May 14, 1976: Doubleheader at Eastern Michigan provides backdrop for meeting of scout and scribe

In the spring of 1976, Roger Angell, who served simultaneously at The New Yorker magazine as fiction editor and baseball writer, decided to illuminate one of baseball’s less visible occupations. He wanted to present a firsthand view of the life of a scout—perceived by many fans as shadowy figures combing the back roads of America in search of new talent.

Angell connected with former pitcher Ray Scarborough, then scouting for the California Angels, and traveled with him to a high-school game in Kentucky, a college doubleheader in Michigan, and a Philadelphia Phillies-Los Angeles Dodgers game in Philadelphia. The resulting essay, titled “Scout,” appeared in The New Yorker in August 1976 and was reprinted in Angell’s essay collection Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion.1 The essay summarized Scarborough’s pitching career, and the perspectives of both scout and scouted, with Angell’s characteristic precision, grace, and intelligence.

On a cloudy Friday, May 14, Scarborough and Angell drove from Detroit about 40 minutes west to Ypsilanti, Michigan,2 to watch a doubleheader between the Eastern Michigan University Hurons3 and the Bowling Green (Ohio) State University Falcons. Angell had imagined scouting to be a solitary endeavor,4 but a clutch of Scarborough’s scouting friends also attended, including Syd Thrift of the A’s, Howie Haak of the Pirates, Brandy Davis of the Phillies, and future Hall of Famer Pat Gillick of the Yankees.

The main attraction, Angell wrote, was Eastern Michigan’s first-game starting pitcher, Detroit-born lefty Bob Owchinko. But he wasn’t the only draw. The Hurons’ baseball program was on the rise under the tutelage of alumnus and longtime coach Ron Oestrike.5 The team had finished fifth in the 1975 College World Series and went on to place second in 1976. They lost the final game to the University of Arizona, but Oestrike earned recognition as The Sporting News’s college baseball Coach of the Year.6 The Hurons entered the doubleheader with a 10-3 record in the Mid-America Conference and 34-12 overall.7 With four conference games to go, the team had to win only two to clinch the conference championship.8

No former Huron had reached the majors since Don Schwall retired in 1967. But between 1976 and 1979, 13 Eastern Michigan players were drafted, a sign of the program’s ascendance on major-league radar screens.9 Three were first-round choices—including Owchinko and second-game starting pitcher Bob Welch—and five would reach the majors.10

The visiting Bowling Green Falcons, led by fifth-year coach Don Purvis,11 entered with a record of 7-5 in the conference and 31-14 in total.12 The Falcons showed off strong prospects too. First-game starting pitcher Kip Young was a Detroit Tigers draft choice in June 1976 and played parts of two seasons in the majors. Junior catcher Larry Owen13 and pitcher Jeff Jones were June 1977 draft choices who also reached the majors.14 Four of the Falcons’ hitters ranked in the conference Top 20, and Young had a stellar 10-1 record. (Owchinko’s and Welch’s records were 7-3 and 7-2.)15

Bowling Green also boasted freshman outfielder Jeff Groth, a four-year baseball letterman who set school records in triples and RBIs and was drafted by three major-league teams. Groth, a multisport star, skipped pro baseball in favor of a seven-season career as a wide receiver in the National Football League.16

Others on hand that day found a different path to the majors. After graduation, Bowling Green pitcher Jim Joyce17 pursued an umpiring career, beginning in the Midwest League in 1978. He reached the American League in 1987 and stayed in the majors for 30 seasons.18 The umpiring crew included Tom Ravashiere, described by Scarborough as “a good ump in the International League for years and years. He’s out of baseball now.” Scarborough was right about the first part, but not the second. Ravashiere, at age 58, umpired seven AL games during an umpires’ strike in April and May 1979. It was his only major-league action.19

Off the field, the Falcons had to navigate an unusual Bicentennial distraction. President Gerald Ford, who grew up in Michigan and represented the state in Congress for many years, was in the area campaigning for the coming Michigan presidential primary,20 and he and his party pushed the visiting team out of its scheduled lodgings. Bowling Green was forced to make other hotel arrangements.21

In the first game, Angell described the teams as “well trained and extremely combative,” making occasional mistakes but generally impressing with their level of play. Owchinko showed off his highly rated fastball, curve, and screwball in throwing five scoreless innings; Young did the same, using low curveballs and good control. Owchinko also impressed in the field, nimbly gathering up an attempted sacrifice and pegging to second to retire the lead runner.

