September 14, 1957: ‘Startling performance’ earns lone victory for Pirates’ Eddie O’Brien

Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh raised a few eyebrows when he chose Eddie O’Brien to start the first game of a doubleheader in Chicago on September 14, 1957.

The Pirates had signed Eddie and his identical twin brother, Johnny, to large bonus contracts as infielders in 1953. After four years, which included 18 months of military service, they had become seldom-used reserves. In the spring of 1957, Pittsburgh sent Eddie down to Triple-A Columbus. Toward the end of the season, he was converted from infielder to pitcher. The Seattle University graduate appeared in just nine games on the mound for the Jets, posting a 2-0 won-lost record and a 3.97 ERA. On September 8 he was recalled by the Pirates.

Murtaugh’s options on September 14 were limited. Because of inclement weather in Chicago on September 12, the Pirates had to play three doubleheaders in a row. Four games were scheduled in the Windy City on September 13 and 14, followed by two in St. Louis on September 15. Staff ace Bob Friend and journeyman Bob Smith swept Chicago in the first twin bill on a most unlucky Friday the 13th for the Cubs. Ron Kline had outdueled Warren Spahn in Milwaukee on September 11 and was slotted to start in St. Louis on normal rest. Vern Law was out for the season after an errant pitch from Rubén Gómez on September 3 ruptured his left eardrum.

Opposing O’Brien was hard-throwing Dick Drott. The 21-year-old rookie was making his 29th start of the season and seeking his 15th win for the last-place Cubs. He had thrown 2022/₃ major-league innings, averaging 7.15 strikeouts and 0.84 home runs allowed per 9 innings.

By contrast, the 26-year-old O’Brien was making his first major-league start.1 He had tossed 34 minor-league innings, averaging 3.71 strikeouts and 1.85 home runs allowed per 9 innings.

Improbably, the two mismatched right-handers embarked on a tight pitchers’ duel before 6,170 spectators at Wrigley Field.

Drott shut out the Pirates through four innings. A two-out double by Gene Freese in the second and a single by Gene Baker in the fourth proved harmless.

O’Brien also put zeroes on the scoreboard. The former utilityman struck out four and retired the first 10 Cubs batters he faced, including the dangerous Ernie Banks. The All-Star shortstop entered the contest with 37 home runs for the season and had been on a tear. In his previous 13 games, Banks had clouted seven round-trippers.

The Cubs broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the fourth. Bobby Adams laced a one-out double and Banks walked to put runners on first and second. Dale Long and Walt Moryn, two powerful left-handed batters, followed. Long was a former teammate of O’Brien’s in Pittsburgh and had clubbed home runs in a record eight straight games in 1956.2 Perhaps over-swinging for the fences, both lifted infield popups and O’Brien was out of a jam.

The Pirates scored a run off Drott in the top of the fifth. Bill Mazeroski reached second base on an error by center fielder Bob Speake. A bloop single by Danny Kravitz plated Mazeroski, but Kravitz was thrown out trying to advance to second. O’Brien grounded out to end the inning. The unearned run gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.

Eddie Haas, a 22-year-old September call-up from the Texas League, singled for Chicago to begin the bottom of the fifth. Bobby Morgan rapped a comebacker to O’Brien. The former infielder cleanly handled his first defensive chance of the game to start a 1-6-3 double play. Jim Fanning followed with a base hit, but O’Brien caught Drott looking to end the inning.

Drott set the Pirates down in order in the top of the sixth and O’Brien faced the top of the Cubs’ lineup for the third time in the game. Speake drew a base on balls and advanced to second on Adams’s single. Banks stepped up to the plate. Undoubtedly fearing the damage Banks could inflict with just one swing, O’Brien issued his second free pass to the slugger.

The bases were loaded with nobody out. The right-hander faced a gauntlet of three left-handed batters in succession. Murtaugh had one southpaw, Luis Arroyo, in his bullpen, but stuck with his starting pitcher.

O’Brien induced Long to roll over a grounder to first baseman Frank Thomas, who threw home to force Speake. With the sacks still full, O’Brien whiffed Moryn and retired Haas on a fly ball to end the threat. The 5-foot-9-inch O’Brien must have felt ten feet tall as he returned to the dugout with his shutout and one-run lead intact.

