promptly offered to fly Mark’s father out to Milwaukee, where the Tigers were playing, so they could all negotiate face-to-face. This impressed Fidrych. Even more impressive to him was that the minute he saw the contract he was able to sign it. In his own inimitable style Fidrych related to author Tom Clark: “He had what I wanted. It was weird. It was like we—like he already knew what my mind was talking about before I even got in there.” In typical Campbell fashion, after the signing, they all spent the rest of the meeting talking baseball. Even Sparky Anderson claimed he signed his contracts with Jim without reading them. All he would ask was whether what they had talked about was in the contract. When Jim said it was, Sparky signed. “He wasn’t going to lie to me,” Sparky said. “He wasn’t going to cheat. He didn’t know how to. When Jim Campbell gave his word, it was like the tablets that Moses brought down from the mountain.”

Another quality of Campbell’s too infrequently seen in powerful men was his loyalty and ability to let others do their jobs without interference. He demanded loyalty and was a tough boss, setting a high standard of work and commitment. But he was loyal as well, not only to John Fetzer and later Tom Monaghan above him, but to those who worked for him. These qualities made it possible for him to snare Sparky Anderson, already a proven field general, as the manager to guide the Tigers in a run that eventually led to the 1984 world championship. Sparky wrote in his memoir Bless You Boys: “Throughout all my days with Cincinnati, everyone told me there was no better general manager in baseball than Jim. He’s the one man everyone wants to work for. That’s because he lets you do your job. He’s a real man’s man.” Campbell also showed that loyalty under difficult circumstances. Shortly after Jim moved himself up to chairman of the board and CEO, ceding the Tigers’ presidency to former University of Michigan football coach Glenn “Bo” Schembechler, Bo fired the popular Ernie Harwell at the end of the 1990 season. Despite media criticism and fan outrage that lasted months, Campbell did not overrule Schembechler. Other teams’ executives admired Jim’s ability to attract loyal staff. One of them, Roland Hemond, noted that the Tigers under Jim were a very consistent organization: “People were still there decades after you met them. That’s a credit to leadership.” Jim’s staff worked long hours with no overtime. Although they were required to be in early each morning and stay until after each game ended, they respected Jim, and he in turn gave them chances to shine. Jim once told Detroit Free Press sportswriter George Puscas: “I was grateful that my bosses gave me opportunities and responsibilities and I like to do that with my people.”

Campbell demanded nothing of others that he did not demand of himself. In fact, he demanded the most from himself but claimed never to have regretted it. Although he worked seven days a week throughout the year and took only one vacation that he could remember, he refused to call himself a workaholic. “I enjoy my job too much to be a workaholic,” he told Joe Falls in 1985. He did admit to Falls that his love of his work had cost him his marriage. On January 16, 1954, he had married Helene Grace Mulligan, of Lakewood, Ohio, after a brief courtship. In July 1969, only a few months after Jim’s triumph with the 1968 Tigers, they divorced. “The Tigers are my whole life. Why kid about it?” Jim said. “I guess you can say I’m married to the ballclub. My wife always said she was no better than fourth in my life—behind the ball club, Ohio State and my home town of Huron, Ohio. You know something? She was right.” Jim never remarried.

The Campbell routine was to arrive at the office each day, in suit and tie, promptly at nine in the morning. His staff was expected to be there at 8:30. Jim felt he owed it to the scouts and other people in the field to be there for their calls. They were working for him, and he was working for them. Only on winter Saturdays and Sundays would he allow himself to come in late, to get things done in the quiet office he could not get done earlier in the week. Jim’s dedication to the Tigers led him to reject suggestions that he become president of the American League or even commissioner, posts many more ambitious executives would have coveted.

Jim’s loyalty to the Tigers ran deeper than to the organization alone. He told more than one reporter that in the final analysis it was the fans and the importance of baseball to the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan that kept him working. From someone other than Jim Campbell such a statement would have seemed cloying and clichéd. But no one doubted that Jim meant exactly what he said. The motivation to win for the fans helped him make one of his most difficult decisions in 1979. It was one time when he had to choose between two loyalties. Jim had hired career professional Les Moss to manage the Tigers at the beginning of the year. Les had the team playing better than .500 ball and beginning to jell when Jim fired him and replaced him with Sparky Anderson. Jim admitted it was one of the most difficult decisions he ever had to make. He felt, however, that he could not pass up the chance to get Anderson, already a proven winner with the Cincinnati Reds. His intuition proved correct. Sparky arrived promising that within five years he would make the Tigers champions, and he did just that. Although Campbell offered Les Moss another job with the Tigers, Les left the organization—a sad moment for Jim.

The businessman in Campbell recognized that he needed to provide for his own succession. Health problems, including a serious angina attack in 1983, may have hastened his planning. When Tom Monaghan bought the Tigers in 1983, Jim became president and CEO, with Bill Lajoie replacing him as general manager. As early as 1985, Jim told Joe Falls that he didn’t want to be one of those persons who stayed on too long. He outlined plans to give Lajoie more responsibilities and to gradually step aside. In 1990 he named Bo Schembechler president and became chairman of the board and CEO. But, despite his best intentions, he remained effectively in charge. For a man who had spent his life working seven days a week, 365 days a year at a job he loved, the temptation to stay on was too strong.

On August 3, 1992, Tigers owner Tom Monaghan fired both Jim Campbell and his hand-picked president, Bo Schembechler. Monaghan reportedly executed the firings as part of a deal with his fellow pizza magnate, Mike Ilitch, to whom he was selling the club. Ilitch wanted the decks clear for him before he took over to minimize negative publicity for the beginning of his tenure as owner. Once he left the Tigers, Jim Campbell never returned to the ballpark despite numerous invitations and an attempt to have a day in his honor. Reportedly he did not so much regret his own firing but did not like the way his longtime employees were treated by the Ilitch group. Many of them were unceremoniously dumped with little or no warning. Still, he never spoke out against the new owners and continued to follow the Tigers and baseball on television. After leaving the Tigers, Jim divided his time between his home in Dearborn, his retirement condo in Lakeland, Florida, and his home town of Huron, Ohio. He did not take another baseball job.

Jim Campbell died October 31, 1995, little more than three years after his firing. He had had heart problems for years and died a few days after being admitted to the Regional Medical Center in Lakeland. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest.

When Campbell died, eulogies came from throughout the baseball world remembering Jim for his honesty, loyalty, and passion for baseball. But Campbell was remembered best and is still remembered by those who knew him the longest: the people of Huron, Ohio. Detroit sportswriters who covered him made little if any mention of his continuing connection to his hometown. They assumed that because of his devotion to his work and his simple lifestyle he had few friends. Yet throughout his life Jim maintained contact with friends he had known since childhood and made new friends in Huron. He visited often, not only to see his mother, who lived into her nineties, but to see old friends. And, anyone who wanted to come up to a ball game in Detroit knew they had only to pick up the phone and call Campbell to find box seats waiting for them. But Jim did more. He had become a wealthy man working for the Tigers. Reportedly, John Fetzer had rewarded his loyalty by giving Campbell a 3 percent stake in the ownership of the Tigers. Jim established a scholarship fund of approximately a million dollars in his mother’s name to provide four-year college scholarships based on need and activities for Huron High School graduates. In his will he set aside another $1 million for the fund. Today the fund allows scholarships of $6,000 each year ($24,000 total). In some years as many as twenty four-year scholarships have been awarded to deserving Huron students. It is little wonder that the main street leading to Huron High School has been re-named Jim Campbell Boulevard, in honor of the small-town boy who took the values he learned there and left a legacy that extended beyond baseball.

The Campbells were of Scottish descent. Nineteenth-century Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle provided the perfect epitaph for Jim Campbell when he said: “Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness; he has a work, a life-purpose; he has found it and will follow it.” Jim Campbell found his work and loved it, and that love benefited many others.

Sources

Anderson, Sparky, with Dan Ewald. Bless You Boys. Chicago: Contemporary Books. 1984.

Angell, Roger. The Summer Game. New York: Popular Library. 1972.

Detroit Tiger Yearbook. Detroit: Detroit Tigers. 1976 and 1984.

Detroit Tiger Scorebook and Official Program. New York City: Professional Sports Publications. 1987.

Ewald, Dan. John Fetzer. On a Handshake. Dan Ewald, Champaign, Ill.: Sagamore Publishing. 1977.

Fidrych, Mark, and Tom Clark, No Big Deal. Philadelphia and New York: Lippincott. 1977.

Freehan, Bill. Behind the Mask Bill Freehan, New York: Popular Library. 1970.

Harwell, Ernie. Tuned to Baseball. Ernie Harwell, South Bend, Ind.: Diamond Communications. 1985.

Makio (Ohio State University yearbook). Columbus: The Ohio State University. 1948, 1949, and 1950 editions.

Ohio State University Alumni Magazine. Columbus: The Ohio State University. May 1993.

OSU—The Ohio State University Alumni Magazine. Columbus: The Ohio State University. December 1984.

Falls, Joe. “The Tigers are his life…” Detroit News, February 17, 1985.

Falls, Joe. “Campbell loved game, not agents.” Detroit News, November 1, 1995.

Green, Jerry. “Longtime Tiger GM dies in Florida at 71.” Detroit News, November 1, 1995.

Guidi, Gene, Steve Kornacki and John Lowe. “Ex-Tigers boss Campbell dies at 71.” Detroit Free Press, November 1, 1995.

Puscas, George. “Campbell was a symbol of an era’s greatness.” Detroit Free Press, November 1, 1995.

New York Times, November 2, 1995.

Vincent, Charlie. “Campbell devoted a life to his true love.” Detroit Free Press, November 1, 1995.

www.BaseballLibrary.com

Mallett, Jeanne M. Interview with Richard L. (Dick) Klein, Huron, Ohio, June 14, 2007.

The City of Huron, Ohio, Chamber of Commerce.

The Ohio State University Alumni Association and The Ohio State University Alumni Records Archive.

Note

This article originally appeared in the book Sock It To ‘Em Tigers–The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, published by Maple Street Press in 2008.

Norman Dalton Cash was born on November 10, 1934, in Justiceburg, Texas. A railroad junction located southeast of Lubbock, Justiceburg boasted a population of 25 according to the 1925 population census. Fittingly, its most famous citizen wore 25 as his uniform number for most of his professional baseball career. Cash’s most dominant childhood memories were of helping on the family farm: “My dad’s life was hard work…he had 250 acres of fertile land and we grew cotton on 200 acres.  I drove a tractor from the time I was ten. Sometimes I drove it ten to twelve hours.”1

Working with a hoe on the farm also allowed him to develop his wrists. Ironically, those who knew Cash during his youth remember his athletic abilities, not on the baseball diamond but on the football gridiron. In 1955, during his senior year at Sul Ross State College in San Angelo, he set the school rushing record with 1,255 yards. Following graduation, Cash was even drafted in the 13th round as a halfback by the Chicago Bears. Instead, he chose baseball, signing with the Chicago White Sox as an outfielder on May 21, 1955. Meanwhile, Cash had married his childhood sweetheart, schoolteacher Myrta Bob Harper, on January 24, 1954.

After two seasons at Ft. Bliss, the left-handed hitter and fielder was promoted to Comiskey Park midway through the 1958 season. Cash was soon converted to a first baseman, and after some seasoning at Indianapolis, he was recalled by the White Sox in 1959. Playing backup to Earl Torgeson, Cash batted only .240 but fielded a stellar .993 in 31 games. The White Sox, led by speedy infielders Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox, raced to the summit of the American League standings, hitting 46 triples and stealing 113 bases in 94 victories. The “Go-Go Sox” outdistanced second-place Cleveland by five games to capture their first pennant in 40 years. However, the Sox were badly overmatched by the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing the World Series in six games. Much like their 1906 predecessor, the ’59 incarnation of the White Sox were, indeed, hitless wonders. Not even late season acquisition Ted Kluszewski could save the Sox from their 97 aggregate home runs and anemic .250 batting average. During the offseason, President Bill Veeck acquired veteran Roy Sievers, Gene Freese, and Minnie Minoso to bolster Chicago’s offense. However, he was forced to mortgage his future prospects, including Earl Battey, Don Mincher, Johnny Callison — and Norm Cash. No match for Kluszewski and Torgeson, Cash was sent to Cleveland with Bubba Phillips and Johnny Romano in the seven-player Minoso deal on December 6, 1959.

Although Cash wore a Cleveland cap on his 1960 Topps baseball card, he never played an inning for the Indians. On April 12, as the Tribe headed north from Tucson at the conclusion of spring training, Cash found himself traded yet again. This time, he was dispatched to Detroit in exchange for outfielder Steve Demeter. Detroit general manager Rick Ferrell was dumbfounded when Frank Lane, his Cleveland counterpart, offered Cash for Demeter, unsure if he meant “cold cash or Norm Cash?”2 While Demeter’s career with the Indians consisted of merely four games, Cash became a fixture at first base in Detroit for 15 years. Lane was not through making controversial trades with the Tigers. Five days later, he sent Rocky Colavito to Michigan for Harvey Kuenn, and later in 1960, the two clubs swapped managers, Joe Gordon for Jimmie Dykes.

