The Pecan Park Eagle

Archive for 2013

Four Homers in One Game is Seerey-ous Bidness

August 12, 2013

July 18, 1948: Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox celebrates his 4 home run game against the Philadelphia A’s at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Sox also won, 12-11.

One day in my childhood, in the summer of 1948, I awoke to the amazing Houston Post story of a fellow named Pat Seerey, an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox. I almost fell into my good morning hot tea when I read what he had done the day before.

PAT SEEREY HITS 4 HOMERS IN ONE GAME! The date was July 18, 1948; the site was Shibe Park, the same former ballpark site that some of us visited in Philadelphia last week. The visiting Chicago White Sox blasted the homey Philadelphia Athletics of Connie Mack that day by a score of 12-11. Seerey played left field and batted clean up that day, going 4 for 6, and using his 4 homers to bat in 7 runs.

Years later, I met Dave Philley, who played center field for the Sox in that game, and i also got to be good friends with the late Ray Coleman, who made a late appearance as a pinch hitter for the A’s in the game. Now I can only wish that I had asked Ray more questions about Mr. Mack and that day that Seerey unloaded upon them.

Four Home Runs In One GameAmerican League Players in Chronological Order
Name	Position	Team	Date / Box Score
Lou Gehrig	1B	New York	06-03-1932
Pat Seerey	LF	Chicago	07-18-1948
Rocky Colavito	RF	Cleveland	06-10-1959
Mike Cameron	CF	Seattle	05-02-2002
Carlos Delgado	1B	Toronto	09-25-2003
Josh Hamilton	CF	Texas	05-08-2012
Name	Position	Team	Date / Box Score
Four Home Runs In One GameNational League Players in Chronological Order
Name	Position	Team	Date / Box Score
Bobby Lowe	2B	Boston	05-30-1894
Ed Delahanty	LF	Philadelphia	07-13-1896
Chuck Klein	RF	Philadelphia	07-10-1936
Gil Hodges	1B	Brooklyn	08-31-1950
Joe Adcock	1B	Milwaukee	07-31-1954
Willie Mays	CF	San Francisco	04-30-1961
Mike Schmidt	3B	Philadelphia	04-17-1976
Bob Horner	1B	Atlanta	07-06-1986
Mark Whiten	RF	St. Louis	09-07-1993
Shawn Green	RF	Los Angeles	05-23-2002
Name	Position	Team	Date / Box Score
Four Home Runs In One Game

The four home run game by a single player has happened only 16 times in big league history, with 6 times it going the AL way and 10 times it pounding off an NL hitter’s bat. Last year’s 4-HR spot by the AL’s Josh Hamilton was the first time in 10 years since it had last been done by the NL’s Shawn Green.

That fact it can happen at all is a tribute to both chance and strange pitcher mercy. Most 3-HR batters only get one of those butt-drilling pitches when they return for a fourth shot at the plate.

At any rate, my future with this subject is pretty much fixed. The next time it happens, if it even happens in my lifetime, the first person to run his cleats through my mind will still always be – Pat Seerey.

Tags:4 homers in one game
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Infrequent and Freaky Occurrences in Baseball

August 11, 2013

Infrequent: Two Big League Triples in the Same Inning of the Same Game by a Single Player

Curt Walker: In 1926, he became one of the few to ever hit 2 triples in the same inning of the same game.

Hard as they are to come by in today’s game, triples remain as one of the most exciting plays to watch in baseball. As a fan, you spend as much time watching the outfielder chasing down a skipping, angling, escaping baseball as you do the gazelle on the loose as he tears around the bases. It’s even more fun sometimes, when the ball is really headed for a lonely area, but the runner is hardly faster than a snapping turtle. – And then, sometimes, here comes the beautiful rifle-shot throw and close play tag at third, as we all wait for the roaring sound or extended hands vision of the umpire finally signaling “SAFE!” – Then comes our gasping belch of climaxing excitement. – What a deal! – Who in their right mind could ever deny the excitement of our great game of baseball? – It has to be someone who has never witnessed a run and gun play on the sliding triple!

As for the rarity of these beauties, they are even rarer as list of major league pitchers who have ever managed to hit two triples in the same inning of a single game. Whereas, 58 MLB players have managed to hit two home runs in the same inning of a single game (32 in the NL and 26 in the AL), only 9 MLB players ever have managed to hit two triples in the same inning of a single game (7 in the NL and 2 in the AL). The number for same-inning triples in a single game by the same player swells to 11 if we add the two 19th century American Association players who did it.

