I missed Spahn. The earliest MLB game I can remember is from about 1976. I wonder if you could do a quick sketch of Spahn as a pitcher for those of us who don't remember him. The only thing I really know about him is that he was left-handed and had an inordinate number of high-productivity/20-win seasons.
Asked by: wovenstrap
Answered: 1/25/2021
He was Tom Glavine, basically, but he was super-flexible and super-durable. Glavine was very durable. . .there was something really odd about Spahn's energy level. In 1963 he pitched a famous 16-inning pitchers' duel against Juan Marichal. July 2, 1963; had to look that up. THe game was 0-0 through 15 innings, both starting pitchers still working. Spahn gave up a home run to Willie Mays in the 16th inning, so Marichal won the game. But after the game there was an interview filmed with Marichal and Spahn. Marichal, who was 25 years old, looks like he just really wants to get home and go to bed. Spahn, who was 42, is kind of bouncing around like he has a lot of nervous energy that he can't quite figure out what to do with. After that game he took his regular turn in the rotation (July 7) and pitched a 5-hit shutout. In his next 10 starts after the 16-inning game he went 9-1, all of the wins being complete-game victories; in the loss he pitched 8 innings and gave up 2 earned runs.
He was a good hitter. . . he hit 35 home runs in his career, which I think is a record for a pitcher, although there have been many pitchers who were better hitters, but still, 35 homers is something. He was skinny, almost scrawny, very quick.
During World War II he was something of a hero. . .don't know the details, but I remember that somebody published a kid's book that overstated his heroism in World War II, and he sued them and made them withdraw the book and publish retractions. He was funny, always joking around. One year, when he and his teammate Lew Burdette were the best 1-2 pitching combination in baseball, on the day the Topps photographer appeared they switched gloves and switched uniforms, so that (as I recall) Burdette appears on Spahn's baseball card and Spahn appears on Burdette's. Pitching for the Mets at the end of his career, he joked that he was the only man to play for Casey Stengel both before and after he was a genius. He had played for Casey in 1941, briefly, with the Boston Braves (0-0 record), and then pitched for the Mets in 1965. He was noted for having the best pickoff move of his time. Just. . .impossible to capture him in this space, but I hope this helps.
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