Cash’s teammates took an immediate liking to him. A comedian both on the field and in the clubhouse, he once tried to call time after being picked off first base. In another instance, Cash was stranded on second base during a thunderstorm. Once play resumed, however, he returned to third base. The umpire was baffled.

“What are you doing over there?”

“I stole third,” he answered.

“When did that happen?”

“During the rain.”3

On several occasions, he gave a muddy infield ball to the pitcher instead of the game ball so the hitters could not see it as well. Al Kaline remembers:

“Whenever you mention Norm Cash, I just smile. He was just a fun guy to be around and a great teammate. He always came ready to play. People don’t know this, but he often played injured, like the time he had a broken finger.”4 Sonny Eliot, Detroit’s ageless wacky weather man, describes Cash as “just old fashioned likeable,” comparing his physical form to a kewpie doll from a state fair. “Whenever he came to bat, I would yell ‘Hey kewpie doll,’ and he’d turn around and laugh.”5 It was another Southerner and recent transplant to Detroit who presented Cash with his nickname: “I was in Baltimore [for six years] and there was a fellow there named Norman Almony,” remembers Ernie Harwell. “Everybody called him Stormin Norman. When Norman Cash lost his temper once in a while, I gave him the nickname Stormin Norman. I don’t think he liked it at first, but after a while, he started treasuring it.”6

After a respectable 1960 season in which he batted .286 with 18 home runs, Cash captured the baseball world by storm in 1961. Although playing in the shadow of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Cash posted one of the most outstanding offensive single season records in American League history. Stormin’ Norman led the junior circuit with 193 hits and a .361 batting average. Number 25 also established personal marks of 41 home runs, 132 RBIs, and eight triples. Even more astounding, he hit .388 on the road! Facing Washington’s Joe McClain on June 11, Cash became the first Detroit player to clear the Tiger Stadium roof, hitting a home run that landed on Trumbull Avenue. Another against Boston’s Don Schwall struck a police tow truck. He was equally skilled at first base, fielding a sterling .993 as he caught dozens of long foul balls before they could fly into the stands. With Kaline’s .324 batting average and Colavito’s .290 complementing Cash in the lineup, the Tigers, led by Frank Lary and his 23 victories, challenged the Yankees for the American League pennant. The Bengals came within a game and a half of the Bronx Bombers on September 1 before retracting to finish eight behind in the standings with 101 victories.

Was Norm Cash destined to become a one-year wonder? Even at the time, he knew his ’61 season was a freak, saying that everything he hit seemed to drop in, even when he didn’t make good contact. After Frank Lary injured his leg on Opening Day and Al Kaline broke his shoulder during a nationally televised game in May, it became clear that the Tigers would not again challenge the Yankees in 1962. The season was equally disappointing for Cash, who batted only .243 for the season. The 118 points shaved from his average remains a record of futility among batting champs. Cash ultimately found his swing, batting .342 in an autumn exhibition trip to Japan, but by that point, the regular season was long over. Still the 1962 season was far from a write-off for the affable Texan. Cash hit 39 home runs, including three more roof shots, as the league runner-up to Harmon Killebrew’s 48. His .993 fielding percentage was identical to his 1961 average.

Cash never again cracked the .300 plateau. Years later, when Mickey Lolich asked why, he replied that “Jim Campbell pays me to hit home runs.”7 Indeed, Cash’s 373 home runs for the Tigers remains second only to Al Kaline’s 399 among aggregate team records. However, it soon became evident that other factors besides the maturation of expansion pitching compromised Stormin’ Norman’s batting average. Cheating in baseball was as much an issue in 1961 as it remains today, and Sonny Eliot remembers why Norm Cash called that season “the Year of the Quick Bat.”

“We used to sit in the old Lindell’s A.C.,” said Eliot, referring to the popular watering hole adjacent to Tiger Stadium. “We’d just rib the hell out of him. ‘Did you put cork in the bat? If not cork, was it lead?’ Or whatever it was, we’d just rib him.”8  He struck out frequently, and fans expecting another batting title consistently booed cash for the balance of his career. Even his wife joined in the chorus on occasion.9 Stormin’ Norman knew that inherently, they were as good natured as he was. After all, when Mayo Smith removed Cash from the lineup during a slump, the manager was also

booed.10 Although he was not bothered by the sounds of tens of thousands of boos, “when one or two guys get on your back, they drive you nuts.”11 For their appreciation of his congeniality and humor, the Tigers Fan Club crowned Cash as King Tiger in 1969. George Cantor described Cash as “the most popular man on the team,” who knew “all the best watering holes” throughout the American League.12

Although Cash stifled the cork in 1962 and thereafter, he sound found himself fighting a much larger battle in alcoholism. Denny McLain described his roommate as “a modern medical miracle,” who abused his body so mercilessly that he “should [have turned] it over to the Mayo Clinic.”13 Stormin’ Norman violated every curfew rule in the book, but he somehow arrived at the ballpark every day, “not only eager to play, but madder than hell if he didn’t.”14 Granted, Cash rarely showed up on time: he “could not make 9:00 am workouts because he threw up until 10:00 am.”15 McLain credited hustle and determination as the secret to Cash’s big league longevity, although the bespectacled righthander did admit that he was  often bewildered “how he managed to remain upright” when he took the field. Still, McLain admitted that “I always felt better about everything when I looked over and saw Stormin’ Norman at first base.”16 Players were rarely unanimously accepted by their peers, but Cash proved an exception. As pitcher Jerry Casale once conveyed, “on a team with so many friends, there was no one nicer than Norm Cash.”17

Cash was nothing if not consistent for the balance of the 1960s. He was the only American League hitter to slug 20 or better home runs each year from 1961 to 1969. In 1964, he set a record among Detroit first baseman by fielding an outstanding .997. On July 9, 1965, Stormin’ Norman hit an inside-the-park home run against the A’s at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. The blast must have ignited Cash’s non-corked bat, as he decimated American League pitching with 23 home runs and 58 RBIs in 78 games after the All-Star break. His second-half exploits earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors, and in 1966, he was invited to the All-Star Game. Cash, once again, led junior circuit first basemen in fielding with a .997 percentage. Meanwhile, the Cash family was expanding, as Norm and Myrta welcomed son Jay Carl on April 28, 1963, and daughter Julie Lee on December 28, 1964.

Stormin’ Norman proved to be the exception on the 1968 Tigers as he was fighting an early season slump. On July 27, the 6-foot-0 Cash was barely hitting his weight, batting .195 on a team cruising to its first American League pennant in 23 years. In dramatic fashion, he hit a torrid .333 in his last 54 games to finish the season at .263. Included in his 12 home runs and 33 RBIs in August and September was a three-run blast against Oakland on September 14. The winning pitcher of the 5-4 decision was Denny McLain, his 30th of the season. Cash led Tigers batsmen in the World Series, hitting .385 against Cardinals pitching. Setting a dubious October record as Bob Gibson’s 16th strikeout in Game One, he redeemed himself the following afternoon, homering off Nellie Briles in an 8-1 complete-game victory for Mickey Lolich. Facing elimination in Game Six, Cash enjoyed another productive day at the plate, accounting for two of the 13 Detroit runs, tying the Series at three games. This set the stage for an historic Game Seven. The Tigers were unfazed at the prospect of facing a pitcher who specialized in winning Game Sevens, Bob Gibson. In the clubhouse after practice, manager Mayo Smith encouraged his players that Gibson “can be beat, he’s not Superman!” To this, Cash chimed “Oh yeah? Just a little while ago, I saw him changing in a phone booth!”18 Tigers hitters proved to be Kryptonite with two outs and no score in the seventh inning. Cash ignited a Detroit rally with a single off Gibson, and later put the Tigers ahead as the first runner to score on Jim Northrup’s triple. The final score was 4-1, and the Detroit Tigers were world champions.

After being relegated to pinch hitting in 1970, Cash enjoyed a renaissance season playing in the Renaissance City in 1971. So torrid was his first half that spectators across Major League ballparks voted him to start the All-Star Game on July 13. Played in Detroit, it drew 53,559 spectators. American League manager Earl Weaver, however, took exception to Cash’s assignment, as he was not the reigning MVP playing for the defending World Champions. Boog Powell, Weaver’s first baseman in Baltimore, could claim both. Accordingly, Weaver, scrapped Cash from the lineup and replaced him with Powell. The roster move was not kindly received by the Detroit faithful. After public address announcer Joe Gentile introduced the National League All-Stars were announced, he began to present the American League. Starting with Weaver! Again, a cloud of boos rained over Tiger Stadium. Although Rod Carew was the next to be announced, the Twins’ second baseman did not take his place when called. Carew was apprehended by Cash and Bobby Murcer to prevent him from leaving the dugout, thereby prolonging the catcalls. Only after a prolonged interval did Carew emerge, breaking up the hecklers.19

When the dust cleared on the 1971 season, the Tigers had won 91 games, but finished 10 games behind Earl Weaver and the Orioles. Stormin’ Norman clubbed 32 round trippers — one shy of Bill Melton’s league lead — while driving in 91 runs, batting a respectable .283. His offensive record was enough to win his second American League Comeback Player of the Year Award. It would have surprised nobody to hear Cash proclaim, after accepting the honor, that he hoped he would win the award again next year. Cash was, however, named to the All-Star team once again in 1972, his fourth and final trip to the midsummer classic. is offensive output may have retracted, but the Tigers vaulted ahead in the standings to win their first American League East Division title.

A player known for his pranks, Cash saved his most famous stunt for the twilight of his career. It occurred on July 15, 1973, as the Tigers entertained the visiting California Angels. Not one Detroit batsman had hit safely off starting pitcher Nolan Ryan. With two away in the bottom of the ninth, the Ryan Express had already fanned 16 as his Angels led, 6-0. Potentially the final hitter of the game, Norm Cash strode to the plate substituting a table leg for a bat. Home plate umpire Ron Luciano forbade Cash’s creative use of equipment. Cash protested, “But Ron, I’ve got as much chance with this as I do with a bat.”20 As Jim Northrup remembered from the third base dugout, Cash reluctantly retrieved a bat and struck out on three pitchers against his fellow

Texan. The no-hitter was Ryan’s second in as many months; as Cash returned to the dugout, he turned to Luciano and expressed, “See, I told ya.”21

The 1974 season was a transitional one for the Tigers and their personnel. For only the second time in franchise history, Detroit finished the season in last place. Stormin’ Norman no longer held the nomenclatural monopoly when youthful infielder Ron Cash joined the Tigers in spring training. Equipment manager John Hand wanted to change the name on Norm’s uniform, but the first baseman refused. Cash exclaimed in disgust, “If the people can’t tell the difference between me and the other guy, something’s the matter!”22 He became even more incensed when he received a telephone call from the general manager on August 7. Batting only .228 with 12 home runs and 12 RBIs, Cash was released. “I thought at least they’d let me finish out the year. Campbell just called and said I didn’t have to show up at the park.”23

Norm Cash was a player who knew his baseball career would not last forever. As a player, his offseason occupations included banking, ranching, and auctioning hogs. In the early 1970s, Cash hosted a local variety show in Detroit called “The Norm Cash Show.” In 1976, he teamed with former October archrival Bob Gibson as broadcasters for ABC Monday Night Baseball. Although Cash continued to display his brand of humor, it was not appreciated by all. On-air remarks such as equating entertainment in Baltimore with going “down to the street and [watching] hubcaps rust” earned Cash his dismissal from the network.24 In 1978, he made his film debut with a cameo appearance in One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story. In a scene filmed at Lakeland, Cash was standing with Kaline, Bill Freehan, and Northrup to watch LeFlore in first spring training after accepting his release from Jackson State Prison. When the others marveled at his speed, Cash chimed in with “He can’t be too fast, the cops caught him.”25

Now divorced from Myrta, Cash married his second wife Dorothy on May 22, 1973. They moved upstate from Detroit, first to Union Lakes, where Cash worked as a sales representative for an automobile machinery manufacturer. When asked, Cash remarked that “it’s good money…but to tell the truth I’m looking for something else to do.”26 Sadly, the good times were short-lived. As Detroit automakers proved to be no competition for Japanese imports, Cash’s financial windfall proved to be short term. His health began to deteriorate, suffering a massive stroke in 1979. As Ernie Harwell remembers, Cash was out of commission for quite a while. Fortunately, by 1981 he was healthy enough to broadcast Tigers games for the ON-TV cable network. He and Hank Aguirre provided color commentary alongside Larry Adderly’s play-by-play. By 1983, partial paralysis of his face made him slur his words and he could no longer continue. In 1986, Cash returned to Tiger Stadium to participate in the Equitable Old Timers’ Game. Fans were shocked to see the first baseman a shadow of his physical self. He could no longer field routine infield balls, as a throw from third base hit him in the head before bouncing away. Cash handled the situation with humor, but privately, he was embarrassed by the incident.27 What nobody realized at the time is that the appearance would be his last at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

Scott McKinstry remembers Sunday evening of the Columbus Day weekend being a grey, misty one. “I was standing at the lighthouse…on Lake Michigan looking out over the water to where boats head out from Charlevoix to Beaver Island.”28 The weather forecast echoed the somber mood to be shared by Tigers fans in unison. Earlier in the day, Cash left his condominium to meet Dorothy and a friend for dinner at the Shamrock Bar on Beaver Island. Those present could affirm that Cash had been

drinking.29 After dinner, he returned to the dock to check on his boat after dinner. Unable to navigate the slippery pier in cowboy boots, he fell into the water and could not pull himself out.30 The next morning, he was found floating in 15 feet of water in St. James Bay.31 Norman Dalton Cash was pronounced dead on October 12, 1986. He was 51 years old. Tragedy would hit the Cash family a second time in 1987 when Norm’s son Jay committed suicide.32

Like Buddy Holly before him, the Texas legend of Norm Cash lives on. Ernie Harwell recalls receiving an autographed photo from Cash inscribed with his trademark humor, “to the second-best broadcaster in the big leagues. The other 25 tied for first place.”33 Gary Peters, who broke in with the White Sox concomitantly with Cash, remembers his diverse collection of hobbies which included horseback riding, fencing, waterskiing, dancing, and playing the ukulele.34 Whitey Herzog, Cash’s roommate in 1963, once claimed that “there was nothing Norm Cash couldn’t do.” Describing Cash as his roommate, however, might have been an exaggeration; Herzog recalls the experience as “just like having your own room.”35 On April 23, 2005, the sandlot in Post, Texas where Stormin’ Norman played Little League, was rededicated in memory of Garza County’s most famous athlete as Norm Cash Field.

