Then he missed the next 18 days before returning on July 25 and losing to Burdette and the Cardinals, 3-1. followed by Sain When the Braves vacated Turner Field to move into their current home of Truist Park, the statue was moved, and now stands outside that ballpark. "[9], Spahn finished the 1942 season with a 1712 record for the Hartford Bees of the Class-A Eastern League, Along with many other major leaguers, Spahn chose to enlist in the United States Army, after finishing the 1942 season in the minors. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise. In 1951 Spahn allowed the first career hit to Willie Mays (a home run). [12][13], In 1951, Spahn allowed the first career hit to Willie Mays, a home run. In the Giants 13th, Bowman singled, then wandered too far off first. Ruben Amaro flew out to right to end the streak before Spahn fanned Buzhardt. I had the best stuff Ive had all year. blue = warren spahn. Spahn led the National League in wins eight times, including five seasons in a row (1949, 1950, 1953, 1957-1961) and complete games nine seasons, seven consecutively (1949, 1951, 1957-63); these numbers are major league records. Born: The no-hitter came just 29 days after Spahn's teammate, Lew Burdette, had pitched a no-hit game against the very same Phillies. He won a career low 6 games with a career high 5.29 ERA in 1964 and was demoted to the bullpen. ), According to former Cardinals player Solly Hemus, Spahn, along with teammate Lew Burdette, periodically used anti-Semitic slurs while on the mound. He was 39 years old. 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. On Sept. 16, 1960, a 39-year-old Warren Spahn added a no-hitter to his already Hall of Fame worthy career. He had just shut out the Dodgers and hadnt allowed a walk in 18 innings. Spahn made his big league debut with the Boston Braves in 1942, the same year he would join the Army. 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. It was almost mandatory to pitch every four days.. Facing the San Francisco Giants, the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a storied pitchers' duel with 25-year-old Juan Marichal. Spahn joked a long time later, "I'll never forgive myself. And suddenly it was all over. The two pitchers had gone 80 in 12 days' time. Spahn also gave up the first career homerun of Sandy Koufax in 1962. In the bottom of the 16th, Spahn threw one screwball after another to the right-handed Kuenn, getting him at last on a fly to center. I didnt retire from baseball, Spahn said. (Osvaldo Salas/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Warren Spahn - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 25 Main Street,Cooperstown, NY 13326Phone: 1-888-HALL-OF-FAME | 607-547-7200 | Fax: 607-547-0398, "Hitting is timing. It may be that the weather had helped keep Spahn in the game as Sadowski observes, better to have pitched in 55 degrees than 85. Had he played, it is possible that Spahn would have finished his career behind only Walter Johnson and Cy Young in all-time wins. Braves' mainstay Warren Spahn was sold to the Mets on Nov. 23, 1964. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum). Pitching is upsetting timing. But ever the team player, the southpaw didnt care about that. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Last-Modified: January 1, 2023 8:53 AM EST, Winningest Pitchers: Baseball's 300-game Winners. ", From 1947 to 1953 Spahn was one of the best pitchers in the League. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Do you know that man is 42 years old? In a 22-season major league career, Spahn posted a 363245 winloss record with 2,583 strikeouts and a 3.09 ERA in 5,243+23 innings pitched, including 63 shutouts and 382 complete games. Spahnie had a good fastball, not as good as Johnson's, but good. 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. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service), Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. With the game still scoreless in the ninth, it was Spahns turn to breathe a sigh of relief. 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. Good luck again prevailed in the ninth. But Spahn wasnt through playing. The throw was slightly off-target, but an acrobatic split by the 6-foot, 4-inch Adcock nipped the runner by a half step. He consistently was the league lead in Wins, ERA, Strikeouts and Complete Games. He lost this distinction for a single day: September 25, 1965, when 58-year-old Satchel Paige pitched three innings. For example, some referred to the 1993 San Francisco Giants' imbalanced rotation as "Burkett and Swift and pray for snow drift."[17]. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. The Braves won the Pennant in 1957 and 1958, winning the World Series in 1957. Three days later, Spahn won again. The trio, who were Milwaukee-area natives, included Spahn in the closing credits once, with the disclaimer, "He's not in the film, but he's still our all-time favorite left-hand pitcher.". No one can ever say anything to deny his greatness." The score was still 00 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning. He faced the minimum 27 batters, retiring five on strikeouts and walking two. He is second all time amongst pitchers in sacrifice flies with 14. Otherwise, we all could have gone home then. 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. He also began throwing a slider in 1958, a palm ball and a knuckle ball in 1963. [citation needed] Photo sequences show that this high kick served a specific purpose. After the 1965 season, no one bid on his services. MedSpeed is the market-leader in healthcare same-day logistics. It was the best game I ever saw.. 