The Pirates put runners on first and second in the top of the seventh but could not score. After seven innings of work, Drott had limited Pittsburgh to four hits and one unearned run. Surprisingly, the flame-throwing Ohioan had no strikeouts. Drott would finish the season with 170 K’s, tied with teammate Moe Drabowsky for second behind Rookie of the Year Jack Sanford.

After the seventh-inning stretch, O’Brien set down the Cubs in order, fanning Bob Will, pinch-hitting for Drott, for the final out. In seven frames, the diminutive right-hander had allowed just four Chicago base hits and no runs, and struck out seven.

O’Brien led off the top of the eighth inning against new Chicago pitcher Jim Brosnan. Murtaugh had relief ace Roy Face available and several potential pinch-hitters on the bench, including Roberto Clemente, but sent O’Brien to bat. The converted infielder grounded out for the third time in the game. Brosnan dispatched the next two Pirates in similar fashion.

O’Brien recorded one out in the bottom of the eighth, but the Cubs mounted a rally. Adams singled for his third hit of the game. Banks found a pitch he could hit and smacked a single to put runners at the corners.

A double play would get O’Brien out of the inning, and Long, slow afoot, seemed to oblige with a groundball to Baker. The ex-Cub Baker was playing his first game at shortstop in almost three months in place of regular Dick Groat, who had injured his wrist the day before and was given the day off. Baker tried to force Banks at second but uncorked a wild throw. Adams crossed the plate to tie the score and Banks scampered to third on the error.

The burly Moryn came to bat. Chants of Moryn’s nickname, often confused for boos, must have cascaded from the Wrigley Field grandstand. With the go-ahead run 90 feet from home plate, O’Brien retired “Moose” on a popup to first. Cheers likely gave way to jeers, as Moryn had stranded seven baserunners in the game. Haas flied out to end the inning. But the score was even at 1-1 heading into the ninth.

Brosnan returned to the hill. Baker atoned for his miscue and drew a leadoff walk. Bob Skinner attempted a sacrifice bunt but popped out to Brosnan.

Thomas strode to the plate. In six lifetime at-bats off Brosnan, it was feast or famine. The Pittsburgh native had bashed two home runs and a pair of doubles but had also struck out twice. On Brosnan’s second pitch, Thomas launched a 400-foot bomb, his 20th home run of the season and second of the year off the bespectacled hurler. Brosnan got the next two batters out, but the damage was done. The Pirates had taken a 3-1 lead.

It became clear this was O’Brien’s game to win when Murtaugh sent him back to the mound in the bottom of the ninth, and the onetime bonus baby was up to the task. O’Brien faced three pinch-hitters in succession. He struck out Lee Walls and retired Chuck Tanner and Jim Bolger on routine plays to end the contest. O’Brien’s final line: 9 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, and a complete-game victory.

“Eddie O’Brien turned in an impressive and somewhat startling performance in the opener,” wrote Pittsburgh Press beat writer Lester Biederman.3 O’Brien’s feat in the first game of the doubleheader was largely overlooked by the national media. The headlines of the day went to Banks, who clubbed three home runs in the nightcap to tie Henry Aaron for the league lead with 40 circuit clouts.4

O’Brien made just three more major-league appearances, all in relief, and left Organized Baseball after the 1958 season to accept the job of athletic director at Seattle University, his alma mater. He took a one year sabbatical to serve as bullpen coach for the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and was prominently lampooned by Jim Bouton in his ground-breaking memoir, Ball Four.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Bruce Slutsky 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 pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN195709141.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1957/B09141CHN1957.htm

Baseball Guide (St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1957).

Les Biederman, “Buccos Get Plenty of Bingles, But Not When They Count Most,” The Sporting News, September 25, 1957: 16

Irving Vaughn, “Cubs Split; Banks Hits Three Homers,” Chicago Tribune, September 15, 1957: 2-1, 2-2

Notes

1 On July 31, 1956, in his only previous major-league mound appearance, O’Brien tossed two shutout innings of emergency mop-up relief in a lopsided Pirates loss. He was described on page 24 of the August 8, 1956, edition of The Sporting News as having “a herky-jerky delivery and sharp control.”

2 Long’s record was subsequently tied by Don Mattingly in 1987 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1993.

3 Lester Biederman, “Pirates Win, 3-1, Then Lose, 7-3,” Pittsburgh Press, September 15, 1957: 4-1.

4 Aaron finished the 1957 regular season with 44 home runs to lead the major leagues. Banks finished runner-up with 43.