Perhaps the most vocal and outward posthumous tribute to Norm Cash in the final hours of the ballpark whose first base he called home from the Eisenhower to the Nixon administration. A sellout crowd of 43,556 jammed Tiger Stadium on September 27, 1999 for the final game against the Kansas City Royals. Several Tigers switched uniform numbers to pay homage to players who passed before them. Paying tribute to Ty Cobb, Gabe Kapler did not wear any number at all. Rookie Rob Fick switching his number 18 for 25 to honor Norm Cash. Only Fick went one step further. The Tigers enjoyed a comfortable 4-2 eighth-inning lead when Fick crushed a Jeff Montgomery fastball for a grand slam home run. In true Norm Cash fashion, the ball nearly cleared the right field roof. Tom Stanton reports in The Final Season, a diary which paints Tiger Stadium as a metaphor for the bond between fathers and sons, that Fick “looked up in the sky and thought of my dad,” who passed away the year before. “I know that he had something to do with all this.”36

So did Norm Cash.

An earlier version of this biography originally appeared in SABR’s “Sock It To ‘Em Tigers: The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers” (Maple Street Press, 2008), edited by Mark Pattison and David Raglin. It also appeared in SABR’s “Go-Go To Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox” (ACTA, 2009), edited by Don Zminda.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also consulted www.baseball-almanac.com, www.baseball-reference.com, www.imdb.com,and the following:

“Lobos Fall in Season Finale; Barber Breaks 1,000 Yard Mark” in The Sul Ross Skyline (16 November 2006): 18 pars. [Journal Online]. Available from http://www.sulross.edu/pages/3998.asp. Internet. Accessed 6 April 2007.

“Norm Cash.”  Brooklyn: Topps Chewing Gum Inc., 1960: 488.

Barnes, Tyler. Detroit Tigers 1999 Information Guide (Detroit: Tigers Public Relations Department, 1999).

Barnes, Tyler. The Inaugural Season: Detroit Tigers 2000 Information Guide (Detroit: Tigers Public Relations Department, 2000).

Cohen, Irwin. Tiger Stadium (Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2003).

Dewey, Donald, and Nicholas Acocella. Total Ballclubs: The Ultimate Book of Baseball Teams (Toronto: Sport Classic Books, 2005).

Hunt, William. “Justiceburg, Texas” in The Handbook of Texas Online (2001): 2 pars. Available from http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/JJ/hnj13.html. Internet. Accessed 6 April 2007.

Lyons, Jeffrey and Douglas B. Curveballs and Screwballs: Over 1,286 Incredible Baseball Facts, Finds, Flukes, and More! (New York: Random House, 2001).

McMillan, Robin. Official Major League Baseball 1995 All-Star Game Program (New York: Sports Publishing Group Inc., 1995).

Middlesworth, Hal. Detroit Tigers 1973 Press Radio TV Guide (Detroit: Tigers Baseball Club, 1973).

Middlesworth, Hal. Detroit Tigers 1974 Press Radio TV Guide (Detroit: Tigers Baseball Club, 1974).

Middlesworth, Hal. Detroit Tigers 1975 Press Radio TV Guide (Detroit: Tigers Baseball Club, 1975).

Middlesworth, Hal. Detroit Tigers 1971 Yearbook (Detroit: Tigers Baseball Club, 1971).

Middlesworth, Hal. Detroit Tigers 1974 Yearbook (Detroit: Tigers Baseball Club, 1974).

Paladino, Larry. Detroit Tigers 1987 Yearbook (Detroit: Tigers Baseball Club, 1987).

Russell, Cliff. Detroit Tigers 2004 Information Guide (Detroit: Tigers Media Relations Department, 2004).

Thorn, John, Phil Birnbaum, and Bill Deane. Total Baseball: The Ultimate Encyclopedia, 8th edition. (Toronto: Sport Classic Books, 2004).

Notes

1 Bruce Shlain, “Stormin’ Norman” in Oddballs: Baseball’s Greatest Pranksters, Flakes, Hot Dogs, and Hotheads (New York: Penguin Books, 1989), 134.

2 Shlain, 132.

3 Fred T. Smith, Tiger S.T.A.T.S., (Ann Arbor: Momentum Books Ltd., 1991), 39.

4 Bill Dow, “Former Tiger Norm Cash,” Baseball Digest, September 2001.

5 Correspondence with Sonny Eliot, April 2007.

6 Correspondence with Ernie Harwell, April 2007.

7 Dow.

8 Eliot.

9 Patrick Harrigan, Detroit Tigers Club and Community: 1945-1995 (Toronto: University Press, 1997), 103.

10 George Cantor, The Tigers of ’68: Baseball’s Last Real Champions (Dallas: Taylor Trade Publishing, 1997), 10.

11 Shlain, 137.

12 Cantor, 39.

13 Denny McLain and Dave Diles, Nobody’s Perfect (New York: The Dial Press, 1975), 72.

14 McLain/Diles, 72.

15 Denny McLain and Mike Nahrstept, Strikeout: The Story of Denny McLain (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1988), 34.

16 McLaine/Diles, 72.

17 Correspondence with Jerry Casale, 21 May 2001.

18 Tim DeWalt, “Tribute: Norm Cash” in TigersCentral.com (2001-2005). Available from. http://www.tigerscentral.com/comments.php?id=239_0_1_0_C.

19 DeWalt.

20 Bill Shaikin, “California Strikes Gold in Ryan” in Nolan Ryan: The Authorized Pictorial History (Fort Worth: The Summit Group, 1991), 66.

21 Brian Britten, Detroit Tigers 2006 Information Guide (Detroit: Tigers Public Relations Department, 2006), 256.

22 “There Are So Many Norm Cash Stories…” in Detroit Tigers History (2005). Available from http://www.detroit-tigers-baseball-history.com/cash.html.

23 Chris Stern, Where Have They Gone?Baseball Stars! (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1979), 137-138.

24 Stern, 138.

25 DeWalt.

26 Stern, 138.

27 Cantor, 215.

28 DeWalt.

29 Harrigan, 103.

30 Schlain, 145.

31 Cantor, 215.

32 Shlain, 145.

33 Ernie Harwell, Life After Baseball (Detroit: The Free Press, 2004), 137.

34 Shlain, 139.

35 Shlain, 139-140.

36 Tom Stanton, The Final Season: Fathers, Sons, and One Last Season in a Classic American Ballpark (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001), 236.

Bob attended Magnolia Elementary School for eight years before moving on to El Cajon Valley High School, where he would graduate in 1963. While attending high school, he developed into a three-sport athlete by competing in baseball, basketball, and football. He continued his academic and athletic career by attending Grossmont Junior College in El Cajon for two years. While attending the junior college, he was a member of the baseball and football teams.

His baseball career that began on the Little League, Pony League, and Colt League fields of El Cajon, advanced to the professional level when he was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 1964. Gordon (Deacon) Jones signed him to his first contract as a right-handed-hitting third baseman for the Yankees. Bob weighed 180 pounds and stood 5-foot-10 as he began his climb up the ladder to the major leagues.

The climb began with him playing for Johnson City of the Appalachian League in 1964. He saw action in 58 games and finished with a .319 batting average, which was good enough to finish fourth in the race for the league batting title. He had 76 hits, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, and 28 RBI, in his first professional season. He led the league’s third basemen in fielding percentage, coming in at .833. Based on his accomplishments, he was named to the Appalachian League all-star team.

Due to his potential, the Detroit Tigers acquired him by selecting him in the first-year player draft November 30, 1964. The following spring, the Detroit organization sent him to the Daytona Beach club of the Florida State League where he played 139 games during the 1965 season. He finished sixth in batting with an average of .274 with 135 hits, 13 doubles, 5 triples, 1 homerun, and 57 RBI. Defensively, he led the league’s third basemen with 293 assists, 472 chances—and 52 errors. Also, for the second consecutive year, he was chosen to be on the league all-star team.

Before beginning the new season, Bob married Vicki Lynn Manahan on January 29, 1966, and had two children. During the 1966 season, Bob spent the majority of his time at Rocky Mount in the Carolina League. He played in 103 games there and batted .276 with 101 hits, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, and 49 RBI. He also hit .269 in 17 games with Montgomery of the Southern League.

Christian stayed with Montgomery for the entire 1967 season. Due to recurring arm problems, Bob became the regular second baseman for Montgomery rather than third base as he had played the three previous seasons. He had been bothered by a sore arm off and on since 1965. He played in 126 games and finished eighth in the league batting race with a .274 average. His batting totals included 116 hits, 17 doubles, 6 triples, 10 home runs, and 53 RBI.

The 1968 season proved to be his best in professional baseball. He began the year with Triple A Toledo of the International League, which put him one step away from the Detroit Tigers’ major league roster. In spring training, he was back playing his original position of third base, but experienced some difficulties due to the arm problems that seemed to be following him. Because of these problems, he was not in manager Jack Tighe’s opening day lineup for Toledo. He played third base in the third game and then for a few days after that, but he seemed unsteady and unsure of himself. On May 1, his manager moved him to the outfield and things started improving for him almost immediately. In a Sporting News article from June 1968, he said, “I was a little tense and felt the pressure at third base, possibly because of moving up to Triple A. I’m more comfortable and more relaxed in the outfield. I don’t worry about my fielding, as I had been doing at third base, and I’m able to concentrate on hitting.” Concentrate on his hitting he did, Christian had a 14-game hitting streak (only two away from the club record at the time) that was stopped by Jacksonville’s Gary Gentry, who defeated Toledo with a two-hit shutout. Bob began an eight-game hitting streak the next day by getting four hits. By hitting safely in 22 of 23 games, he was leading Toledo with a .365 batting average by the latter part of May. He was able to get three hits in a game on three different occasions during his hitting tear. His key hits also included a two-run homer in the seventh inning that broke up a three-hit shutout by Jacksonville’s Tug McGraw. His hitting success did little to change his humble attitude, though. He credited his high school coach from El Cajon Valley, Harry Elliot, with helping him develop his style of swinging down on the ball in order to hit more line drives rather than pop-ups. Christian also spoke highly of veteran teammate Lenny Green, whose left-field job he had taken: “Lenny has been very good with the younger guys on our club. In my case, he suggested I shorten my swing by bringing the bat down and in closer to my body. The big thing is that I have better control of the bat and I’m getting into the pitch more quickly.” Christian played 123 games for Toledo and finished second in the league with a .319 batting average and 151 hits. He also had 16 doubles, 7 triples, 5 home runs, and 57 RBI. He was an IL all-star team member and as the season wore on, the parent club took notice of his hitting exploits, eventually calling him up in September. Christian made his major league debut September 2 with Detroit against the Oakland Athletics and had one at-bat without getting a hit. In his three at-bats with Detroit that month, he collected one hit, a double. He played in just one game defensively, splitting time between first base and the outfield.

On September 30, 1968, Christian was purchased from Detroit by the Chicago White Sox as part of the midseason trade for Don McMahon. The early portion of the 1969 season was affected by Bob’s six-month stint with the Army Reserve. He returned from duty in late May and was sent to play with Tucson in the Pacific Coast League. Christian played 49 games combined there during two stints and batted .240 with 37 hits, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 17 RBI. He returned to the big leagues with the White Sox when Buddy Bradford was put on the military list and went into the National Guard in late June. By August, Christian was in a position to finish out the season with the White Sox, playing in 39 games and batting .217 with 28 hits, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, and 16 RBI overall. Despite his six years of experience, Christian had the appearance of a “baby-faced” youngster and was known for his shy demeanor. White Sox manager Don Gutteridge attested to that saying, “He’s kind of quiet, he doesn’t say much, but he’s been making noise with the bat lately.” The noise that he was referring to included a ten-game hitting streak in September. He also was making noise with his glove, including two instances where he had to dive into the stands in order to catch the ball and retire the batter. Gutteridge conceded at that point that Christian could wind up as one of the regular outfielders and that he probably would have had a good chance going into the 1969 season if his military service had not caused him to have a late start. Christian played with the White Sox entry in the Florida Instructional League following the regular season, batting .280 in 26 games.

