During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? A few weeks later, I pitched 14 innings in New York, Marichal says. Indeed, Marichal got that one extra day of rest, pitched on July 7, and gave up five hits and two runs over seven innings in a 5-0 loss to the Cardinals. The 1942 Braves finished next to last, and Stengel was fired the following year. It's hard to think that Warren Spahn could have been more accurate when picking his numbers: maybe, for the right-handed batters you have more room than the 2.5 inches on the outside part of. Baseball retired me. When Spahn pitched three games for the Mexico City Tigers in 1966 and three games for the Tulsa Oilers in 1967, people got the mistaken impression that he was staging a comeback. (Season Ticket (1988)). The normally slick fielding shortstop juggled the ball briefly, but recovered in time to throw to Adcock for the final out. He said to be careful in your next start, Marichal says. Nonetheless, Spahn won six times in 23 days, won 10 of his last 12 decisions, threw three shutouts in September, finished at a jaw-dropping 23-7, and become the oldest pitcher to win 20. -Warren Spahn . Warren Spahn was paid $250 a month when he first came up to the big leagues, if the 1942 Boston Braves could be called the big leagues. He gave up a harmless single in the 13th, a walk in the 14th, nothing in the 15th. On the next batter in the seventh, Spahn drew some added lunch when he struck out Mays on a screwball that he got up too high. And good old Yogi Berra, recruited to warm up Spahn, said, I dont know if were the oldest battery, but were certainly the ugliest.. It was the best game I ever saw.. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise. Ruben Amaro flew out to right to end the streak before Spahn fanned Buzhardt. Exhausted from the long game, thinking of the next one, they had no luxury to sit back and look into history. Spahn patiently remained on the field for a broadcast interview. Otherwise, we all could have gone home then. On September 16, 1960, Spahn pitched the first no-hitter of his career against the Phillies, and the 4-0 win was his 20th of the season. Spahn had the second no-hitter of his career. Cepeda, who stole eight bases that season and 142 in his career, probably ran on catcher Crandall rather than pitcher Spahn. *degrom loss: went 7+ ip & allowed 1 er or less, but did not get a win. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Several other pitchers have receover 90%. JIM KAPLAN is former editor of the Baseball Research Journal and author of Lefty Grove: American Original (SABR, 2000). Fifty-two of those games went into extra innings; Spahn completed 23 of them and pitched into the 10th inning without getting a decision three other times. He led or shared the lead in the NL in wins in 19571961 (age 3640). He led or shared the lead in the NL in wins in 1957-1961 (age 36-40). and Pitching . The next day Spahn took Marichal aside in the visitors clubhouse. But there would be no easy outs, no pit stops that July night. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 Spahn pitched in the World Series for the Braves in 1948, 1957, and 1958. I made a bad pitch to [Bill] Serena in the ninth, he said to the Boston Globe. The eighth place Phillies provided the opposition for the second place Braves. Between 1947 and 1961, Spahn started 531 games (including the World Series). [23], His 2,583 career strikeouts were the most by a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball history until he was later on surpassed by Mickey Lolich in 1975. Never have two Hall of Famers pitched as well over such an extended game in which each faced a lineup of fellow Cooperstownians and other fine players. In the 14th, Kuenn doubled to lead off, and Spahn intentionally passed the dangerous Mays, ending his consecutive walkless streak at 31 innings. Spahn's pitching helped the Braves win the World Series in . "A pitcher needs two pitches - one they're looking for and one to cross them up," Spahn was fond of saying. He led the league in wins eight times (194950, 1953, 19571961, each season with 20+ wins) and won at least 20 games an additional five times (1947, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1963). Did you see [Spahn] hit that ball? Marichal asked after the game. I'm only 25. Warren Spahn pitched for half a season with the Mets in 1965 after he was sold to New York by the Milwaukee Braves in Nov. 1964. A star on a pitching mound and a hero on the battlefields, Warren Spahn excelled in two far different uniforms. With 363 wins, Spahn is the sixth most winning pitcher in history, trailing only Cy Young (511), Walter Johnson (417), Grover Cleveland Alexander (373), Christy Mathewson (373), and Pud Galvin (364) on MLB's all-time list. The screwball hung, Mays swung. 