Jeff Bagwell made the double homer in the same inning list on June 24th of his great, but sadly shortened 1994 year, and my dad’s old buddy and mentor, Texas Baseball Hall of Famer Curt Walker, made the NL two triples in one inning in one game by a single player list in 1926 in a game he played for the Cincinnati Reds against the Boston Braves.

Here’s the 2-homers in one inning by a single player list for big league batters:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/index.jsp?feature=two_homers_inning

And here’s the 2-triples in one inning by a single player list for big league batters, including the two 19th century American Association guys. I think the list is accurate, but it wasn’t made easy for me as the home run mark was. – If you know of or find any players I missed, I will be grateful, not embarrassed to hear from you. I’m really not expecting anything, but I’m almost certain there could not be many, if any, others who have pulled off this most amazing feat:

American Association (2)

Harry Wheeler (1882) Harry Stovey (1884)

American League (2)

Al Zarilla (1946) Gil Coan (1951)

National League (7)

Joe Hornung (1882) Heinie Peltz (1895) Frank Shugart (1895) Buck Freeman (1900) Bill Dahlen (1900) Curt Walker (1926) Cory Sullivan (2006)

At this writing, an American Leaguer has not pulled off the two-triples-in-one-inning trick in 62 years, and, when Cory Sullivan of the Colorado Rockies last did it in 2006, it was the first time in 80 years since National Leaguer Curt Walker slammed two triples in one inning against the Braves.

It is, indeed, a beautiful rare bird we speak of here, friends.

It would undoubtedly take some kind of Divine Intervention for the following play to work in your club’s favor. Maybe a few “Angels in the Outfield” could make it happen.

Freaky: Is it possible for a team to hit two triples, two doubles, and two singles in the same inning of one game – without scoring a run? Of course, it is.

I found this undocumented example from an unidentified college game as the proof, but that matters not here. What that writer described for us is theoretically possible, even if it is actually the most improbable result for that kind of six-hit production in a single frame.

Here’s how the writer described it working:

(1) (2) The first two batters in this “college game” were thrown out at the plate as they tried to stretch triples into inside-the-park home runs.

inning status: 2 triples, two outs, no base runners, no runs.

(3) The third batter hits safely; stops safely at 2nd base with a double into the gap.

inning status: 2 triples, 1 double, a runner on 2nd, two outs, no runs.

(4) The fourth batter also hits a double into the gap, but the runner at second trips rounding third base and has to crawl back to that base to avoid being retired as the last out of the inning.

inning status: 2 triples, 2 doubles, runners on 2nd and 3rd, two outs, no runs.

(5) The fifth batter lashes a sharp single to shallow left, but a quick, strong throw to the plate keeps the hobbled runner at third base from scoring.

inning status: 2 triples, 2 doubles, 1 single, bases loaded, two outs, no runs.

(6) The sixth batter is awarded a single when the batted ball strikes the runner going from 2nd to third base, but that play also causes the struck runner to be out, removing the force play opportunity for a scored run and ending the inning.

final inning status: 2 triples, 2 doubles, 2 singles, bases loaded, but the side retired with three outs, and no runs scored.

That’s it for now. Hope you all score a little peace and joy on this restful Sunday!

Tags:baseball curiosities
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Houston Babies Win at Constellation Field

August 10, 2013

The Houston Babies swaggered into Constellation Field in Sugar Land Friday afternoon as though they had been sent on a mission by The Magnificent Seven.

The Houston Babies had come to town to give a good accounting of themselves.

For the first time in the five year period of their resurrection from the 19th century, the Houston Babies were invited to play vintage base ball yesterday at the site of a professional ball park against the up and coming Katy Combine. The contest was scheduled as the pre-game entertainment and educational program at Constellation Field, home of the Sugar Land Skeeters, prior to their 7:00 PM, Friday, August 8th ATLANTIC league game with the Long Island Ducks.

The Houston Babies prevailed by a tally of 9-5 as Robert Blair of the Babies became both the first vintage pitcher to win a game on a professional field in the Houston area and also the oldest player on record to start in such a contest. We do think that the oldest player to pitch and play records were again broken late in the game when elder statesman Mike McCroskey entered the contest in relief of Rapid Robert Blair.