Bob was able to start the 1970 season with the White Sox and played in 12 games before being sent back to Tucson. In those twelve games, he batted 15 times with an average of .267, with 1 home run and 3 RBI. His appearance May 24, 1970, was the last of his major league career. He went to Tucson and played in 62 games and batted .333. He had 73 hits, 16 doubles, 4 triples, and 40 RBI.

He was placed on Tucson’s winter roster for the following season, but on March 27, 1971, he was given his outright release from the Tucson ball club. He had an opportunity to play in Japan that season. He signed on with the Tori Flyers and ended his professional baseball career playing in Japan.

As his baseball career was coming to a close, his life was also approaching an unforeseen ending. Bob Christian became ill with leukemia and on Wednesday, February 20, 1974, in San Diego, he succumbed to the disease. He was 28 years old and left behind his wife, Vicki, and two children.

His major league totals include parts of three seasons with the Tigers and White Sox. He played in 54 games, had 147 at-bats, scored 14 runs, had 33 hits, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 19 RBI, 3 stolen bases, 11 walks, 23 strikeouts, an average of .224, an on-base percentage of .278, and a slugging percentage of .340. Defensively, he notched 43 games in the outfield and one at first base, had 71 putouts, 3 assists, and 3 errors for a fielding percentage of .961.

Although he only had a brief stay with the 1968 Detroit Tigers, who went on to win the World Series that year, he said that he had no regrets. “I was there when Mantle hit his 535th homer, the one off [Denny] McLain, “ he said. “It was a great thrill seeing Mantle hit one.”

Sources

The Sporting News, June 1968 and October 1969.

Bob Christian clip file, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Library.

www.baseball-reference.com

Note

This article originally appeared in the book Sock It To ‘Em Tigers–The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, published by Maple Street Press in 2008.

Photo Credit

The Topps Company

After being scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Athletics, and Washington Senators in high school, Comer was signed in 1962 by Senators scout George McQuinn, a former major leaguer himself. Comer played his first season in 1962 for the Raleigh Capitals, the Senators’ affiliate in the Class B Carolina League, where he struggled as an 18-year-old. Comer himself admitted that he was probably in over his head, and he hit just .228 against some stiff competition that included future Yankees All-Star pitcher Mel Stottlemyre. Of Comer’s 61 hits, only 17 were for extra bases. He also had yet to establish the patience at the plate that helped him later in his career and struck out 46 times with just 26 walks. In only one other season in his professional career did Comer have that many more strikeouts than walks.

On January 11, 1963, he married Joyce Nauman. Two months later, he was traded by the Senators to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Bobo Osborne, who had played parts of five seasons for the Tigers. In the spring, Comer reported to the Tigers’ Class A affiliate in the Florida State League, the Lakeland Tigers. He put together a solid season there, and while his power had yet to develop (just two home runs in 417 at-bats), he had an impressive 62-to-67 strikeout-to-walk ratio while he hit .264.

In 1964, Comer played for another of the Tigers’ Single A affiliates, the Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League. There, he continued to progress as a hitter and refined his effectiveness on the basepaths. He hit .279 with 26 extra-base hits (the most of any season up to that point), and he stole 20 bases in 99 games. He continued to show a good eye at the plate and walked 75 times with just 54 strikeouts.

Comer’s performance earned him a promotion in 1965 to the Tigers Double A affiliate, the Montgomery Rebels of the Southern League in 1965, where he had his best season yet. He stole a league-high 31 bases (and was caught stealing a league-high 14 times) and hit .285 with nine home runs. It was good enough to warrant him a spot on the Southern League All-Star Team. Just as important as his quality season, Comer and his wife had their first child, Timothy Wayne Comer, on June 22, 1965. For his performance at Montgomery, he was rewarded with a promotion to the Tigers’ Triple A affiliate in the International League, the Syracuse Chiefs, just a step away from the majors, for the 1966 season.

But after playing 35 games for the Chiefs, Comer was traded to the New York Yankees’ Triple A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, for Art Lopez. Toledo needed a right-handed bat while Syracuse was looking for a lefty to round out its lineup. Comer was the right-handed hitter sent to Toledo. Between Toledo and Syracuse, Comer finally broke into double digits with 11 home runs but took some adjusting to the better competition, as his batting average dipped to .266. The trade turned out to be temporary, though; after the season ended, he was sent back to the Tigers.

In 1967, though again Tigers’ property, Comer remained in Toledo. The Tigers and Yankees swapped minor league affiliates. His second season in Toledo was arguably his best as a pro. He hit .290, and led the International League with 86 runs and 229 total bases. As an outfielder, he led the league with 306 putouts, 14 assists—and nine errors. He was one of the leaders of a team that, for the first time in franchise history, won a Triple A title: the Governor’s Cup, the championship of the International League; Toledo had never won an American Association title when it was part of that circuit. In a cross-state, best-of-seven series with the Columbus Jets, the Mud Hens prevailed four games to one. Comer’s biggest contribution during the International League playoffs came in the deciding game of the Mud Hens’ first-round series against the Richmond Braves. In that game, he had three hits and drove in one of the Hens’ runs in the 5–1 win.

His all-star performance in 1967 earned Comer a look by the big-league club after the playoffs. In his first big-league at-bat September 17, 1967, Comer belted a pinch-single off Frank Bertaina in a 5–0 loss to the Washington Senators. Three days later he made his first big-league start, in center field in the middle of a heated pennant race. He went 0 for 2 in his last two at-bats of the season. He got into two more games, but both times they’d be as a pinch-runner.

In 1968, behind five Detroit outfield stalwarts on the depth chart, Comer once again found himself in the minors playing for Toledo. He got his break in May, at the expense of a future Hall of Famer. On the 25th, Al Kaline was hit by a Lew Krausse pitch that broke his forearm. Comer was called up to help out in the outfield as a reserve but also served as the team’s third catcher. He was used often as a pinch-hitter—21 times in 48 games played—but batted just .125. He picked up only 48 at-bats in 48 games, but he did hit his first major league homer in a pinch-hitting role August 11. On September 18, 1968, the day after the Tigers clinched the American League pennant, Comer’ s second son, Paul Allan, was born.

Comer made the Tigers’ World Series roster. In his only at-bat, as a pinch-hitter for pitcher Daryl Patterson in Game 3, he laced a single to center field. (Another important role was catching Mickey Lolich’s pregame warm-up pitches.)

In 1969, Comer would get his first chance at a regular job, but it wasn’t going to be the defending World Series champion Tigers. With both the American League and National League expanding by two teams in 1969, Comer was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the expansion draft, and he took advantage of his chance to start by having a solid season. On a team that was immortalized in Jim Bouton’s book Ball Four, Comer belted 15 home runs, hit .245, and walked 82 times. He was probably the team’s most productive hitter after first baseman Don Mincher—who came over in the expansion draft from the California Angels—second to Mincher on the team in home runs and fourth in RBI. The best game of Comer’s career also came in 1969, when he belted two homers and drove in four on May 16 in a 10–9 win at Fenway Park over the Boston Red Sox.

His solid play didn’t carry into 1970, and while Comer went with the Pilots to Milwaukee, his time with the Brewers was short. Comer lost his starting center-field job when he started the season 0-for-15. He finally picked up his first hit May 10, a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Washington Senators. That same day, he was traded to Washington for infielders Hank Allen and Ron Theobald. Comer said he was warned of the trade by Nats catcher Paul Casanova during the game and that Casanova told him not to get a hit because he was a Senator. Not sure whether to believe it and still doing his job, Comer got the game-winning hit anyway. The deal was announced the following day, and Comer played for Washington that night. But in Washington, Comer was once again relegated to a reserve role for the team that had originally signed him in 1962. He floundered, finishing the season hitting .233 for Washington—and .212 between the two teams—with no homers.

On December 5, 1970, the Tigers purchased Comer from the Senators and from then on, he was a career minor-league player. He spent three years, 1971 through 1973, with Toledo, with a two-plus-month stay in Detroit, from late May to early August of 1972, during which he had just nine at-bats in 27 games. His pinch-single on July 19 was his 157th and last major league hit. After a year in Double A Reading in 1974, Comer called it quits on his 13-year professional baseball career.

Comer had a few different jobs during the off- season while he played ball. He worked in a grocery store and he purchased a men’s haberdashery. Once he left baseball, he got into sporting goods sales. Comer and his wife also had a third son, Shaun Christopher, in 1980, after leaving baseball. Comer eventually became a teacher and a baseball coach.

He continued to live in his hometown of Shenandoah, Virginia. He got to see all three of his sons play college baseball and became the proud grandfather of six granddaughters and three grandsons.

He died at the age of 79 on October 4, 2023.

Author’s Note

An earlier version of this article was published in SABR’s Sock It To ‘Em Tigers: The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers (Maple Street Press, 2008).

Sources

Albuquerque Journal, April 3, 1970.

Andrews, Jack. “Toledo Drugs Chiefs Twice.” Syracuse Post-Standard, July 23, 1966.

Benton Harbor News-Palladium. Articles of September 21 and October 8, 1967, and December 5, 1970.

Coshocton Tribune, Coshocton, Ohio, October 25, 1970.

European Stars and Stripes. Articles of September 12 and 17, 1967.

Manitowoc Herald-Times, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, May 11, 1970.

Pacific Stars and Stripes, September 2, 1968.

Petersburg Progress Index, Petersburg, Virginia, September 11, 1967.

Reddy, Bill. “Chiefs Get Lopez From Hens in Trade for Comer,” Syracuse Post-Standard, June 10, 1966.

Syracuse Herald-Journal. Articles of April 3, 6, and 21, 1966.

Syracuse Post-Standard. Articles of March 13, 1966; April 29, 1966; June 4 and 7, 1966; and July 23 and 27, 1966.

www.baseball-reference.com

www.retrosheet.org

Wayne Comer file, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Photo Credit

The Topps Company

Cuccinello had a fast start in 1945, keeping his average in the .380–.390 range for the first month. The heat of the Chicago summer eventually wore Tony down, however, and at what was then the advanced age (for a ballplayer) of 37, Cuccinello did not play every day, and in fact had to play more in September to achieve sufficient at-bats to qualify for the batting title. Stirnweiss edged out Cuccinello on the final day of the season, when a White Sox doubleheader was rained out and Stirnweiss went 3-for-5 against the Boston Red Sox. One of those hits, however, was scored an error initially, and then changed to a hit by the official scorer, who just happened to be a writer for the Bronx Home News. According to Cuccinello, he was told at the time that the official scorer only changed the call after he was informed that the White Sox had been rained out and Cuccinello’s season was over. Ironically, Cuccinello later coached Stirnweiss with the Cleveland Indians, and Snuffy confirmed the shenanigans when he told Cuccinello: “He (the writer) gave it to me.”

Anthony Francis (“Tony” or “Cootch”) Cuccinello was born November 8, 1907, in Long Island City, New York. Tony played in a semipro league in New York City and eventually signed a contract to play for the Syracuse Stars of the International League in 1926, while still a teenager. After two months Cuccinello was sent to the Class B Lawrence (Massachusetts) Merry Macks, where he spent the rest of 1926 and 1927, when he hit .310. In 1928 he was assigned to the Danville Veterans of the Three I League. After another season hitting .310, Cuccinello caught the attention of Branch Rickey, who saw him play and bought him for the Columbus Senators in the American Association. Cuccinello’s performance at Columbus (.358 batting average with 20 home runs and 111 runs batted in, and a league-leading 227 hits and 56 doubles) earned him a quick promotion to the major leagues, when the Reds purchased his contract after the 1929 season. Tony made his debut on Opening Day, April 15, 1930, playing third base in a losing effort against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cuccinello had a solid rookie season, batting .312 with 10 home runs and 78 RBIs. In 1931 the Reds shifted Tony to second base and he responded with a .315 average and 93 RBIs, a club record for second basemen until broken by Joe Morgan in 1975. In his best offensive performance that year he got hits in six consecutive at-bats, including two doubles and a triple. He led the league’s second basemen in putouts, assists, errors, and double plays.

Despite Cuccinello’s performances on the field, he refused to sign the contract the Reds tendered to him and found himself shipped to the Brooklyn Dodgers to begin the 1932 season. Tony played in all 154 games that year, turning in respectable offensive numbers for a second baseman (.281, 12 homers, 32 doubles, and 77 RBIs) but, more importantly, becoming a teammate of future Hall of Fame manager Al Lopez, with whom he would begin a lifelong friendship. That same year Cuccinello married Clara Caroselli (after the season, on October 29), and they produced three children: Anthony Jr. in 1936, Darlene Ann in 1938, and Alan Joseph on their 13th wedding anniversary in 1945. Cuccinello’s performance in ’32 earned him a spot on the roster of first All-Star Game in 1933 (the so-called “Game of the Century”), where he had the dubious distinction of pinch-hitting for Carl Hubbell in the top of the ninth and striking out to end the game.