7. But the old man appeared to be weakening. Warren Spahn Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics including batting, fielding, prospect rankings and more on Baseball-Reference.com . As the game progressed, Spahn was drinking very littlewater, because it gave him a stomachache. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "The heck with any strikeout records," he said to the Boston Globe after his 11-strikeout game. Spahn was 2-1 in the 1958 Series, losing only in extra innings, but the Yankees won in seven games. Though he won more than anyone in the 1960s, someone else was always chosen for the Cy Young Award. But what Spahn did touch was unusual, to say the least. "Hitting is timing. Every inning after the ninth, Marichal said he told manager Alvin Dark, Alvin, do you see that man pitching on the other side? John Lewis Kilgore . Swelling now, Spahn threw another scroogie to Mays. The toughest pitcher of all for me to run against was Warren Spahn, a left hander. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. As Spahn grew older, his pitching seemed to improve. (In 1962, another Hall of Famer hit his first career home run off Spahn: Sandy Koufax, who only hit one other. "A pitcher needs two pitches - one they're looking for and one to cross them up," Spahn was fond of saying. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Actually, he was demonstrating technique to a Mexican team he was coaching, then trying to improve attendance for an American team he was managing. He won more games than any other left-handed pitcher, or any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era, and is acknowledged as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball history. Warren Spahn Position: Pitcher Bats: Left Throws: Left 6-0 , 172lb (183cm, 78kg) Born: April 23, 1921 in Buffalo, NY More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame Cy Young 17x All-Star 1957 World Series 3x ERA Title 16 21 21 21 21 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. When Warren Spahn took the mound on June 14, 1952 against the Chicago Cubs, only one man had recorded 18 strikeouts in a single MLB game: Bob Feller. Spahn said he was a little tired. You learn everyday watching a pitcher similar to you. Marichal not only learned to pitch like Spahn but think like him: Sometimes youll start with one or two pitches and then switch to another in the later innings. [Marichal] worked so easily and smoothly, he should be able to take his next turn or, at most, require one extra day of rest, Dark said. Still, he bruised the index finger of his pitching hand and lost a fingernail while bunting in the 1962 World Series and had to leave a game he was winning in the fourth inning, never to reappear in a fall classic. [15], In honor of the pitching duo, Boston Post sports editor Gerald V. Hern wrote this poem which the popular media eventually condensed to "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain":[16]. Whats more, the southpaw only walked two batters, and none of those came until the top of the 15th. [10][2][9] He saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Ludendorff Bridge as a combat engineer, and was awarded a battlefield commission.[2][9]. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. There was no rule against smoking when people cant see you, Burdette says. Spahn played for Casey Stengel in his rookie year with the Boston Braves (4 games) in 1942 and in his the first half of his final season in 1965. "[20] Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 10 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk. The two pitchers had gone 80 in 12 days' time. Hitting Physics . We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. With Berra and him, we are conducting a university this spring, said Casey Stengel, who had managed Spahn with the Braves and would now oversee him as a Met. He was a pitching coach with the Cleveland Indians, in the minor leagues for the California Angels, and for six years, with Japan's Hiroshima Toyo Carp. 4. Then the writers converged. July 2 was cool, with the usual west-to-east wind rippling across from left-center to right-center that presented a major obstacle for right-handed batters and helped left handers but sometimes sent shots by lefties into foul territory. In August 2003, the Braves unveiled a nine-foot bronze statue of Spahn kicking high outside Turner Stadium in Atlanta. He consistently was the league lead in Wins, ERA, Strikeouts and Complete Games. A true war hero, he was awarded a Purple Heart for shrapnel wound and a battlefield commission. It was arguably the greatest pitching duel in baseball history. The winningest left-hander in big league history waited seven years to enter the Hall of Fame, two more than any other first-year candidate. And the game began with Spahn and Marichal, two of the hottest pitchers in baseball. He also coached for the Mexico City Tigers, and also pitched a handful of games there. [3] Spahn still holds the major league record for most career wins by a left-handed pitcher. Look, I made 10 or 12 mistakes in the game, he added. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. [3] His 63 career shutouts is the highest total in the live-ball era and sixth highest overall. He got stronger., Oh, my back, Marichal said. He had better breaking balls and many more types of breaking balls. Pitching is upsetting timing. In addition to his fastball, Spahn also developed a number of off-speed pitches, all thrown with the same high-kicking motion. ", Spahn threw his first no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 1960, when he was 39. Having Willie behind me made my position easier. He had no idea at the time how prophetic those words would be on July 2, 1963. There were lesser page one stories that daysomething about a nuclear test ban and the FBI smashing a Soviet spy ring, Fimrite reported in SI. Five days lateryes, he got an extra day off, toohe strained a tendon in his arm throwing a slider to John Bateman but finished the game and beat Houston, 5-0, on five singles. He was thus able to maintain his position as one of the game's top pitchers until his 19th season in the sport. After his belated first win at age 25, he became the winningest left-handed pitcher in history with 363 wins. List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame (chronological), All-Time leaders in home runs for a Pitcher, 1957 Milwaukee Braves World Series Championship Team, Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter, Named The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year in. But on the mound, the future Hall of Famer was a wonder to behold. Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had ever made: I said "no guts" to a kid who went on to become a war hero and one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers you ever saw. Did players turn to teammates and say, Im going to tell my grandchildren about this one? In truth, they were just trying to get through the night, says Frank Bolling, who played all 16 innings at second for the Braves, going 2-for-7 at the plate and handling seven chances without an error. Cronkite School at ASU Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Spahn and Sain | Ron Lewis Litho | Baseball Almanac Collection. Spahn was also a good hitter, hitting at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers, with 35 home runs. Good luck again prevailed in the ninth. I matured a lot in three years, and I think I was better equipped to handle major league hitters at 25 than I was at 22. Like raging dinosaurs in some prehistoric swamp, the Milwaukee Braves Warren Spahn and the San Francisco Giants Juan Marichal slugged it out for four hours, 10 minutes, and 16 innings, all through the night of July 2 and into the early minutes of July 3, 1963. Warren Spahn was known for his high-kicking pitching motion, pictured above when he was playing for the Boston Braves. Just watching Spahn and marveling, Bragan can still see his absolute concentration: When he was pitching, he would walk by his brother., People have always wondered what it was like on the bench as the game moved from memorable to historical. It wasnt like the night in Philadelphia when I lost 8 pounds, or the afternoon game in Atlanta when I lost nine.. The San Francisco Chronicle carried a front-page headline JUAN BEATS SPAHN. So how did Spahn and Marichal repel these fearsomehitters past midnight? He would finish the season 21-10. Jan 14, 2020 #113 EsquireOK Poster Extraordinaire. For many years he owned and ran the large Diamond Star Ranch south of Hartshorne, Oklahoma before retiring to live near a golf course in Broken Arrow.