McCroskey inherited too big a lead to earn a record first-time old-guy save at a professional park, but we do give him modest praise for “Andy Warholing” the quick and fleeting fame earnings of the stalwart Mr. Blair.

Our Babies victory charge of day was simple: “PLAY LIKE YOU BELONG on a professional baseball field!” And so they did play, breaking a 3-3 tie with a 6-run roll in the bottom of the 2nd that the club then protected for the rest of the game like their last available pacifier.

Ah, those Houston Babies! ~ Ain’t life grand? Life is better than grand in the Babies baseball bed. ~ Life is good.

Babies Manager Bob Dorrill stayed on the top steps, making sure that all Babies kept their eyes, heads, and hearts in the game all the way.

The McCroskey father & daughter team put together one of their patent family hits in the late innings today. He hit it and she ran it out safely. - When you have a dad whose nickname is "Piano Legs", you have to run for him.

The McCroskey father & daughter team put together one of their patent family hits in the late innings today. He hit it and she ran it out safely as a designated pinch courtesy runner. – You see, when you have a dad whose nickname is “Piano Legs”, you have to run for him.

As per usual, and as did the others, Jo and Bill Hale brought their complete game efforts to the Babies heat wave party in Sugar Land on Friday.

The intensity of Mike McCroskey’s pitching effort was unbelievable.

…. but Big Mac’s efforts worked well enough to keep the thing going that young Bobby Blair had started,

Later in the evening, the Sugar Land Skeeters would blast the visiting Long Island Ducks out of the skies by 11-3 on these same grounds. It marked the first time in history for good results when babies and mosquitoes show up in the same place on the same day.

The post-game photo of the Babies was even happier, and it also added the additional bright red jersey presence of Miss Megan McCroskey and the street clothes inclusion of a venerable and much loved former Houston Buff, Mr. Larry Miggins.

Larry Miggins joined us in the Houston Babies dugout in preparation for his date on the mound to throw out the first pitch prior to the Skeeters game.

To cap the evening, Larry Miggins did throw out the first pitch prior to the SL Skeeters game and then went upstair to sign autographs for fans at the SABR table. It was a great night for all and we, SABR and the Houston Babies, want to thank Tal Smith, Deacon Jones, Ira Liebman, Tom Kennedy, and everyone else at Constellation Field who had a hand in making this great date possible.

For his first pitch, Larry Miggins chose to unleash his two-fingered parabolic glider fork ball. The ball split the outside black rubber line in what could have been a nearly unhittable strike.

For his first pitch, Larry Miggins chose to unleash his two-fingered parabolic glider fork ball. The ball split the outside black rubber border line in a nearly unhittable area of the strike zone.

In conclusion, here’s a copy of the flyer prepared by writer/historian Tom Kennedy in honor of Larry Miggins and his visit to Constellation Field this August evening.

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The Philadelphia Story in Photos

August 9, 2013

the artfulness of life fingers into the sky ...

the artfulness of Philadelphia Life fingers into the sky …

as the drums of the people beat constantly by ...

as the drums of the people beat rhythmically high …

old heroes include Eagles ... on bednaik! ,,, on pihos! ...

old heroes include Eagles … on bednarik! … on pihos! …

but the biggest sports heroes never even wore a leather helmet …

and ka-boom and ka-pow! …

some Philadelphia dreams leap up from the ooze of material poverty …

but it doesn't matter here a dream starts ... as long as it has the root-strength to blossom into a creative, productive, and giving hope-fulfilled. ...

but it doesn’t matter where a dream starts … as long as it has the root-strength to blossom into a creative, productive, and giving hope-fulfilled. …

the people who gathered here in 1776 were dedicated to the road of liberation that would only ring clearly true once it became available to all people – and not just held back for only those people who look like some of us. … it is a goal that must be fought for and defended by all of us … forever. …

look in that lower window beyond the floral garden. … that’s the Liberty Bell.

and this is the place from within Independence Hall in which Thomas Jefferson and Friends once signed off on our unalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” …

a North Philly neighborhood by day …

same Philly neighborhood by night. …

here’s an example of what a city has left to admire and raise hopes upon … when they don’t tear down all of their old buildings and turn them into parking lots and strip malls. …

celebrate the architectural feast for the eyes and soul that is City Hall …

and take in a ballgame at Citizens Bank Park. …

… and don’t forget to say thank you to Philadelphia for taking such good care of the common bond start of our American Independence.