In 1935, Cuccinello’s younger brother, Al, made his major league debut and played in 54 games with the New York Giants, the only major league experience Al would have. The brothers played against each other several times that year and both homered in the same game on July 5. Tony’s homer was a solo shot in the top of the eighth and Al’s a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning of a game Brooklyn won 14–4. After four years with the Dodgers, Cuccinello was on the move again when Brooklyn traded him to the Boston Braves. In Boston in 1936, Cuccinello had one of his best offensive seasons, batting .308 and driving in 86 runs. Tony’s excellent defensive performances continued in Boston, as well, and he teamed with a player he later described as the finest of the shortstops he played with in his career, Eddie Miller.

In 1939 Cuccinello suffered a knee injury after Dick Bartell of the Chicago Cubs slid into him at second base, and surgery sidelined him for two months. His first game back after the surgery Cuccinello had 10 assists in a 22-inning game while playing second base. The knee never really improved despite the surgery, and Cuccinello was traded to the Giants midway through the 1940 season. At the end of that season Cuccinello retired for the first time, so that he could manage the Jersey City Giants in the International League. Jersey City finished fifth in the eight-team league in 1941, and Cuccinello was prepared to manage again in 1942, but instead was called by his former Brooklyn manager Casey Stengel, then with the Braves, who asked Cuccinello to join his staff as a player-coach. In 1942 Cuccinello threw batting practice, coached third base, and pinch-hit for Stengel, and in mid-season 1943 was released so that he could sign with the Chicago White Sox, a team desperately in need of players to replace those who enlisted in the military. Cuccinello, who suffered from chronic laryngitis, was not drafted into military service, and therefore was able to continue his career.

From mid-1943 through the 1944 season Cuccinello was a reserve infielder who appeared in fewer than 50 games each year, and he later said that but for the war he likely would have retired before the 1945 season. But in 1945 Cuccinello went to a northern spring training in French Lick, Indiana (later made famous by native son Larry Bird), where he had a mineral bath every day, followed by a rubdown and a nap, and entered the season feeling the best he had ever felt. Perhaps it was the mineral baths or the naps, but nevertheless after the Indiana spring training Cuccinello embarked on his near-title-winning year, and retired from playing for good at the end of that campaign.

Cuccinello was out of baseball in 1946, but managed the Tampa Smokers in the Florida International League to 104 wins and a second-place finish in 1947. The following year he reunited with Al Lopez in Indianapolis, where they coached the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association to a 100-win season and a online ranking among the 100 best minor league teams of the 20th century. In 1949 Cuccinello began a three-year stint as a coach with his first major league team, the Reds, and in 1952 he joined Al Lopez’s coaching staff on the Cleveland Indians, the first of several such positions he would hold. Coincidentally, 1952 was also the last year of former nemesis Snuffy Stirnweiss’s career, also with the Indians.

Cuccinello’s first postseason experience came as a coach with the Indians in the 1954 World Series, which the heavily favored Indians lost to the New York Giants. In 1957, Cuccinello followed Lopez to the Chicago White Sox, and in 1959, as third base coach, was involved in a controversial play that some said at the time led to the White Sox’ demise at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1959 World Series. In Game 2 of the Series, Sherm Lollar, the White Sox catcher, was on first base in the bottom of the eighth with nobody out, a man on second, and the score 4–2 in favor of the Dodgers. The next batter, Al Smith, doubled to left-center. The runner at second (Earl Torgeson, running for Ted Kluszewski) scored easily. Cuccinello waved Lollar home, where he was thrown out—by a good margin, by all accounts. When the Sox went on to lose the Series four games to two, Cuccinello immediately was awarded goat horns and tagged with the blame for the Series loss.

Lopez defended his friend and fellow coach, telling a Chicago Daily News reporter first, that in his opinion the play itself was fine, and more importantly, that the play was not the turning point of the Series, that the Sox’ inability to run in the Coliseum was what led to their demise.

Lopez repeated that opinion in an interview with The Sporting News, noting that it took a perfect play by the Dodgers’ defense to nail Lollar at the plate. One of the Dodgers involved in the play, outfielder Wally Moon, expressed the same opinion during the off-season after the World Series when he said that he also might have sent Lollar if he were in Cuccinello’s shoes, because the odds were against the Dodgers making the play.

In any event, Cuccinello survived the controversy and continued coaching in Chicago into Eddie Stanky’s managerial tenure, which started in 1966. In 1967 Cuccinello joined the staff of new Tigers manager Mayo Smith, and at the beginning of the season Cuccinello took on Dick McAuliffe as a private project, to help McAuliffe make the switch from shortstop to second base. At the time Cuccinello said McAuliffe had to work on slowing himself down, and in 1968 the work seemed to bear fruit, as McAuliffe’s defensive improvement was cited by both opposing manager Alvin Dark of the Cleveland Indians and Tigers coach Hal Naragon as a key factor in the Tigers’ success. Cuccinello enjoyed his first and only World Series championship in 1968 when the Tigers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games

Cuccinello left the Tigers in 1969 to reunite with Al Lopez, who managed the White Sox for 17 games that season. Cuccinello then retired to Tampa, Florida, where he worked as a Yankees scout in the area until retiring from baseball completely in 1985. Cuccinello passed away of congestive heart failure September 21, 1995, at a hospital in Tampa.

An updated version of this biography is included in the book “Pitching to the Pennant: The 1954 Cleveland Indians” (University of Nebraska Press, 2014), edited by Joseph Wancho. It first appeared in “Sock It To ‘Em Tigers–The Incredible Story of the 1968 Tigers” (Maple Street Press, 2008), edited by Mark Pattison and David Raglin, and later in “Go-Go To Glory—The 1959 Chicago White Sox” (Acta, 2009), edited by Don Zminda.

Sources

Carmichael, J. “Lollar Play Not Series Key—Lopez.” Baseball Digest, Vol. 19 p. 71 (February 1960).

Chastain, B., “This Was the Closest Race Ever for a Batting Title.” Baseball Digest, Vol. 52, p. 63 (December. 1993).

Daniel, Dan. “Over the Fence: Two Big Breaks Influenced Outcome of Series.” The Sporting News, October 21, 1959, p. 10.

“‘Dodgers Reeled Off Perfect Play to Nail Lollar’—Lopez.” The Sporting News, January 20, 1960, p. 4.

Holmes, T. “Carey Experiments With Dodger Infield.” The Sporting News, March 31, 1932, p. 1.

“Majors’ All-Stars Meet In ‘Game of the Century.’” The Sporting News, July 6, 1933, p. 1.

Oates, B. “It Took Five Perfect Plays to Get Lollar at Plate!” Baseball Digest, vol. 19, p. 69 (February 1960).

Spoelstra, Watson. “Relaxed McAuliffe Gave Tigers Their Flag Spark.” The Sporting News, October 5, 1968, p. 33.

New York Times, September 23, 1995.

The Sporting News, October 21, 1959, p. 12. The play was also included in a summary of the worst coaching blunders in The Baseball Hall of Shame, written by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo and published in 1985 by Pocket Books, New York.

Westcott, Rich, “Tony Cuccinello-A Great Way to Spend a Lifetime,” from Diamond Greats, Profiles and Interviews with 65 of Baseball’s History Makers, p. 94 (Westport, Conn.: Meckler Books, 1988).

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top_about.jsp for top 100 minor league teams (accessed September 16, 2007)

www.baseball-reference.com.

www.retrosheet.org stats

SABR Home Run Log, www.sabr.org

In 1960, Pat made his professional debut with the Durham Bulls, at that time a Class A Detroit affiliate. He compiled a 7–9 record, striking out 137 batters in 157 innings, but he also walked 98. The following year was split between Knoxville and Durham. His 4–10 record was reflected by his elevated WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 2.01 over 119 innings. In 1962, Pat pitched for Montgomery, going 8–7. He significantly lowered his WHIP to 1.39 and struck out better than a batter per inning. He finished the year with Duluth-Superior in the Northern League, appearing in four games and being treated rather roughly by opposing teams.

The 1963 season found Pat still toiling in the lower minors, starting with Jamestown in the New York-Penn League and finishing in Knoxville of the Double A South Atlantic League. He showed some promise by year’s end, winning five and losing one at Knoxville with an impressive 1.33 ERA. Dobson began 1964 in Knoxville, reclassified a Double A club, and in midseason was promoted to the Tigers’ Triple A farm team in Syracuse. He struggled a bit with the top minor league talent and was demoted to Double A Montgomery in 1965. There he appeared in only 17 games, going 4–1. He finished the year back in Syracuse, pitching four times in relief. Pat spent the winter playing ball in Puerto Rico. He said later that his success there was instrumental in rebuilding his confidence.

Dobson was at a crossroads in 1966. He didn’t believe he was getting a real chance in the Detroit organization. He found himself on loan to Cleveland’s Portland team in the Triple A Pacific Coast League. Dobson started slowly, not getting into the starting rotation until the third week of the season. Despite missing a week to bursitis, he ended up becoming one of the top pitchers in the league. Pat finished with a record of 12–9 and an 3.45 ERA. His manager, John Lipon, remarked, “Pat’s got a good fast ball and slider, and at times a good curve. In fact, when he gets his big curve working effectively, he reminds me of Tommy Bridges.” Pat played winter ball that year in the Dominican League and was one of the most impressive American pitchers, jumping out to a 3–0 record.

Dobson started 1967 with the Triple A Toledo Mud Hens, by then the Tigers’ top farm team. After an impressive 4–1 start, he was called up to the parent club. He made his major league debut May 31, 1967, against Cleveland. He came into the game in the sixth inning with a runner on second and promptly surrendered a run-scoring single. He settled down and got the next two batters. In the seventh inning he surrendered a two-run home run to Leon Wagner. In his inning and two-thirds, Pat gave up two runs on four hits, but did not walk a batter and recorded three strikeouts. He was in the major leagues to stay.

Dobson appeared in 28 games in his rookie season. Initially, he was used only in Detroit blowout losses. But on August 2 Pat came in and pitched three strong innings against the Orioles to preserve a 1–0 lead. Manager Mayo Smith showed great confidence in the rookie by leaving Dobson in to start the ninth inning. But disaster struck when Pat walked Frank Robinson and then gave up a game-ending home run to Brooks Robinson. Still, his strong showing earned him his only start of the 1967 season on August 6 in the nightcap of a doubleheader against Cleveland. He surrendered four runs in the first inning, three of them coming on a Duke Sims homer. He left for a pinch-hitter in the top of the third, trailing 4–0. Dobson ended up with the loss as the Tigers fell 6–3. Then, from August 16 through September 15, Pat strung together eight appearances with 18.1 innings of shutout relief. Mayo Smith called him “the most improved pitcher on the staff.” Dobson earned his first major league victory September 9 against the Chicago White Sox when the Tigers overcame a 3–0 deficit by scoring seven runs in the ninth inning. His scoreless string ended abruptly September 17 against Washington as he surrendered a three-run home run to the Senators’ Hank Allen that turned a close game into a rout. Smith didn’t use Dobson again until the final game of the season when he faced two California Angels, walking the first and giving up a sacrifice before being pulled in favor of Mickey Lolich in a Detroit defeat. The Tigers saw the 1967 pennant go to the Boston Red Sox.

Pat spent the winter playing ball in Puerto Rico. He impressed a lot of baseball men when he rewrote the record books December 10, 1967, by striking out 21 batters, eclipsing Juan Pizzaro’s old league mark of 19.

Dobson entered 1968 full of confidence. He developed a strong working relationship with pitching coach Johnny Sain. Pat said Sain told him that he gripped the ball too tight and was teaching him to relax. As Dobson explained, “This gives my pitches better movement, better everything.” Sain also taught him a different grip for his slider; it became his best pitch. Dobson commented, “I can throw it anytime I want to for a strike. I used to have a slider that was flat. It broke away from a right-handed hitter. The one Sain gave me is better because it dips.”

Dobson worked a couple of innings in relief of Earl Wilson during the April 10 opening day loss to Boston. He contributed two scoreless innings in each of two Tigers come-from-behind victories in April. He then had a bad outing against the Yankees, allowing three batters to reach base without recording an out; he also threw two wild pitches. But the Tigers once again rallied for the victory. Pat got little work from manager Smith the first two months. He appeared in only 10 games, working 12 innings. On June 1, he was called upon to relieve Les Cain, who had been knocked around by the Yankees for four runs in the first inning. Pat shut the Yankees down for 5.2 innings, and the Tigers came back to win the game.

Following an injury to Earl Wilson, Dobson and John Hiller undertook several starts in his place. Pat hurled a complete-game shutout at Boston June 4. Coach Wally Moses called it the Tigers’ most important victory of the season. A week later he earned a victory against the Minnesota Twins, allowing just one run in 7.2 innings, while striking out 10 batters. He had a string of 25 scoreless innings snapped by a Tony Oliva home run. Three days later he pitched five scoreless innings in relief as the Tigers went on to beat the White Sox in 14 innings. Pat saved the second game of a doubleheader against Chicago June 16. Over the next eight days he racked up two more saves. On June 21, Dobson came on to start the tenth inning and shut the Indians down through the twelfth. When the Tigers took the lead in the top of the thirteenth, Pat was in line for another victory. But he surrendered a single to Duke Sims and a home run to Tony Horton. Pat bounced back to save three more games before the All-Star break. In a string of 13 games won by the Tigers, Dobson won one and saved five.