Owchinko appeared to lose concentration in the sixth. Bowling Green center fielder Randy Law22 and shortstop Chuck Black23 worked him for walks to start the inning, and Owen reached when his potential double-play grounder was bobbled by Eastern Michigan shortstop and future Baltimore Oriole Glenn Gulliver. Groth slammed Owchinko’s first pitch—“a mistake pitch,” in Scarborough’s assessment—over the left-field fence for his sixth collegiate home run and first grand slam. The visitors led, 4-0.24

Eastern Michigan fought back off Young in the bottom half, starting with a walk and a ground-rule double. A single by Ted Dasen25 scored both runners to cut the Falcons’ lead to 4-2. The biggest blow came off the bat of senior right fielder Thom Boutin, who’d been drafted by the San Francisco Giants out of high school in June 1972 and would be selected again by the Giants in June 1976.26 Boutin hit a two-out fly ball that barely carried over the 385-foot center-field wall for a three-run homer and a 5-4 lead, bringing a mob of his teammates out to celebrate.

Owchinko, apparently tiring, walked the first hitter of the seventh inning. But the Falcons could move him no farther than second base, and Owchinko closed out a hard-fought victory.27

Many of the scouts left before the second game, but Scarborough and Angell stuck around for the start of the faceoff between Eastern Michigan’s Welch and Bowling Green senior Romie Schwieterman. A season recap story in the campus newspaper labeled Schwieterman Bowling Green’s “biggest disappointment” for his “inability to find the strike zone with consistency,” adding, “If the lefthander ever relaxed and challenged opposing hitters, he would have been a consistent winner.”28

Very little description of the nightcap is included in “Scout,” and the story suggests that Scarborough and Angell might have left after seeing Welch in the top of the first. Angell described Welch’s “commanding” pitching form, writing, “He threw with a kind of explosive elegance.” Scarborough praised Welch’s physique and pitching style, saying he expected to see him pitch again before the 1977 draft.

Through five innings, Schwieterman was outdueling the future Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion. He had yielded only three hits and was nursing a 4-3 lead. Black’s fourth-inning single was the freshman’s 53rd hit, breaking Bowling Green’s six-year-old record for most hits in a season.29

But once again the sixth inning proved fatal for Bowling Green. Gulliver, chosen first-team all-conference after the season,30 put Eastern Michigan ahead with a two-run double. Glen Ambrose31 drove in Gulliver with another double for a 6-4 advantage.32 The game ended that way, providing the Hurons with the second win they needed to clinch the conference title. From there, they moved on to their underdog run to the College World Series final that included an Owchinko-pitched upset of favored Arizona State University.33

The doubleheader marked the two teams’ only meeting of the season. Bowling Green had swept the teams’ annual meeting in 1974 with a pair of shutouts, but Eastern Michigan rebounded to sweep Bowling Green in 1975 by scores of 2-1 and 9-1. Eastern Michigan swept the annual doubleheader again in 1977; Bowling Green’s next win against the Hurons would come in May 1978.34

“Scout” ends with Scarborough expressing his eagerness to get down to El Paso, Texas, to evaluate an Angels minor-league first baseman named Willie Mays Aikens. Scarborough stayed with the Angels organization until 1977, when he moved to the Milwaukee Brewers; he was still a special-assignment scout with Milwaukee when he died at his North Carolina home on July 1, 1982.35 At the time of Scarborough’s death, Owchinko was a relief pitcher with the Oakland A’s; Aikens was the starting first baseman for the Kansas City Royals; and Welch was en route to winning 16 games as a starting pitcher with the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.36

Author’s note and acknowledgments

The author has long admired Roger Angell’s writing, and was inspired to write an Angell-themed Games Project story following Angell’s death in May 2022.