Tags:2013!, a Philadelphia pictorial
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Philadelphia Was A Great Trip

August 8, 2013

House of Connie Mack on Lehigh (2nd from right, greenish tint)

On our last day in Philadelphia for SABR 43, the 2013 National Convention of our “Society of American Baseball Research” on August 4th, some of us took a tour of old ballpark sites going back into the 19th century. The tour director for this exciting little exercise was longtime Philadelphia baseball historian Jerry Cassway. Somewhere along the way, somewhere on the north side of Philadelphia, somewhere between the former locations of old Baker Bowl and Shibe Park, we came across a place that some of us would have taken the tour alone just to see.

We got to see the home of Connie Mack, the Philadelphia Athletics part owner and full-time manager of the AL club for 50 years – as it appeared during the several years he and his family lived there at 2922 Lehigh Avenue in north Philadelphia. At least, I think that was the address that tour director Cassway used for it. I could not find quick and easy confirmation amidst the pile of unseparated words that rolled over these bedraggled eyes in Volume I of the voluminous, but beautifully done work of writer Norman Macht.

Norman: If you are reading this column, perhaps, you won’t mind checking in with a comment on any address correction that may be needed and any other details you might care to offer about the Mack family at this particular house. If you don’t have time, a page reference to where you speak of it in your first book will be appreciated. – Thanks.

NOTE: Two hours after the publication of this column, I heard from Norman Macht, the much respected biographer of Connie Mack. If I read Norman’s comments correctly, Connie Mack never lived at the pictured house on Lehigh Avenue. If that is so, I must apologize for presenting the information we received as accurate, even as I leave it here in its original form for your inspection relative to new information from our Mack scholar.

Here’s what Norman Macht wrote to me within the past hour:

“Bill: The first house where Mack lived in Philadelphia fits the description of the one your tour guide took you to — but at a different location. Mack first rented such a house at 2932 Oxford, near Columbia Park. Three years later he moved to 2937 Columbia Avenue. When Shibe Park opened in 1909 Mack bought a similar row house at 2119 Ontario. He lived there until 1916 when he bought a house at 604 W. Cliveden out near Fairmount Park, the first time he did not live near the A’s ballpark. (Norman Macht, Connie Mack scholar)”

Now we return to the original column text – again, with my apologies:

We wondered if the current residents on Lehigh had any idea about who had lived in that house long before them. Based on the Sunday basketball activity I saw at certain playgrounds nearby, I quietly and privately decided that Connie Mack most likely could now be close to a total unknown to North Philly residents these days. After all, he first lived there over one hundred years ago.

Friend and SABR colleague Bob Dorrill offered that the Mack house would have been a perfect place for a historical plaque. Then he threw in the opinion that historical plaques are easily stolen. They have cash value with collectors and scrap metal dealers.

We also got a pretty good exterior tour of Temple University on the north side and, of course, a nice exterior tour of the current venue, Citizens Bank Park, on the south side prior to the trek north.

Jerry Cassway, Ballpark Tour Director (Close your eyes on the bus, and Jerry sounds like actor Danny Divita.)

I was impressed with the beauty and dedication to preservation we saw in Philadelphia. And why shouldn’t they be good at it? After all, they were the birthplace of our declared independence from England and the residence of Benjamin Franklin, one of our genius-level founders for the better America that we are still striving to become. Add to the mix a diverse racial population that seems to come together very well as the gracious, welcoming face of Philadelphia. I’m sure they have their bad cats and troublemakers too, but the Philadelphians I met at all levels went out of their way to make us SABR visitors feel welcome.

BRAVES EDGE PHILS, 6-4.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Maybe, if we had come to town to play for the Phillies, we could have earned our own share of the Philly-Phan Boo-Bird Salute!

Tags:Connie Mack Home, SABR 3 Tour
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Curt Schilling Inducted into Phillies Wall of Fame

August 7, 2013

Curt Schilling Inducted into Phillies Wall of Fame.

On Friday night, August 2, 2013, in Philadelphia, many of us SABR 43 Convention attendees went railing south from the Marriott Downtown on the subway to Citizens Bank Park for a game between the soaring Atlanta Braves and the plunging Philadelphia Phillies. As expected, the Braves soared – and the Phillies plunged. Atlanta won, 6-4.

