He pitched regularly for only half a dozen years
but his pitching output was anything but regular.
His was a jeweled left arm which fans and owners
counted on to bring them victories – – – with reason.
His fastball was called “devastating” and his lively
curve was no less than “nasty”.
In those too quick six years, he went 94 and 46
and had a 2.28 Earned Run Average. He had 17
shutouts and 107 complete games. (How does
that compare to today’s part-time starters, with
their 100 mph fastballs and the praise they get
when they manage to finish six whole innings?)
In his best year, he had a 23 and 12 record,
pitched 324 innings to a 1.75 ERA, had 23
complete games, with nine shutouts, and held
opposing hitters to a batting average of .201.
He was a genius at setting up opposing hitters,
out-thinking them, changing speeds and using
both sides of the plate. Did I mention that he
was undefeated in multiple World Series games,
pitching to an ERA of 0.87? In his autobiography,
he noted that “Pitching is the most satisfying
thing in baseball” because the very good pitcher
controls the game.
He hasn’t played in decades but anyone who has
even a tangential knowledge of the game has heard
of him. He could have been called The Left Hand of
God but that belongs to another lefty with six great
years. No, this pitcher was limited to too few years
because he eventually became better known for his
hitting. So instead of being recalled as the Hurler
From Hell by the opposition, he became the
Sultan of Swat, the Bambino or simply Babe.