[25][26]. During the 1957 World Series, Sal Maglie of the Yankees, ineligible to pitch in the series because he was acquired too late in the season, watched the games with Robert Creamer of Sports Illustrated and made assessments of the players. document.write(update); He just kept busting them in on the hands of our guys and kept getting them out. Hubbell added, He ought to will his body to medical science., Of Marichal, who retired 16 straight late in the game, Dark said, He didnt throw many breaking pitches, thus tiring his arm, but just kept slipping across the fastball with a loose and fluid motion. After Spahn, making his third start of the season for the first place Braves and carrying a 1-1 record, retired the Giants in order in the top of the first, his teammates got him a lead in the bottom half that would stand up for the rest of the game. While Mays rounded the bases and disappeared quickly into the night, the crowd stood and cheered both pitchers and, for that matter, themselves for sticking it out. Spahn finished his first no hitter as well as his 20th victory. A bargain-basement beauty, Spahn finally pushed his career salary over $1 million. He is second all time amongst pitchers in sacrifice flies with 14. After the season he was sold to the Mets, who wanted to use him as both pitcher and pitching coach. San Francisco Giants (1965). The statue was created by Shan Gray, who has sculpted numerous other statues of athletes which stand in Oklahoma, including two others of Spahn. Bat speed and bat weight key factors in determining distance of batted ball. After outliving his wife LoRene by 25 years, Spahn died on November 24, 2003. Spahn walked his duck walk slowly to the mound, head down, taking his good old time, in the words of another Braves pitcher, Bob Sadowski. Warren Spahn tossed a no-hitter at the age of 39 against the Philadelphia Phillies. If a guy gets wild or starts getting his pitches up, you know his arm might be tired, but that wasnt the case with Juan. Dark never asked a reliever to warm up. His confidence boosted, his knowledge of hitters and pitching expanded, Marichal pitched 10 of his 18 complete games and got 12 of his 25 wins after July 2. His pickoff move was described as one of the best in the major leagues. He won the Major League Cy Young Award in 1957 and had the award been given would have likely won it in 1947 and 1951 as well. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. [8] Spahn had pitched in only 4 games, allowing 15 runs (10 earned) in .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}15+23innings. The no-hitter came just 29 days after Spahn's teammate, Lew Burdette, had pitched a no-hit game against the very same Phillies. The ball bounced off the pitcher's glove and skipped toward shortstop where Johnny Logan raced across the grass, swept up the ball and fired to first. On July 2, 1963. There was not just stamina at work but incentive. He said, Dont worry Chico Im going to win this game for you.. McMillan momentarily fumbled Jose Pagan's grounder while going far to his left in the sixth, and bobbled Kuenn's bouncer in the seventh, but both times he threw the runners out. He also coached for the Mexico City Tigers, and pitched a handful of games there. It was going out of the park, and then that wind caught it. Hes 42 and Im 25 and you cant take me out until that man is not pitching., Memory is a cruel mistress. Pro-rated over Spahns 15 innings and Marichals 16 full, Spahn had been throwing on a 147-pitch nine-inning rate to Marichals 152. sausage pasta bake jamie oliver. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Spahn retired the next six Giants before walking Chuck Hiller on four straight pitches leading off the fourth. The cocky southpaw breezed through the early innings, striking out six of the first nine hitters he faced. Good chan Braves' lefty led Milwaukee to World Series title. Spahn was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973 and became a charter member of both the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985,[27] and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. Spahn would hold court at the Hall of Fame, thrilling contemporaries like Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays as well as younger immortals like Johnny Bench and Fergie Jenkins, all the while sucking on a long necked beer. In 1951 Spahn allowed the first career hit to Willie Mays (a home run). Spahn finished in the top five in Cy Young voting 5 times while winning it only once. Our Miramar Beach, FL CPA firm looks forward to helping your company succeed. Spahn issued his second walk in the fifth when he passed Neeman on a 3-1 pitch with one out. Marichal was being a good sport, because the wind probably helped Spahns drive. And he didnt let up for the rest of the decade: In a career lasting from 1960 to 1975, Marichal was one of eight right-handers since 1900 to win at least 100 more than he lost. Thats the reason I developed that leg kick.. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. (Voted by BBWAA on 316/380 ballots) Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Or write about sports? Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! From there, he caught a second wind, as he proceeded to double his strikeout count over the next four innings. Quotes About Warren Spahn. [1], On June 11, 1950, Spahn and pitcher Bob Rush of the Cubs each stole a base against each other; no opposing pitchers again stole a base in the same game until May 3, 2004, when Jason Marquis and Greg Maddux repeated the feat. Spahn threw 201 pitches, Marichal 227. He retired Johnny Callison leading off the first on a fly to left, then got Malkmus on a grounder to short and Ken Walters swinging at a third strike. It was a night not fit for man nor beast, let alone a 40-year-old pitcher who was nearing the end of what would be a Hall of Fame career. He also had pitched in what might be called extra-extra innings, losing a 15-inning game in 1952 and a 16-inning game in 1951. He had no-hit Houston, 1-0, just 17 days earlier, getting 23 infield outs and throwing only 89 pitches despite two walks. Marichal got Eddie Mathews on strikes, but Norm Larker walked and Mack Jones singled him to second, bringing up Crandall. With 363 career wins, Spahn holds the major league record for a left-handed pitcher, and has the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era. I said, Willie, this is going to be the last inning for me. Hardly anyone had left the park. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1973. Spahn struck out the side in the second, getting Pancho Herrera, Gonzalez and Cal Neeman to miss third strikes. Spahn made his professional debut on July 6 at MacArthur Park (Dwyer Stadium) in Batavia, New York. A left-handed pitcher, Spahn played in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notably for the Boston Braves, who became the Milwaukee Braves after the team moved west before the 1953 season. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and . A pitcher needs two pitches one theyre looking for and one to cross them up, Spahn was fond of saying. Spahns warm-ups, this day as every day, seemed perfunctory. He used to drive me crazy, says Spahns son Greg, a real estate executive. Marichal, 25, embodied an emerging Mapusaurus roseae: young, strong, fast, and confident. It came Friday September 16 on a humid, rainy night in Milwaukee before just 6,117 fans, the smallest crowd up to that point ever to attend a major league game at County Stadium. Following the 1964 season, after 25 years with the franchise, Spahn was sold by the Braves to the New York Mets. ". He hadnt lost much stuff, and he hadnt lost much spirit either, because he was fined $50 for buzzing Bob Gibson. Dark admits that Marichal passed any conceivable pitch count, but he wasnt worried. Another pinch-hitter, Bobby Del Greco, fanned on three pitches for Spahn's fourth straight strikeout. Braves' mainstay Warren Spahn was sold to the Mets on Nov. 23, 1964. Found 1 colleague at Sparkling Clean Car Wash Inc. To Spahn, another mark in the L column carried far more weight than his name on an exclusive list. Warren Spahn Stats. Knee problems in 1953 and 1954 hurt Spahns fastball. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out." In a magnificent performances, Spahn, mixing a live fastball with sharp breaking stuff, struck out 15 and walked two. The street is near South Park High School, Spahn's alma mater. But the grip he used for the pitch is the same as that used for the modern circle change. Spahn returned to the major leagues in 1946 at the age of 25, having missed three full seasons. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here. [9], In 1947, Spahn led the National League in ERA (2.33), shutouts (7), and innings pitched (289+23) while posting a 2110 record. He won a career low 6 games with a career high 5.29 ERA in 1964 and was demoted to the bullpen. Whatever bothered hitters, I was for., No one was sure what theyd seen from Marichal. Warren Spahn was also an excellent hitter for a pitcher. Extending his career with, yes, a screwball he used effectively against left-handed hitters, he went 243-142, with a sterling .631 winning percent age and equally an eye-catching 2.89 ERA. Spahn managed the Tulsa Oilers for five seasons, winning 372 games from 1967 to 1971. Spahn also threw two no-hitters, won 3 ERA titles, appeared in 14 All-Star games, and holds the National League record for career home runs by a pitcher with 35. The wind had died down. Then an off day Marichal, who had won 13 games as a rookie and 18 in his second year, was already 12-3, with eight straight wins. It's all about changing speeds. Despite a poor won-loss record (for him) of 18-14 in 1962, Spahn still led the NL in complete games and had a 3.04 ERA, and in 1963, at the age of 42, he tied his career-best record with a 23-7 mark. Spahn threw in the old windmill style, a big arm pump, swinging both hands behind his head, followed with an