Curt Schilling & Friends

Prior to the game, however, it was all devotion to Philly’s fairly recent glorious past. As shown in the lead photo here, a slew of former Phillie Greats showed up to help honor one of their own as Curt Schilling (also shown above) was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. We cannot name them all from facial recognition in the picture, but the assembly includes Philadelphia Hall of Fame icons like Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Jim Bunning – along with lesser light good ones like Dick Allen, Larry Bowa, Darren Daulton, Tony Taylor, Garry Maddux, Sr., and John Kruk.

It’s hard to say if the local induction move was designed in some way to help boost Schilling’s chances for the Cooperstown Hall next year when his name comes up again, but no matter. Curt was good enough for the Phillies Wall in 2013, even if he did leave the club amidst a cloud of acrimony for Arizona a few years ago. As a character trait, it was the Schilling way: Never leave your baseball home for some place else without pissing off the people you are departing.

Well, let’s be fair. Acrimony wasn’t always the answer. Sometimes Curt’s early clubs failed to recognize what they were dumping:

After three years with Baltimore (1988-90), the 1 win, 6 loss Schilling slid to Houston as a throw-in player in an Orioles trade with Houston. The Astros kept Schilling for the 1991 season, using him exclusively as a reliever in 56 games. He finished with a 3-5, 3.81 ERA record and 8 saves before getting traded to Philadelphia and 8 seasons (1992-2000) in which he established himself as one the game’s top starters and a 16-7, 4.02 guy for the 1993 NL champion Phils.

Here it comes. …

Philadelphia
August 2, 2013

Schilling provoked a deal to Arizona from the languishing 2000 Phillies, alienating both the club and local fans. At Arizona for 4 seasons (2000-03), Schilling jumped into the 20-game winner club, taking 22 for the 2001 D’Back World Series Champions and 23 for their 2002 club. After 2003, he was off to the Boston Red Sox and 4 final seasons (2004-07) with two more World Series champion Red Sox clubs in 2004 and 2007. As a member of the Sox team that broke “The Bambino Curse” in 2004, Curt won 21 games in 2004 and another 15 in 2006. He suffered injuries that ultimately led to some unhappiness and retirement, but he hung in there, bloody sock and all, and helped 2007 Boston to their 2nd WS title in four years after a skein of zero titles in eighty-seven years.

Curt Schilling finished his 20-year MLB career with a record of 216-146, 3.46 ERA, 3 World Series titles in 4 tries with 3 teams, and enough charisma left over to heal old wounds with words and charm. Last Friday, if you listened in person to Schilling’s speech, you easily could have concluded that everything he did on the field, he did for the City of Philadelphia.

Cooperstown is another road altogether from the Phillies Wall of Fame. Curt Schilling only drew 38.8% approval among the voting HOF writers in 2013 and he would need 75% for induction in 2014. It’s not probable that he will get the nod.

Tags:Curt Schilling Induction, Phillies Wall of Fame
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SABR 43 Trip Was Phillie-Phine

August 6, 2013

On Friday night, we saw the Braves whip the Phillies, 6-4, at Citizen’s Bank Park in a game that featured back-to-back HR tricks by both clubs.

The Larry Dierker Chapter was represented at the 43rd Annual Convention of SABR in Philadelphia last week by Chairman Bob Dorrill, Marsha Franty, Mike Vance, Art Spanjer, Mike McCroskey, and yours truly, Bill McCurdy. We all came to learn, to enjoy, to dialogue with others, and to grasp all we could about what seemed to work and not work there for the sake of our own planning for SABR 44 in Houston in 2014.

The Philadelphians could not have been more helpful, and our special thanks go out to Seamus Kearney and Dick Rosen of the Connie Mack Chapter for the advisory time they spent with us in discussion of our plans for the convention in Houston next year. We are preparing to give it our best shot, but that will require more volunteers from our Houston group to step up to the plate as soon as possible.

Patricia Anderson, the 86-year old niece of the late White Sox third baseman Buck Weaver, served as a panel member on the Black Sox Scandal discussion.

There was far too much content to report in-depth here. I especially enjoyed listening to the niece of Buck Weaver, one of the eight banished Black Sox players from 1919, talk about her uncle. She says he never freely talked about what happened, but that she holds no belief that he (Buck Weaver) personally did anything wrong. She points to his record in the 1919 Series as a .324 .hitter as evidence of his honest intent to play for victory.