Dobson’s contributions weren’t limited to the ball field. He had a flair for having fun with his teammates. He coined nicknames for many of them, including “Pizza” for Tom Matchick in honor of his red hair. He also hung the name “Ratso” on his roommate John Hiller, naming him after the Dustin Hoffman character in the movie Midnight Cowboy. He said, “When I fool around in the bullpen, I do it for a purpose. I stay relaxed and so do the guys around me.” Pat was known simply as “Dobber,” a nickname he carried the rest of his life. Bill Freehan emphasized Pat’s competitiveness. “He goes after the hitters now and really challenges them. The pressure is on them, not him.”

The Tigers appeared sluggish after the All-Star break. They dropped five out of eight games heading into a big four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. In the first game, the Tigers trailed 4–2 in the ninth inning as Dobson came in to retire the side. When Matchick hit a dramatic two-run homer with two out and a 3–2 count on him, Dobson ended up with his third win of the season. Two days later Mayo needed a starter for the second game of a doubleheader against the O’s. Dobson only lasted 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk to suffer his second loss of the season. He started once again in Washington on August 1 and was handed another defeat as he gave up a grand slam to light-hitting Ron Hansen. Pat got five more starts in August, losing two and getting no decisions in the other three games. He pitched well in the games he lost, falling 5–3 and 1–0. Twice the bullpen cost him victories. Eventually, however, Joe Sparma was returned to the starting rotation, and Pat was sent back to the bullpen.

Dobson started September off with a bang, winning back-to-back games against the Oakland A’s in relief, then saving the third game of the series. He was given another starting assignment against the Twins. Dobson pitched brilliantly except for two pitches to rookie Graig Nettles that were lined into the seats. The second one proved to be the winner in a 2–1 loss for the Tigers. Pat appeared in only four of the last 19 games, for a total of six innings. He got a save and took two losses in those four games. His final numbers for the pennant-winning Detroit Tigers were 5–8, a 2.66 ERA, and seven saves. He pitched in 125 innings and had an impressive WHIP of 1.10. He led the staff with 47 appearances.

Dobson appeared in the three games the Tigers lost in the 1968 World Series. He mopped up for Denny McLain in Game 1, allowing a home run to Lou Brock. In the third game, he came on for an injured Earl Wilson with the Tigers up 2–1 and two runners on. He got Orlando Cepeda out, but gave up a three-run home run to Tim McCarver as the Cardinals went on to win the game 7–3. His final appearance was in Game 4, in which he shut down the Cards for two innings on one hit.

In 1969 Pat appeared in 49 games, winning five games, losing ten, and saving nine. As in 1968, he worked as both a starter and reliever. He had one complete-game victory on July 1 against the Red Sox. He appeared in his last game as a Tiger on September 16, pitching two scoreless innings against the Yankees. His season ended prematurely when Wayne Redmond jumped on the little toe of his left foot after being startled by a mouse in the dugout.

Dobson once again went to Puerto Rico for winter ball. While down there he railed against Detroit management for firing pitching coach Johnny Sain and not making any moves during the season. He criticized the Tigers’ aging infield and declared that General Manager Jim Campbell had “no guts to make the trades we need to make.” On December 4, 1969, Campbell promptly made a trade, sending Pat Dobson and Dave Campbell to the San Diego Padres for Joe Niekro.

Despite going from a perennial contender to a second-year expansion team, Dobson was excited to finally get a chance to be a full-time starter. He beat the Atlanta Braves 8–3 on opening day in San Diego. He struck out six batters, including Hank Aaron. For the season, Dobson compiled a 14–15 record for the worst team in the National League. He was a workhorse for the Padres, starting 34 games and even picking up a save in six relief appearances. Despite pitching on a bad knee all year, Pat was not about to give up his spot in the rotation now that he was a starting pitcher. “I waited three years to become a regular starter. They can have the bullpen” Dobson said. He said being in the rotation allowed him to work on his control. “It was excellent discipline. And I learned that control pitchers get the corners from the umpires,” he said. Dobson established single season records for wins and strikeouts for the young franchise.

Dobson’s stay in San Diego was limited to one season. On December 1, 1970, he was traded to the Orioles along with Tom Dukes for Tom Phoebus, Al Severinsen, Fred Beene, and Enzo Hernandez. Earl Weaver, the Orioles manager, was elated. He had been a fan of Dobson “ever since the night I saw him strike out 21 guys in a game in Puerto Rico.” His first start of the season was against his old team, the Tigers. He gave up three runs in the first inning, then shut Detroit out for the next seven. He was pulled for a pinch-hitter, and the Tigers went on to win in extra innings. Pat won his next start against the Yankees, only allowing one run in the complete-game victory. But he won one of his next nine starts. Before his June 17 start, his record stood at 3–4 with an ERA of 3.70. Starting with a victory over the Yankees that day, Pat would win 12 starts in a row. Eleven of the twelve victories were complete games. Then, starting with a loss to the Yankees, Pat slumped, winning only two of nine starts. He finished strong, however, winning his last three starts to reach the coveted twenty-win level. Dobson and teammates Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, and Jim Palmer all won 20 or more games, and the 1971 Orioles were only the second team in major league history to boast four twenty-game winners.

Baltimore swept the Oakland A’s in the American League playoffs, and went into the 1971 World Series as the favorite over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pat at first was the odd man out as Weaver decided to go with a three-man rotation for the postseason. Pat did not appear in the AL Championship Series but finally got a chance to start Game 4 of the World Series. The O’s staked him to a 3–0 lead in the first, but Pittsburgh came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning. They tied it up in the third, and Pat was pulled in the sixth inning with the score 3–3. The Pirates went on to win, 4–3. Pat made another Series appearance in Game 6, coming on to start the 10th inning. He retired the first batter, but then gave up a single to Dave Cash, who stole second on a strike-three pitch to Richie Hebner. Dobson intentionally walked Roberto Clemente and then was replaced by lefty Dave McNally to face the left-handed batting Willie Stargell. McNally ended up with the win when the Orioles scored in the bottom of the tenth. In Game 7, Dobson came on to start the ninth inning with the Orioles down 2–1. He retired the first two batters, striking out Clemente. But he gave up back-to-back singles, and McNally was once again summoned to face Stargell, whom he retired for the final out. The Orioles went down meekly in the ninth, and the Pirates were world champions.

After the Series, the Orioles and Dobson were scheduled for an exhibition tour of Japan. On November 2, 1971, in Toyama, Japan, Pat hurled a no-hit, no-run game against the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, winning 2–0.

The Oriole dynasty slipped in 1972, finishing five games behind the Tigers. Dobson’s record fell to 16–18 despite his posting a lower ERA and WHIP than he had in his 20-win season. He made the All-Star team, although he did not appear in the game. Pat stirred up a little controversy in Detroit when he suggested that Billy Martin was misusing Tom Timmerman, saying he made a better relief pitcher than a starter. When Baltimore came into Detroit for a four-game set, they were trailing the Tigers by two games. Dobson was scheduled to pitch the opener for the O’s. Martin suggested Dobson would tremble and flee under the Tiger Stadium long ball hex. Instead, Pat threw a complete-game four-hitter, winning 3–2.

Dobson loved it in Baltimore and was shocked when the Orioles traded him to Atlanta on November 30, 1972. Along with Dobson, Atlanta got Davey Johnson, Roric Harrison, and Johnny Oates while sending Earl Williams and Taylor Duncan to Baltimore. Dobson’s debut for Atlanta was inauspicious as he was bombed by the Astros 10–3. He beat San Diego in his next start, then went 1–6 in his next nine starts. After beating the Cubs to raise his record to 3–7, he was traded to the Yankees on June 7, 1973. He had hated it in Atlanta. He complained, “I went from the best defensive team to the worst. I throw ground balls. I need defense. Their whole game is tailored to offense—the park, the wind, and the grass.” He was happy to be in New York and compiled a 9–8 record for the Yankees. He enjoyed playing for Ralph Houk, and the Yankees were in contention up until late August.

Dobson was a little concerned when manager Ralph Houk was replaced by Bill Virdon. He felt Houk had been forced out by management. Pat won his first game in 1974, but lost eight of his next ten decisions. At that point, he started butting heads with Virdon over the pitching rotation. Virdon was experimenting with a five-man rotation, while Dobson insisted he needed to work every fourth day. The manager relented and went back to the four-man rotation. Dobson suddenly got hot and went on a 16–7 run the rest of the way. The Yankees were in first place on September 23, but wound up two games behind Baltimore as the Orioles won their last eight games while New York was winning five and losing three. Pat ended up 19–15 with a 3.07 ERA.

The Yankees believed that 1975 would be the year they returned to their former glory. Dobson started slowly, but he won six games in a row to raise his record to 8–5. He complained to the press after being pulled with two out in the seventh inning in a game against the Twins. At the time the Yankees were trailing 1–0, and there were two outs. Sparky Lyle came in and gave up a two-run single to Lyman Bostock. Virdon held a clubhouse meeting the next day and said, “One guy is causing dissension on the club.” When the manager reinstituted the five-man rotation, Dobson went into a tailspin, winning only three more games all year. Virdon was fired in August and replaced by Billy Martin. But Martin and Dobson didn’t get along well, either. Pat said Billy “had a habit of second-guessing what you threw, too.”

In November, Dobson found himself traded once more, this to Cleveland in exchange for Oscar Gamble. Dobson’s outspokenness didn’t always sit well with management. But he said, “I have never regretted one word I’ve said. ’Course, there have been repercussions, but if you’re right you have to take the consequences.”

His manager with the Indians was Frank Robinson, his old Orioles teammate. Dobson respected Robinson, calling him the finest player he’d ever teamed with. Pat was considered the “elder statesman” of a young Indians staff that also included a rookie named Dennis Eckersley. Dobson had a fine season with the Indians, posting a 16–12 record with a 3.48 ERA. Cleveland finished above .500 for the first time since 1968. But in 1977, his record plummeted to 3–12, and his ERA soared to 6.14. He didn’t get his first victory until June, after losing his first five decisions. His last victory came early in July against the Kansas City Royals. Shortly after that he lost his spot in the rotation and was relegated to the bullpen. What would be his final major league appearance came on September 19, 1977—fittingly, at Tiger Stadium. Dobson came on in relief in the seventh inning, getting the final two outs. He gave up a leadoff single in the eighth and was pulled from the game. The runner eventually scored, and Pat ended up taking the loss. He was released by the Indians on April 14, 1978, without making an appearance that year.

Pat Dobson won 122 games while losing 129 in the major leagues and saved an additional 19 games. His ERA for his career was a solid 3.54, and his WHIP was 1.28. In 17 seasons of professional ball, he played for 15 different teams.

Dobson developed a second career as a pitching coach. He summed up the logic behind the move: “Who knows more about pitching than me? Just take a look at the crap I’m getting away with out there [on the mound]. I rest my case.” He was working for Triple A Nashville in 1982 when he was summoned to the parent club, the Milwaukee Brewers. Their pitching coach, Cal McLish, had become ill, and Pat was asked to fill in. This was the year of Harvey’s Wallbangers, and the Brewers advanced to the World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Pat’s son Chris fondly remembers the days in Milwaukee. His dad would work his charts, chug coffee, chain smoke his menthol cigarettes, and complete the crossword puzzle in the New York Times. “I never saw a crossword puzzle my father couldn’t finish,” Chris said. After the Brewers fell to last place in 1984, Dobson and all the coaches were let go. He returned to coaching in the minor leagues before returning to the majors with San Diego from 1988 to 1990.

Dobson managed of the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior League in 1989 and 1990. The Senior League was a new winter ball league set in Florida for players 35 and older. There were eight teams in two divisions. Pat’s team finished second and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The league folded halfway through its second season.

In 1991, Dobson became the Royals’ pitching coach. He was considered a key man on the team, trying to restore the confidence of reliever Mark Davis. He had handled the star pitcher before at San Diego. Another project was Mark Gubicza, coming back from shoulder surgery. Pat was considered as a possible replacement for manager John Wathan, who was fired in May 1991. The job went instead to Hal McRae. Dobson’s relationship with the new manager was rocky, and Pat resigned on September 9 when he could not get assurance that he would be asked to return the next year. Later that year, Pat attended the final-day ceremonies at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and reunited with his fellow 20-game winners, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar.

Dobson joined the Colorado Rockies expansion team as an advance scout in December 1992, serving in that capacity until 1995. He left the Rockies to take the Baltimore pitching coach job in 1996, working with his close friend, manager Davey Johnson.

Despite the Orioles finishing a close second to the New York Yankees, Dobson was fired at the end of 1996 by owner Peter Angelos. Pat and the Orioles’ young ace, Mike Mussina, did not see eye to eye and after a shouting match at the mound during a crucial September game, the writing was on the wall. Over the objections of General Manager Pat Gillick and manager Johnson, Ray Miller was hired as the new pitching coach.

Dobson next took a position as an advance scout with the San Francisco Giants in 1997, eventually becoming a special assistant to General Manager Brian Sabean. He was one of Sabean’s top talent evaluators and scouted many of the players the Giants acquired, particularly pitchers. In 1998, Dobson was elected to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. His induction notice credited him with enlivening every clubhouse he entered. One writer even suggested that Pat may have been the funniest man who ever wore a baseball uniform.