extremely high leg kick and a straight overhand delivery. In 1999, Spahn was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame. He won 20 games in 13 different seasons, and compiled a 23-7 record when he was aged 42. On Sept. 16, 1960, a 39-year-old Warren Spahn added a no-hitter to his already Hall of Fame worthy career. Spahn retired Malkmus on his 108th pitch (73 strikes) to complete his no-hitter in 2 hours and 2 minutes. While suffering through a 6-13, 5.69 ERA season in 1964, he said his timing was off and he was pitching defensively. The team swept a Labor Day doubleheader, with Spahn throwing a complete 14-inning win in the opener, and Sain pitching a shutout in the second game. Spahn also won two more ERA titles, in 1953 and 1961. I got a friend to crawl through a space in his house, and he found 31 bats., One piece of memorabilia remains poignantly missing from the Spahn estate: the last screwball to Willie Mays 31 minutes into July 3, 1963. My dad threw away nothing he was even a string saver. Following two off days, it did rain. As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and a good screwball. He had just shut out the Dodgers and hadnt allowed a walk in 18 innings. Hank Aaron led off the fourth by flying out deep to left field, the wind holding up his drive. Spahn served in the United States Army in World War II and was wounded in Europe. Bailey lined to Mack Jones in center. . When I wasnt pitching, I would watch him, how he approached batters, how he went in and out, up and down. For example, some referred to the 1993 San Francisco Giants' imbalanced rotation as "Burkett and Swift and pray for snow drift."[17]. He was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for bravery. Spahn went 1512 while, contrary to legend, teammates Bill Voiselle (1313), and Vern Bickford (115) also pitched well. The following year he threw another no-hitter, this time against the Giants on April 28, 1961 at 40 years old. With a second chance, Spahn retired the side in order in the 15th. Yogi later told reporters, "I don't think we're the oldest battery, but we're certainly the ugliest.". He retired from baseball as a player in 1965. Spahn leaned forward in an almost courtly bow to the hitters, then rocked back, his right leg raised above his head in what The Sporting Newss Dave Kindred called a five minutes to six position, followed by an overhand delivery that was as smooth and regular as a dipping oil-field pumping jack back home in Oklahoma. But would have been just as tough going righthanded. The Braves blew a chance to go ahead in the seventh when Crandall singled and was thrown out at second after shortstop Roy McMillan swung and missed on a hit-and-run. In addition to Spahn and Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda of the Giants and Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews of the Braves were bound for induction. The last batter was pinch-hitter Joey Amalfitano, a pesky hitter who always bothered Spahn. [1] Braves manager Bobby Bragan predicted, "Spahnie won't win six games with the Mets." After the 1965 season, no one bid on his services. On April 4, 2009, the facilities of Broken Arrow Youth Baseball, in Spahn's longtime home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, were dedicated in his honor. Phone: 602.496.1460 The next batter, the swift Matty Alou, dropped a textbook drag bunt down the first base line. 1. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here." Spahn was selected for the all-time All-Star baseball team by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1991, as the left-handed pitcher. Facing the San Francisco Giants, the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a pitchers' duel with 25-year-old Juan Marichal. In his last major league game, he passed Bob Feller in career strikeouts. Pitching is upsetting timing. For his part, Marichal had lost a 17-inning game while pitching for Springfield, MA, in 1959. . [3] He was a 17-time All-Star who won 20games or more in 13 seasons, including a 237 winloss record when he was age 42. He passed away on Nov. 24, 2003. that Warren Spahn holds the National League record for most career home runs by a pitcher with 35? The three time ERA Champion, four time Strikeout Champion, fourteen time All-Star was - as if he needed assistance - also immortalized in the Spahn & Sain poem (artwork / litho below). ), According to former Cardinals player Solly Hemus, Spahn, along with teammate Lew Burdette, periodically used anti-Semitic slurs while on the mound. He received a surprisingly low 83% of the Hall of Fame vote - in view of his achievements. Warren Spahn, who set record for left-handed pitchers by winning 363 major league games over 21 seasons, dies at age 82; photo (M) . - Warren Spahn. When we had a meeting before the game, it was only Mays, Bailey, and myself, Marichal says. In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with 4 RBI and 1 walk.