Mike Vance & Marsha Franty: There was time for group merriment …

Bob Dorrill & Grandson: … time for reunion …

Solly Hemus: … time for discussing ancient heroes …

Mike McCroskey & Bob Dorrill: … time for hanging out with Houston buddies …

… time for the phanatical pursuit of happiness …

… time for love and friendship …

… time for remembering the greats of the game …

Philadelphia: … time to discover a great and beautiful American city. …

House of Connie Mack on Lehigh (2nd from right) ... time to explore history ...

House of Connie Mack on Lehigh (greenish in middle) … time to explore history …

Independence Hall: … time to explore what’s important to our American history …

The Courthouse: ... time to celebrate the beauty that emanates from the creative mind. ...

City Hall: … time to celebrate the beauty that emanates from the creative mind. …

The Liberty Bell: ... time to remember that this bell is our breathe of life itself.... forever.

The Liberty Bell: … time to remember that this bell is our breath of life itself…. forever.

Thanks you, Philadelphia, for all of these remembrances!

Thank you, Philadelphia, for all of these remembrances!

Tags:PHILADELPHIA, SABR 43
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Bill Gilbert: Astros Hit Bottom in July

August 5, 2013

Hi. Everybody!

The Pecan Park Eagle just got back late last night from a four-day trip to the 43rd Annual Convention of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) in Philadelphia, but more on that little expedition, starting tomorrow. First we need to catch up on baseball in our backyard. For today, here’s Bill Gilbert of the Rogers Hornsby Chapter of SABR and his July monthly report on the 2013 season of the Houston Astros. …

Astros Hit Bottom in July

By Bill Gilbert

The Astros picked up their first July win on July 3 and closed out the month with an 11-0 win over Baltimore on July 31. However, they only won four games in between resulting in a 6-18 record for the month, the worst in the major leagues. The Astro finished the month with a record of 36-70, five games behind the Miami Marlins in the “race” for the worst record in baseball and the first pick in the 2014 draft.

Despite the overall poor performance, there were some bright spots. Three of the prospects obtained in earlier trades achieved some success in the majors. Pitcher, Jarred Cosart, one of the prospects in the Hunter Pence trade, was promoted in July and made 3 strong starts. (1-0, 0.86 ERA). Pitcher, Brett Oberholtzer, obtained in the Michael Bourn trade, made his first start on July 31 in the 11-0 win over Baltimore. Jonathan Villar, obtained in the Roy Oswalt trade, has become the regular shortstop since his promotion after the All-Star game, and has added some excitement with his defense and speed (5 stolen bases including a steal of home).

The Astros rank near the bottom in most offensive and defensive categories as shown below:

Offense Astros MLB Rank

Runs/Game 3.82 26th

Batting Average .236 29th

Slugging Average .377 29th

Strikeouts 995 30th

Pitching

Runs/Game 5.28 30th

ERA 4.89 30th

Defense

Fielding Pct. .961 26th

Double Plays 122 1^st

The numbers above suggest that the pitching has been worse than the hitting but not by much. The Astros are not considered to be a strong defensive team but they rank first in turning double plays. This is at least partially due to so many runners on base.

The Astros picked up several more prospects by trading Bud Norris, Jose Veras and Justin Maxwell prior to the July 31 deadline. While this trade could be helpful in the future, it will likely further weaken the team for this year with the loss of their best starting pitcher, their closer and a productive outfielder.

The Astros minor League teams continue to do well. All four full-season teams are at least 13 games over .500 and the three short-season teams are also over .500.

Tags:Bill Gilbert July 2013 Report
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Buff Biographies: Fred Martin

July 31, 2013

Fred Martin, Pitcher
1951 Houston Buffs

Fred Martin (6’1″, 185 lb) (BR/TR) was a tough, talented, and wily pitcher who spent 3 years in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals (1946, 1949-50) , putting up a 12-3, 3.78 mark for his time in service at the highest level. Over the longer run of 25 years (1935-60), Martin also posted a 17-season minor league mark of 169-135, 3.38 for mostly Cardinal clubs, including 4 whole and partial seasons (1941, 1951, 1953, 1959) with the Houston Buffs.

Martin had his greatest statistical year when he went 23-6 with a 1.88 ERA for the great 1941 Buffs and then returned in a decade to contribute heavily (15-11, 2.54) to the success of the 1951 Texas League champion Buffs.