Dobson played a key role in persuading Bruce Bochy to take the manager’s position with the Giants in 2006, even jetting to San Francisco with Bochy when he went for an interview. Shortly afterward, Pat began to feel ill. After two weeks, he went to a hospital for tests and was diagnosed with leukemia. One night after checking in to the hospital, Pat Dobson died on November, 22, 2006, in San Diego. He was survived by his wife Kathe, and six children, Pat III, Nancy, Stacy, Chris, Shannon, and Stephanie.

Sources

Baggerly, Andrew. “Dobson played role in Bochy’s decision.” Oakland Tribune, December 6, 2006. Accessed at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20061206?pnum=2&opg=n16893475

Cour, Paul. “Bulldog Dobson—Padre Workhouse and Battler.” The Sporting News, September 19, 1970, p. 20.

Flaherty, Tom. “McLish Loses Out In Coaching Change.” The Sporting News, November 29, 1982, p. 60.

Frau, Miguel. “Dobson Eclipses Pizarro’s Strikeout Record, Fans 21.” The Sporting News, December 23, 1967, p. 47.

Hatter, Lou. “Dobson Turns Detroit Into Bengal Snakepit.” The Sporting News, July 22, 1972, p. 9.

Jackman, Phil. “Pat Dobson Acquired to Fill No. 4 Spot on Oriole Staff.” The Sporting News, December 19,1970, p. 38.

Jackman, Phil. “O’s Thank Their Lucky Stars for New Ace Dobson.” The Sporting News, August 14, 1971, p. 10.

Jackman, Phil. “O’s Boast Four 20-Win Aces, Equal Feat of ’20 Chisox Stars.” The Sporting News, October 9, 1971, p. 11.

Kaegel, Dick. “Kansas City Royals.” The Sporting News, September 23, 1991, p. 26.

Kubatko, Roch. “O’s ‘gamer’ won 20 in ’71.” Baltimore Sun, November 24, 2006, p. D11.

McKean, Dale. “‘All I Needed Was a Chance’—Beaver Ace Dobson Proving It.” The Sporting News, July29, 1966, p. 38.

Nightengale, Bob. “Orioles Functioning Like a Dysfunctional Family.” The Sporting News, October 28, 1996, p. 15.

Nightengale, Dave. “1991:Hello to Odd Ball.” The Sporting News, April 1, 1991, p. S12.

Pepe, Phil. “Sleight of Hand Provides Dobson Toehold on Wins.” The Sporting News, September 14, 1974, p. 29.

Powers, Roger. “Sports of All Sorts.” Grit, (Williamsport, Pa.), November 14, 1971, p. 43.

Reidenbaugh, Lowell. “Cardinals Flash Muscle, Speed in a 7–3 Triumph.” The Sporting News, October 19, 1968, p. 9.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Winter Loop Whiff Feats Mark Dobson as ’58 Bengalani to Watch.” The Sporting News, January 6, 1968, p. 50.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Unheralded Dobson and Hiller Win Tiger Headlines.” The Sporting News, June 29, 1968, p. 11.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Tiger Jokester Dobson Wipes Grin Off Batters’ Faces.” The Sporting News, June 21, 1969, p. 12.

Spoelstra, Watson. “Kilkenny Is Tough Pitcher In a Paradise for Swingers.” The Sporting News, October 11,1969, p. 17.

Sudyk, Bob. “The Travels and Travails of Pat Dobson.” Baseball Digest, Vol. 36, No.1 1977, pp. 74–78.

Vicioso, Fernando. “Dobson Helps Tigers Bare Sharp Teeth.” The Sporting News, November 26, 1966, p. 43.

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Note

This article originally appeared in the book Sock It To ‘Em Tigers–The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, published by Maple Street Press in 2008.

Photo Credit

The Topps Company

Like many great players, Elroy Leon Face’s career in the major leagues was defined by a pair of numbers: 18 and 1. Face’s 1959 season, when he won 18 games against a single loss in relief for the Pirates, is certainly a remarkable achievement. At .947, it was the highest single-season winning percentage ever for a pitcher: only three other pitchers have posted a .900 winning percentage in a season since 1901 (minimum, 15 wins). A stalwart member of the Pirates from the mid-1950s through the late 1960s, the slight right-handed relief ace became one of the best-known “faces” of the postwar Pittsburgh franchise.

Standing only 5-feet-8 and listed at between 155 and 160 pounds, Roy Face would seem an unlikely candidate to play a key role in revolutionizing the way the game was played. Since the end of World War II, only seven other pitchers shorter than 5-feet-9 have made their big-league debuts and either started in 50 games or appeared in 100—none since 1976. Only three of those were shorter than Face, who was far from the prototype of the intimidating closer later made famous by practitioners like Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and Bruce Sutter.

Durability is one of the hallmarks of the greatest relief pitchers, and Elroy Face clearly met that test. The right-hander pitched for 16 years, all but two of them exclusively or almost exclusively in relief. In 1956, Face tied the major-league record by appearing in nine consecutive games September 3–13, including five games in four days September 7–10. Even though he shouldered a heavy workload, Face was on the disabled list only once in his career, after knee surgery in 1965.

Consistency is another quality of great relief pitchers. Again, Face made the grade by posting double-digit save totals in all but two seasons from 1957 to 1968. (In that period, the average NL-leading save figure was less than 23.) He led the league in saves three times and in appearances twice and was a member of the NL All-Star team in 1959, 1960, and 1961.

In the 1950s, the national pastime witnessed many profound changes. Among them was a new philosophy of pitching that coalesced after many teams experimented with true relief pitchers in the 1940s (as opposed to starters coming on in relief in key games between starts). Relievers, heretofore mostly considered to be failed starters, were gaining prominence as many pennant-winning clubs featured a bullpen ace. Nevertheless, most top relievers lacked one or both of the key qualities of consistency and durability.

Joe Black, a Negro League veteran, won the 1952 NL Rookie of the Year Award while going 15-4 with 15 saves for Brooklyn. He never had another season anything like that. Reliever Joe Page of the postwar Yankees had only two really good years. The Phillies’ Jim Konstanty was more durable than most, but his MVP-winning 1950 was his only outstanding campaign. Ellis Kinder had several good seasons out of the bullpen for the Red Sox in the 1950s, but he lasted only four years as a full-time reliever. The Dodgers’ Clem Labine probably was the most durable and consistent reliever prior to Face, though Labine never achieved Face’s level of excellence.

The only relief pitcher of the pre-expansion era whose career was comparable to Face was Hoyt Wilhelm, the ageless knuckleballer who made a brilliant debut at age 29 with the New York Giants in 1952. Wilhelm went 15–3 with 11 saves, leading the NL with 71 appearances, all in relief. However, after two more good seasons, Wilhelm’s career stalled. Bouncing from the Giants to the Cardinals to the Indians to the Orioles, he was converted to starting before finally settling in as a relief ace for good in 1961. Wilhelm’s career eventually eclipsed Face’s, but it was Face who was the pioneer in defining the role of the ace reliever in the 1950s.

Star relievers of the 1960s like Lindy McDaniel (who learned his forkball from Face in the early 1960s), Ron Perranoski, and Stu Miller were, thus, following in Face’s footsteps. None of them ever garnered serious support for the Hall of Fame, never climbing above two percent of the vote. Face peaked at 19 percent in Hall balloting in 1987, showing that he was regarded much more highly than any reliever of his time aside from Wilhelm, inducted into Cooperstown in 1985.

Retroactive save statistics first compiled in 1969 show that Face held the all-time saves lead from 1962 through 1963, being passed by Wilhelm in 1964. Face was the career leader in games finished from 1961 to 1964, again until passed by Wilhelm. From 1956, when he was permanently moved to the bullpen, through 1968, Face led all major-league pitchers in relief games with 717 (87 more than Wilhelm) and in saves with 183 (20 more than Wilhelm).

Considering that he didn’t attend college, Face got a late start on his professional career for someone of his level of accomplishment. Born on February 20, 1928, in Stephentown, New York, just over the state line from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, he played baseball at Averill Park High School, a dozen miles east of Albany, before serving in the U.S. Army from February 1946 to July 1947.

Signed by the Phillies at age 20 and assigned to Class D, Face spent two years with Bradford in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York (PONY) League. Even though the right-hander pitched well for the PONY League champion Blue Wings in his professional debut (14–2 with a league-leading .875 winning percentage), he was not promoted. The following year, Face was even better, leading the PONY with a 2.58 ERA and compiling an 18–5 record for a fourth-place club. Yet Philadelphia left him exposed to the annual winter draft, allowing Branch Rickey of Brooklyn to snatch Face in December 1950.

Two years later, after successful campaigns with Pueblo in the Class A Western League (three levels above Class D, confirming that the Phillies made a mistake in not promoting him) and Fort Worth in the Double A Texas League, Rickey (now with Pittsburgh) again drafted Face at the 1952 Winter Meetings. The following spring, Face made his major-league debut on April 16. He spent the whole season with the Pirates, making 41 appearances, including 13 starts, but posting a 6.58 ERA.

At that time, the diminutive right-hander was what scouts used to call a “blow-and-go guy”: a moundsman who threw as hard as he could for as long as he could, but who was not an experienced pitcher. Despite his small stature, Face threw as hard as, or harder than, Bob Friend and the other Pirates pitchers, according to catcher Hank Foiles, who was with Pittsburgh from late 1956 through 1959. As a rookie, Face’s repertoire consisted of a fastball and a curveball. While the young right-hander’s success in the minors argued that he might get by with just two arrows in his quiver, big-league hitters argued—successfully—to the contrary in 1953.

As a result of his first-year struggles, Face was sent in 1954 to Pittsburgh’s highest-level farm club, New Orleans of the Double A Southern Association. His assignment was to learn an off-speed pitch—a career-changing move that would catapult him to stardom. Contrary to accounts that say Face learned his forkball from veteran relief pitcher Joe Page, Face says he simply got the idea for developing a fork from watching Page as the erstwhile Yankees reliever was trying to make comeback in Pittsburgh’s spring camp in 1954. After practicing the new pitch on his own on the sidelines for half the season, Face started using it in ballgames with the Pelicans.

Danny Murtaugh, the Pelicans’ skipper who would later manage the Pirates to world championships in 1960 and 1971, converted Face to a full-time reliever. Murtaugh scratched his new charge from his second scheduled start after he took over in the Crescent City, never asking him to start another game. Years later, Murtaugh reaped the benefits of that conversion when he was the man in the Forbes Field dugout during Face’s peak years from 1958 to 1962.

After completing his assignment by mastering his new pitch, Face went north with Pittsburgh in the spring of 1955.

“I don’t, but neither does the batter.” — Elroy Face, as quoted in The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, about whether he knew which way his forkball would break. (Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Pirates)

A forkball is a pitch that is hard to define, hard to throw, hard to control, and very hard to hit. Essentially, it is a change-of-pace offering that gets its sudden drop because the pitcher jams the baseball between his index and middle fingers, allowing the ball to depart his hand with minimal spin. Properly delivered, it should “tumble” toward home plate, dropping out of the strike zone as befuddled batters futilely swing over it. If thrown slowly enough, á la Elroy, the pitch can also break unpredictably to either side, á la the knuckleball.

The forkball that Roy Face ultimately mastered and which, in turn, allowed him to master NL hitters, is a little-used pitch with a long history. Assuming one accepts that forkballs and split-finger fastballs are different pitches—notwithstanding that many think it a distinction without real meaning—the forkball was invented in 1908 by Bert Hall, a pitcher with Tacoma in the Northwestern League who made his only major-league start for the Phillies in 1911. The next pitcher known to employ the fork was “Bullet Joe” Bush in the 1920s; the only other really prominent pitchers to use it regularly before Face were Ernest “Tiny” Bonham (an All-Star starter for the Yankees during World War II whose career was ended by his premature death while with the Pirates in the late 1940s), and Mort Cooper (who starred for the Cardinals in the 1940s).

Baseball analyst Rob Neyer rated Face as throwing the best forkball of all time (if one separates the fork from the splitter), though Neyer lumped the two pitches together in his top-10 list after devoting several pages to distinguishing them.

Though now identified most closely with his devastating forkball, Face has always maintained that he wasn’t dependent on that pitch. When the fork was working, he might throw it 70 percent of the time; when it wasn’t working, he might use it only 20 percent of the time. Though he later added a slider, he kept his curve, ultimately providing four pitches in his arsenal to choose from.

Even in his superb 1959 and 1960 seasons, Face mixed his pitch selection according to what was most effective that day.

The epigraph to Chapter III of Christy Mathewson’s classic Pitching in a Pinch reads: “Many pitchers Are Effective in a Big League Ball Game until that Heart-Breaking Moment Arrives Known as the ‘Pinch’—It Is then that the Man in the Box is Put to the Severest Test. … Victory or Defeat Hangs on his Work in that Inning.”

Armed with his new pitch, Face took off on his excellent career. He split his time between starting and relieving in ’55, then led the NL in appearances the next year with 68 (including three starts). In ’57, Face registered his first year with double-digit saves; in ’58, he led the NL in saves for the first time. His sensational 1959 season marked his first All-Star honors and is now, of course, the stuff of baseball legend.

“When he had that great year in 1959 you had to wonder how he did it, but he did, had that great forkball and I don’t think he weighed more than 145 pounds,” said Sam Narron, Branch Rickey’s first bullpen catcher (as quoted in Pen Men).