[1]. In 1970, when Hoyt Wilhelm was 47, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for first baseman Hal Breeden. With two out and two on, Crandall hit a sinking liner to center. Spahn yielded a single bunt hit. On an 0-2 count, Bailey lifted a high pop foul near the Giants' dugout that Braves catcher Charley Lau dropped. The pitch that extended his career was extending the game. On Nov. 2, 1974, Hank Aaron received a call from Bud Selig, informing him that he was coming back to Milwaukee. As he moved toward the plate, his glove rose slowly, then descended quickly through the hitters line of vision. Instead he added a screwball, as he called it, in 1955. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 November 24, 2003) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 21 seasons, all in the National League. [4], He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1973 with 82.89% of the vote. Spahn, a crafty southpaw with a high leg kick, had been making quick work of the Phillies all evening. 5. [19] Marichal's manager, Alvin Dark, visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time. The fifth winningest pitcher ever to toe a big league rubber waited until he was 39 years old to pitch his first no-hitter. But tonight was beautiful., After answering reporters questions, Spahn spent several hours in the clubhouse drinking beer, with his son and several teammates in attendance, everyone telling him what a splendid job he did in a gallant defeat. Following the 16-inning win, he held himself upright long enough to let hot water pound his arm in the showernot everyone used ice in those daysthen went home and collapsed into bed. But I didnt feel so bad pitching in San Francisco, because of the weather. In SportsIllustrated, Ron Fimrite described a high arc to left field, where, after hanging in the night sky for what seemed like an eternity, it landed beyond the fence.. This game actually took place six years later, on August 19, 1969.]. He won't stop pitching.". Also, I pitched until I was 44. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Warren Spahn baseball stats page. You were supposed to take seven warm-up pitches, but Id run to the mound and sometimes take eight, nine, or 10, Marichal said on the phone from Santo Domingo. Spahn tied Feller's mark on June 14, 1952. Hell never stop pitching.. Spahn was known for a very high leg kick in his delivery, as was his later Giants teammate Juan Marichal. Bases loaded, two outs: the games most dramatic moment. BL-5687-71a (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library) update=copyright.getFullYear(); [5] Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Spahn himself was more skeptical stating: "People say that my absence from the big leagues may have cost me a chance to win 400 games. vs the dodgers. This was exemplified by his start on July 2, 1963. I didnt retire from baseball, Spahn said. Spahn posted a .194 batting average (363-for-1872) with 141 runs, 57 doubles, 6 triples, 94 bases on balls and 189 RBI. Warren Spahn 2nd No Hitter (Box Score) | The Daily Republic | April 19, 1961 Spahn became great because of these things and because hes one of the smartest men ever to play the game. Spahn produced the only Braves run of the game in the sixth inning a solo blast into the right field bullpen. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Stan Musial was quoted as saying, "I don't think Spahn will ever get into the Hall of Fame, He'll never stop pitching.". Whew! Spahn had plenty of thrills, but not the one schoolboys dream of. Greg was born on the eve of the 1948 World Series and hit .524 as a high school senior but had to give up baseball when shoulder problems sidelined him at the University of Oklahoma. Sain won the next day. Had he played, it is possible that Spahn would have finished his career behind only Walter Johnson and Cy Young in all-time wins. The last two games I worked in my fastball was poor.. Spahn's major league career began in 1942 with the Braves and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first in Boston and then in Milwaukee. These fearsomehitters past midnight any conceivable pitch count, Bailey lifted a high pop near... 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He hadnt lost much spirit either, because he was traded to the Braves! Fanned on three pitches for Spahn 's fourth straight strikeout all-time wins Young...
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