Over time, Fred Martin earned a lot of respect as a teacher of pitching mechanics, particularly as the game pertains to a pitch that many experts give him credit for either inventing – or redefining from its use in earlier eras by turn of the century greats Christy Mathewson and Rube Foster of the early Negro League. The pitch we speak of here, of course,, is the one we now know as the “split-finger fastball”.

Martin is also given credit for being the mentor who taught the pitching-life-changing weapon to Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter and to Roger Craig who then taught the split-finger to the great Mike Scott, among others.

Stories of mentorship are common and often hard to verify, but if they begin to happen in bunches about the same teacher bearing the same lesson, you begin to listen and consider giving them credibility.

Fred Martin

Fred Martin was one of those guys. And he was a guy who even looked as though he was born to play baseball. Born on June 27, 1915 in Williams, Oklahoma, the 20-year old “Okie” pitched his first game, just barely out of the Dust Bowl in 1935 for Class D Siloam Springs, Arkansas – and he didn’t hang ’em up until he was 45 and pitching his last two games in relief for Class C St. Cloud, Minnesota. By then, the clock had rolled all the way to the year 1960.

Fred Turner Martin left this world on June 11, 1979 in Chicago. He was just 63 when he passed, looking near his end like a guy who could still bring it, had he been called upon to do so.

Keep your seat, Fred. You did enough. More than enough.

Tags:Fred Martin, Houston Buff Biographies
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Buff Biographies: Ben Steiner

July 30, 2013

Ben Steiner
1951 Houston Buffs

Second baseman Ben Steiner (5’11”, 165 lb) (BL/TR) was born in Alexandria, Virginia on July 28, 1921.. He broke into minor league baseball at the age of 19 in 1941 with Class C Canton, batting .295 with 0 HR in 49 games before up to Class B Greensboro that same year and hitting .206 with no HR in 8 games.

Over the course of his 11 season minor league career (1941-51), Ben Steiner hit a respectable .272 with 19 home runs. The Buffs were his last professional game stop in 1951 and he batted .262 with a single homer in 130 games at second base for the Texas League champion Buffs that season. Steiner also had played for another champion at AAA Columbus with other former Buffs like Larry Miggins and Solly Hemus. The 1950 Columbus Red Birds were winners of the Little World Series that season.

Steiner also played three earlier seasons in the big league with the Boston Red Sox (1945-46) and the Detroit Tigers (1947). His play was limited to 82 games with 78 of those coming at Boston in 1945. He only picked up 4 at bats in 3 games with the 1946 AL champion Red Sox playing behind future Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr and 1 game for the 145 Tigers. Ben Steiner’s MLB career totals included a .256 batting average and 3 home runs.

For whatever reason, Ben Steiner was through with professional baseball at the end of his 1951 Houston Buffs season. At age 30, he retired to pack his dreams away into the regular 9 to 5 work crowd.

Ben Steiner, Utility
1945 Boston Red Sox

Ben still valued his time in baseball. As the assistant county clerk of Middlesex County, New Jersey during the 1970’s, Steiner wore his championship ring from the 1950 Little Word Series team from Columbus, Ohio.

We don’t much about Steiner’s personal life beyond his baseball career, but we do know that he died at a relatively young age. Ben Steiner passed away in Venice, Florida on October 27, 1988 at the age of 67.

As a kid, I always liked Ben Steiner. When his early season average hovered above .300 well into June, my 12-year old mind wanted to give the bespectacled second sacker credit for out-thinking the Texas League pitchers who were trying their best to keep him off the bases. In fact, in my own little world of private baseball ideas, I always thought of Ben Steiner by the phrase that most of baseball already had assigned to Dom DiMaggio. To me, Ben was “The Real Little Professor”.

I remember being disappointed that Steiner did not return to the Buffs for the 1952 season, but I wish I knew more today about his reasons for quitting at age 30. Maybe it was injury. Maybe it was the fact that he realized he had gone about as far as he could go in the game by that time.. Maybe some other opportunity away from baseball looked more attractive to him.

Who knows? I will now post “whatever happened to Ben Steiner after 1951?” as another question I’d like to know more about. If you have any data on that subject, please post it below as a comment.

Meanwhile. “R.I.P., Ben Steiner! – My Buff memories of you are golden!”

Tags:Ben Steiner, Houston Buff Biographies
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