This story was fact-checked by Gary Belleville and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for general player, team and season data.

Neither Baseball-Reference nor Retrosheet provides box scores of college games. The game information in this story is based primarily on coverage in Bowling Green State University’s student newspaper, the BG News.

Book cover photo from author’s library.

Notes

1 More specifically, “Scout” appeared in the August 16, 1976, edition of The New Yorker, then became Chapter 15 of Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1977).

2 The trip takes about 40 minutes in regular traffic, according to Google Maps. Angell makes no specific mention in “Scout” of the length of the trip on May 14, 1976.

3 As part of the nationwide movement away from Native American nicknames and imagery, Eastern Michigan University’s sports teams have since been renamed the Eagles.

4 Angell wrote that when he asked Scarborough’s permission to accompany him on the road, the scout “responded with such alacrity and friendliness that it occurred to me for the first time that the life of a baseball scout might be a lonely one.”

5 Oestrike coached Eastern Michigan’s baseball team from 1965 to 1987, compiling a record of 633-492-8. He was inducted into the university’s athletic hall of fame in 1979, and the school’s ballpark bears his name. (According to the university’s athletics office, the ballpark has been named for Oestrike since its construction in 1971.) Oestrike died in 2014 at age 82. “Ron Oestrike,” Eastern Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame website, accessed May 27, 2022; “Former EMU Coach Oestrike Dies,” State Journal (Lansing Michigan), July 12, 2014: C2.

6 “1976 College World Series,” Baseball-Reference BR Bullpen, accessed May 27, 2022; Associated Press, “EMU’s Oestrike Coach of Year,” State Journal, July 9, 1976: C2.

7 Extrapolated from the team’s record of 36-12 after the doubleheader, as given in Associated Press, “Eastern Is MAC Champion,” State Journal, May 15, 1976: C2. Game-by-game results for 1976 in the 2021 EMU baseball media guide, accessed August 2, 2022, confirm the team’s record. The Bowling Green student newspaper on May 18 incorrectly reported EMU’s record as 34-12 after the doubleheader.

8 Terry Goodman, “Eastern Michigan Controls Its Own Destiny,” BG News (Bowling Green, Ohio), May 14, 1976: 8. The BG News is the student newspaper of Bowling Green State University.

9 A 14th pursued a brief career in the low minors as an undrafted free agent.

10 Eastern Michigan University page, Baseball-Reference, accessed May 27, 2022. The three first-round picks were Owchinko (by the San Diego Padres in June 1976); Welch (by the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 1977); and pitcher Mark Wilkins (by the Chicago Cubs in January 1979). The five Hurons who reached the majors from this time period were Owchinko, Welch, infielder Glenn Gulliver, pitcher John Martin, and outfielder Pat Sheridan.

11 Bowling Green State University baseball summary page at the Baseball Cube, accessed May 27, 2022. Purvis had pitched four seasons in the low minors as a Yankees farmhand. In 11 years at Bowling Green, he compiled a 305-219 record.

12 Based on game-by-game 1976 season record in the 2022 Bowling Green baseball record book, accessed August 2, 2022.

13 Angell quoted a Scarborough comment before the game: “I hear there’s a catcher on this Bowling Green team. I don’t recall his name, though.”

14 Owen was chosen by California in the 18th round of the June 1976 draft but chose to stay at Bowling Green for another year; Scarborough’s input into his selection by the Angels is unknown. The Atlanta Braves then selected him in the 17th round in June 1977. Jones was a 13th-round pick of the Oakland A’s, also in June 1977.

