Friday, October 20, 2006 |
Today's Birthdays
Dave Collins CAL b. 1952, played 1975-1976
Jack Franklin BRO b. 1919, played 1944, d. 1991-11-15
Juan Marichal LAN b. 1937, played 1975, All-Star: 1962-1969, 1971, Hall of Fame: 1983 (BBWAA). The staff ace on the 1960's Giants, a nine-time All-Star (and ultimately, Hall of Famer), six times a 20-game winner, he threw over 300 innings three times in his career; his name is all over the franchise top 10's in categories such as career victories, winning percentage, WHIP, low H/9, low BB/9, games, innings, strikeouts, games started, complete games, shutouts, home runs allowed, hits allowed, and a number of others.
To Dodger fans he's most famous for his fight with Johnny Roseboro. The day was August 22, 1965, and the Dodgers led the third-place Giants by a game and a half. Marichal had already knocked down Maury Wills and Ron Fairly with brushbacks, and so when he came up in the third, the Dodgers were spoiling for some retaliation. That is, all of them but Koufax, who refused to pitch inside, even in revenge. Roseboro then returned a pitch that clipped Marichal on the ear, and (unprintable) words were exchanged. Marichal clubbed Roseboro with his bat, and both benches cleared out before Koufax and Giants' captain Willy Mays were able to restore order, with Mays himself taking Roseboro, who sustained a concussion and a sizeable gash, off the field.
The resulting lawsuit took nine years to resolve, but the Dodgers lost that game 4-3 as Mays hit a three-run jack off Koufax in that same third inning, the only time that Mays could recall beating Koufax with the longball. The league fined Marichal $1,750 and suspended him for the final two games of the season against the Dodgers, a punishment Roseboro's teammates thought light. Marichal spent his final season in the majors in a Dodger uniform, ironically enough, pitching for two games in which he was ineffective. After his retirement, he reconciled with Roseboro, who, along with others, believed their fight would keep Marichal out of the Hall of Fame. Roseboro and Marichal attended a Dodgers old-timers' game together, where they posed for pictures. The former Dodger catcher said, "Hey, over the years, you learn to forget things."
Pat McGlothin BRO b. 1920, played 1949-1950
John Russell BRO b. 1894, played 1917-1918, d. 1930-11-19
Rudy Seanez LAN b. 1968, played 1994-1995
Jigger Statz BRO b. 1897, played 1927-1928, d. 1988-03-16 One of the greatest players ever in a PCL Los Angeles Angels uniform, he wasn't of much consequence in the majors, but he played for 18 years and in 3,473 games, a record that stood until broken by Hank Aaron and Pete Rose.
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