Face’s sole loss in ’59 snapped a relief record 17-game winning streak that year as well as a 22-game winning streak over two seasons. Perhaps more remarkable in an era where ace relievers often were called upon with the score tied, it was also his first loss in 99 appearances, dating back to early 1958.

Sally O’Leary, who worked in the Pittsburgh PR department for 32 years before going on to edit the Pirates alumni newsletter The Black and Gold, recalled how Face’s record-setting season—which included a healthy dose of good luck, as virtually all great seasons do—has been remembered by retired Bucs pitchers. “[T]he Pirate starters love to tell stories of how they would start a game, pitch really well, and somehow the game would get tied—Elroy would come in—and get the win! This always provides good copy!”

A key actor in Pittsburgh’s 1960 pageantry, Face again topped the NL in appearances while saving 24 and compiling a 2.90 ERA in 114.2 innings. Though bordering on heroic, Face’s efforts in the 1960 World Series have been largely forgotten by fans—including many who remember Bill Mazeroski’s famous homer. Coming in from the pen to save Games One, Four, and Five, Face narrowly missed becoming the winning pitcher in Game Seven when the Yankees came from behind to knot the score in the top of the ninth. (Face had been removed for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth at the start of a five-run Pittsburgh rally.)

Face logged 10 1/3 innings in that Series, more than any other Bucs pitcher—including starters—except Vern Law. Only one year earlier, the Dodgers’ Larry Sherry had become the first pitcher ever to save or win every game for a World Series winner.

After an off-year in 1961 (6–12 record, though he again led the league in saves), Face enjoyed his best year in “The Show” in ’62. Although Roy’s 1962 season isn’t as well known as his 1959 or 1960 campaigns, at age 34, Face won his only Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award. (TSN’s award was first given out in 1960.) The unflappable veteran posted a league-leading, career-high 28 saves to go with a 1.88 ERA (2.09 adjusted for park factor and league offensive level) as well as an NL relief-high 20 Adjusted Pitching Runs (runs allowed compared to the average pitcher).

The durable righty was never as good thereafter, struggling through a mediocre 1963, a rocky 1964, and an injury-shortened 1965. Afterward, with lighter usage, the seasoned stopper rebounded to post three consecutive solid seasons before his Pittsburgh career came to an end.

When he was sold to Detroit, Face held the NL records for games pitched (802), games in relief (775), games finished (547), and relief wins (92). In all of those categories, Face was second to future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm for the major-league lead. Wilhelm, the first relief pitcher enshrined in Cooperstown, had an advantage in that he had spent most of his career to that point with first-division teams.

According to longtime Pittsburgh sportswriter Lester Biederman in the September 14, 1968, issue of The Sporting News, “There was a little dash of cloak and dagger mystery to Roy Face’s final turn with the Pirates August 31 before he was sold to the Tigers for a reported $100,000.” The deal with Detroit had already been agreed upon, but it hadn’t been announced since the Tigers wouldn’t have a roster slot open till September 1. (TSN also asserted that Face had saved 233 games for the Pirates, apparently using a different definition for the unofficial stat that would finally be codified for the following season.)

Pittsburgh sold Face to Detroit despite his leading the Bucs with 13 saves in only 43 games and posting a 2.60 ERA (Adjusted ERA 13 percent better than the NL norm). His last appearance for the Bucs tied Walter Johnson’s record for most appearances with a single team (802); it was arranged as somewhat of a going-away present by Pittsburgh management. Face was invited to start this last game, but declined. Instead, Face relieved Steve Blass after the Pirates’ starter had retired the leadoff hitter in the first inning. Blass went to left field temporarily as Face threw a single pitch and recorded a groundout before walking off the mound. While the Pirates had not yet announced Face’s sale to Detroit, it seemed that everyone with the club knew what was happening and wanted to bid Roy adieu.

In one of those fascinating twists of fate, the world champion 1968 Tigers turned to one of the all-time great firemen—the predominant term of that day for what would today be called closers—late in their season to give them extra insurance for the final month. After only two brief appearances and two more unexpected twists of fate, Face was all but forgotten in Detroit.

In hindsight, the ’68 Tigers now seem to have been invulnerable. Yet, after ascending to first place on May 10 and holding leads between 5 1/2 and 8 games for the next three months, they didn’t appear to have the American League pennant in the bag in late August. Upon sweeping a doubleheader from the Athletics on August 27, rookie manager Earl Weaver’s hard-charging Orioles had blazed to a 35-17 record after Weaver had replaced Hank Bauer at the helm. Worse, the second-place Birds had narrowed the gap to four games when the Tigers dropped a 2-1 decision to the White Sox on the same day. The No. 1 and No. 2 teams were set to clash in a big three-game weekend series starting on August 30 in Motown, then potentially fight it out for the pennant in the last week of the season in Crabtown.

Detroit was only six games ahead of Baltimore at the end of August when Face was purchased from Pittsburgh on August 31. No one knew at that time that Detroit would finish with a flourish, winning 21 of their last 30 games as Baltimore stumbled to the finish line, losing 17 while winning 13 and finishing a distant 12 games back.

Still reeling from the devastation—both physical and psychological—of the 1967 riots, the city of Detroit was going gaga over its Tigers in the summer of 1968. As the long season ground on, however, Detroit’s bullpen looked like a potential problem. Such is the luxury of having a great team: worrying about potential problems rather than having to deal with pressing problems. General Manager Jim Campbell, therefore, tried to bolster the club’s relief corps by the time-honored tradition of adding several experienced arms.

In that glorious summer of ’68, Detroit’s bullpen was an amalgam of untested youngsters (rookie righty Daryl Patterson was 24, while rookie lefty Jon Warden was a tender 21) and sophomores with about a year or so of big-league experience (lefty John Hiller, 25, and righties Pat Dobson and Fred Lasher, both 26). Hiller and Dobson filled the swingman roles, making 12 and 10 starts, respectively. The only Detroit pitcher over 27 years old for the first half of the season was veteran starter Earl Wilson (33).

Despite the doubts, the Detroit bullpen as a group was spectacular that year, holding opponents to a .200 batting average (remember, however, that the league batted only .230 in the watershed “Year of the Pitcher”) and compiling a 2.26 ERA with a 29–13 record and 29 saves. Their unofficial saves total was tied for sixth in the league. No Detroit pitcher posted more than seven saves, with three relievers each earning at least 17 percent of the team total (Dobson and Patterson with seven each; Lasher with five).

As the season wore on, Campbell strengthened his callow pitching staff by acquiring a handful of old-timers. Don McMahon, who became the Tigers’ closer, was 38, though he would soldier on for another six seasons and 244 games, mostly with the Giants. The Tigers also auditioned two other veteran closers, acquiring John Wyatt (only 33 but at the end of his career) from the Yankees in mid-June and Roy Face, age 40. Unlike McMahon, neither veteran thrived in Detroit. Both would finish their careers in 1969, with Wyatt appearing in his final four games for Oakland and Face spending most of the year in Montreal.

On September 2, the day after he reported to Detroit, Face made his AL debut. He was called on in the eighth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, allowing a run-scoring hit and blowing the lead while pitching two-thirds of an inning. Face also appeared the next day, again being nicked for an RBI single and blowing the lead. He never saw game action for Detroit afterward. His stat line for the 1968 Tigers read: one inning pitched, five batters faced, two hits allowed, one (intentional) walk, and one strikeout.

The Detroit rotation soon made Campbell’s insurance policy superfluous by logging complete games in half of its 26 September starts on the way to leading the AL with a total of 59—including a remarkable 12 consecutive complete games from September 6 through September 19. By the time that streak was over, the gap between the Tigers and the Orioles was an insurmountable 12 1/2 games, and Face sat unused for the rest of the season. The veteran closer returned home as Detroit battled St. Louis in what would become one of the greatest fall classics ever.

Face’s career came to a close in 1969, the year when the save was officially endorsed as a statistic. The great reliever was released by Detroit late in spring training and was picked up three weeks later by the expansion Expos, for whom he appeared in 44 games before being released in mid-August. Face pitched briefly for Triple A Hawaii in 1970 before hanging up his spikes permanently.

In a November 2, 1968, column by Watson Spoelstra in The Sporting News, Tigers pitching coach Johnny Sain was optimistic about the Detroit pitching staff’s prospects for the next season. One reason mentioned by Sain was that he thought the club would be helped by the presence of four veteran closers: McMahon, Face, Wyatt, and Dick Radatz (who pitched in the Tigers’ organization in Toledo in 1968 after being released by the Cubs.)

Sain’s prognostication for his veteran quartet would remain mostly unfulfilled, with only Radatz and McMahon pitching for Detroit in 1969. “Four pretty good country relief pitchers” was the way Radatz remembered that group years later in Pen Men.

That seemed like a fair way to sum up Face’s career: A pretty good country relief pitcher who became a pioneer.

When he pitched his last game in the majors, Face stood second with 193 on the all-time saves list to Hoyt Wilhelm’s 210; he was six saves behind Wilhelm when he left Pittsburgh in 1968. That was no mean feat considering that, in Face’s 14 years in the Steel City, the Bucs won only one pennant and finished in the first division only three other times. Face remains today atop the Pirates’ all-time list in games with 802 and saves with 188.

According to O’Leary, the Pirates’ alumni newsletter editor, Face remained extremely popular decades after he last pulled off his Pirates uniform. “He was always ready to help the alumni in one way or another—appearances, signing autographs, giving little talks (question and answer things)—and the public enjoyed having him at their events,” she said.

Face died just three days before his 98th birthday on February 12, 2026.

Photo credit

Elroy Face, SABR-Rucker Archive.

Sources

Ages quoted are seasonal ages (i.e., age as of June 30 of each season)

Adjusted ERA stats per Pete Palmer’s calculations in The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. They may differ slightly from similar statistics on baseball-reference.com or those previously published in Total Baseball.

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MacFarlane, Paul; Chris Roewe, Larry Wigge, and Larry Vickrey, Official Baseball Guide for 1971. )St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1971)

Mathewson, Christopher, Pitching In a Pinch. (Mattituck: N.Y.: Amereon House reprint of 1912 Knickerbocker Press edition)

Morris, Peter, A Game of Inches: The Game Behind the Scenes. (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006)

Morris, Peter, A Game of Inches: The Game On the Field. (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006)

Neft, David S., Lee Allen and Robert Markel, The Baseball Encyclopedia, 1st ed., updated. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1969)

Peary, Danny, We Played the Game. (New York: Hyperion Books, 1994)

Pickard, Charles, Cliff Kachline and Paul A. Rickart, Baseball Register. (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1965)

Pietrusza, David, Matthew Silverman and Michael Gershman, Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. (Kingston, New York: Total/Sports Illustrated, 2000)

Quigley, Martin, The Crooked Pitch. (Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books, 1984)

Reichler, Joseph L., The Baseball Trade Register. (New York: Collier Books, 1984)

Roewe, Chris and Oscar Kahan, Official Baseball Guide for 1968. (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1968)

Roewe, Chris and Paul MacFarlane, Official Baseball Guide for 1969. (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1969)

Spatz, Lyle, The SABR Baseball List & Record Book. (New York: Scribner, 2007)

Spink, J.G. Taylor; Paul A. Rickart and Joe Abramovich, Baseball Register. (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)

Spink, J.G. Taylor; Paul A. Rickart and Clifford Kachline, The Sporting News Baseball Guide and Record Book. (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)

Sumner, Benjamin Barrett, Minor League Baseball Standings. (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2000)

Thorn, John and John Holway, The Pitcher. (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1988)

Trdinich, Jim and Dan Hart, Pittsburgh Pirates 2007 Media Guide. (Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club, 2007)

Trdinich, Jim; Dan Hart and Patrick O’Connell, Pittsburgh Pirates 2004 Media Guide. (Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club, 2004)

Articles

Biederman, Les, “Buc Scribe Gives Bengals An Intimate Look at Face.” The Sporting News, September 21, 1968. 

Biederman, Les, “Face Leaves Bucs In a Blaze of Glory.” The Sporting News, September 14, 1968. 

Felber, Bill, “The Changing Game,” in John Thorn and Pete Palmer’s Total Baseball, 1st ed. (New York: Warner Books, 1989)

Felber, Bill and Gary Gillette, “The Changing Game,” in John Thorn and Pete Palmer’s Total Baseball, seventh edition. (Kingston, New York: Total Sports Publishing, 2001)

“National Nuggets,” The Sporting News, October 5, 1968: 54. 

Spoelstra, Watson, “It Looks Like Northrup Can Buy Cowboy Boots,” The Sporting News, September 21, 1968. 

Spoelstra, Watson, “Sain, Naragon Give Tigers Early Line on ’69,” The Sporting News, November 2, 1968.

Websites

www.baseballindex.org

www.baseball-reference.com

SABR Encyclopedia, including Home Run Log and Scouting Database

pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

retrosheet.org [including Transactions Log]

Correspondence

Gary Gillette. Interviews with Elroy Face, Pete Palmer, Jim Price, and Lenny Yochim.

Rod Nelson. E-mail messages to author.

Sally O’Leary. E-mail message to author.

Pete Palmer. E-mail messages to author.