15 Goodman, “Eastern Michigan Controls Its Own Destiny.”

16 “Jeffrey Groth,” Bowling Green State University Athletics Hall of Fame website, accessed May 27, 2022.

17 Goodman’s preview story of the doubleheader listed Joyce as the second-game starter, but the BG News’ roundup story said teammate Romie Schwieterman started instead. The BG News reported that Joyce started the first game of the Falcons’ next doubleheader, against Central Michigan University, and was shelled.

18 Ron Fritz, “Jim Joyce: A Class Act Then—and Now,” Baltimore Sun, June 3, 2010, accessed May 27, 2022; Jim Joyce Sporting News umpire card, accessed through Retrosheet May 27, 2022.

19 Ravashiere’s Sporting News umpire card gives his birthdate as August 1, 1924; Retrosheet gives it as August 1, 1920. This article sides with Retrosheet. Because Ravashiere worked in the absence of the AL’s full-time umpires, he never umpired alongside Joyce in the majors.

20 Ford defeated challenger Ronald Reagan by a landslide in the Michigan primary, held May 18. Don Campbell, “Tuesday Votes Knock Scorecard for a Loop,” Port Huron (Michigan) Times Herald, May 19, 1976: 1A.

21 Greg Smith, “Diamondmen Lose Hotel, 3 of 4 Games,” BG News, May 18, 1976: 9.

22 In the absence of a full box score for the game, the author relied on baseball articles in contemporary issues of the BG News, which identified Law as the team’s center fielder. These articles included Greg Smith, “Freshmen Doing the Job,” May 14, 1976: 8, and Terry Goodman, “More than One Falcon Baseball MVP?,” May 20, 1976: 9.

23 Black had been drafted by Detroit in the 12th round of the June 1975 draft but opted to go to college instead. The Atlanta Braves chose him in the 26th round of the June 1979 draft; he played a single pro season split between three teams at the Rookie and Class A levels.

24 Unless otherwise noted, play-by-play description for the first game is a combination of Angell and “Diamondmen Lose Hotel, 3 of 4 Games.”

25 “Eastern Is MAC Champion.” Dasen, a first baseman, third baseman and outfielder, was a 20th-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers in June 1977. He played four seasons in the minor leagues, including part of one season at Triple A.

26 Like Chuck Black, Boutin’s stock went down after four years of college: He was a 30th-round draft pick in 1972, but a 39th-round pick four years later. His professional career consisted of nine games with Fresno of the Class A California League in 1976.

27 As is common in college doubleheaders, the teams played seven-inning games.

28 Goodman, “More than One Falcon Baseball MVP?”

29 Smith, “Diamondmen Lose Hotel, 3 of 4 Games.”

30 Greg Smith, “Only Young Makes MAC First Team,” BG News, May 21, 1976: 7. Other future major leaguers on the all-conference team that year included Young, Owchinko, Welch, Bob Brenly of Ohio University, and Len Matuszek of the University of Toledo.

31 Because the author could not find a full box score for the game in professional or college newspapers, he was unable to determine what position Ambrose was playing. EMU’s 2021 baseball media guide includes a box score for the NCAA championship game played on June 19; in that game, Ambrose started at first base.

32 “Eastern Is MAC Champion.”

33 Associated Press, “EMU’s Owchinko Humbles Arizona State,” Shreveport (Louisiana) Journal, June 16, 1976: C7.

34 Game-by-game listings for the 1974 through 1978 seasons from the 2022 Bowling Green baseball record book. As of that point, Eastern Michigan held a 111-73 all-time advantage over Bowling Green; the two teams first met in 1939.

35 Joe Tiede, “Ray Scarborough—A People Person Above All,” Raleigh (North Carolina) News and Observer, July 3, 1982: 1B; Associated Press, “Baseball Pitcher Ray Scarborough,” Fort Lauderdale (Florida) News, July 2, 1982: 6B.

36 Also of note, Glenn Gulliver made his major-league debut with the Orioles just over two weeks later, on July 17.