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. For that matter, Spahn, who would lead all National League pitchers with 35 career homers, and Marichal, who batted over .500 with men on base one season, wielded mean bats themselves. As he moved toward the plate, his glove rose slowly, then descended quickly through the hitters line of vision. Contact SABR, https://sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/research-collection4_350x300.jpg, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png, The Best-Pitched Game in Baseball History: Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal. In 1958 he batted .333 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. As a left-hander, Spahn was able not only to watch any runner on first base, but also to avoid telegraphing whether he was delivering to the plate or to first base, thereby forcing the runner to stay close to the bag. He led or shared the lead in the NL in wins in 19571961 (age 3640). The Warren Spahn Award, given to the Major Leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named after Spahnie, who joined the Twenty-Wins Club thirteen times and threw two no-hitters. More than anything, acquiring the screwball after he was supposedly washed up 10 years earlier had crossed up righties and extended Spahns career. Catcher Bailey believes Spahns knees he would endure seven operations on them, his cartilage torn and ground from high kicks and hard landings finally got to him. Many thanks to him. Spahn returned to the major leagues in 1946 at the age of 25, having missed three full seasons. 14 *morris win: allowed 5+ er but still got the win. Spahn's pitching helped the Braves win the World Series in . Spahn tied Feller's mark on June 14, 1952. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. Bill James ranked Spahn number 36 of the 100 greatest baseball players of all-times based on his Win-Shares method of valuing players and their accomplishments. It snowed during the day, and by game time the thermometer had risen only to 38 degrees. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1973. Both men had been denied moments of greatness they must have coveted. After being with the Braves a very short time, he clashed with manager Casey Stengel, who sent him to the minors after Spahn refused to throw at a batter in an exhibition game. Having pitched the first no-hitter of his long and distinguished career just five starts earlier, Warren Spahn became at the time the second oldest pitcher (behind Cy Young) ever to hurl a no-hitter when he blanked the San Francisco Giants on a cold, snowy evening at County Stadium. It was the greatest game Ive ever seen by two pitchers Dark said. Several other pitchers have receover 90%. There are 29 other people named Richard A. Spahn on AllPeople. Dark came home on a sacrifice fly by Joe Adcock. Most will not remember Warren Spahn. 49, Warren Spahn By Joe Posnanski Feb 7, 2020 Starting in December and ending on Opening Day, Joe Posnanski will count down the 100 greatest baseball players by publishing. The next day Spahn took Marichal aside in the visitors clubhouse. "He has wonderful physical qualities. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball. Since 1960 only Gaylord Perry, on September 1, 1967, pitched 16 innings, and he was taken out for the last five innings of a 21-inning game, the sissy. Healthcare Logistics For Healthcare People. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Yogi later told reporters, "I don't think we're the oldest battery, but we're certainly the ugliest.". "He's beyond comparison with any modern lefthander. That gives me a certain amount of satisfaction. Spahn took on the dual role of pitcher and pitching coach. Frequently Spahns personal catcher, Crandall knew Spahn so well he was rarely shaken off. The game was tied at 1-1 after Serenas solo shot in the ninth, and the winning run was on third. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Spahn was reunited with his first manager 23 years later, for the even more woeful last-place New York Mets, andreferring to Stengel's success with the 194960 New York Yankeeslater quipped, "I'm probably the only guy who played for Casey before and after he was a genius. Spahn joined the military in 1943 and did not play baseball again until 1946. Because of an old separated shoulder from high school football, Spahn couldnt raise his right hand higher than his shoulder. [9], Other sayings have been derived from "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." I was giving them good pitches with good stuff which is unusual. When McCovey launched one of his patented moon shots, the ball flew somewhere over the right-field foul pole. BL-2870.70 (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library), Warren Spahn, right, pitched 20 of his 21 big league seasons with the Braves. Spahn reached the major leagues in 1942 at the age of 20. Then Malkmus lined Spahn's first offering sharply back to the mound. 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.. Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had ever made. If you didnt have tears in your eyes, you werent nothing, Sadowski says. Playing the Yankees in both World Series, Spahn helped Milwaukee capture the 1957 championship, the same year he won the Cy Young Award. Equally telling, he broke into the top 10 control artists, finishing seventh with 61 walks in 321 innings, or 1.71per game. Spahn pitched on two other Braves pennant winners, in 1948 and 1958. Stan Musial was quoted as saying, "I don't think Spahn will ever get into the Hall of Fame, He'll never stop pitching.". Marichal had always run to the mound and raced through his warm-ups to combat the Candlestick cold, and this night was no exception. On Aug. 11, 1961, Warren Spahn recorded his 300th career win, as the Braves defeated the Cubs 2-1 at County Stadium. Warren Spahn played for the Braves before and after the franchise moved from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953. 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. Back will come Spahn Whatever bothered hitters, I was for., No one was sure what theyd seen from Marichal. When I wasnt pitching, I would watch him, how he approached batters, how he went in and out, up and down. 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. The 1942 Braves finished next to last, and Stengel was fired the following year. Not only could Spahn and Marichal pitch any length of a complete game, Spahns old manager insists, they could throw a fastball, curve, or change up on any count. As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and a good screwball. Qualifying Rental Criteria. Bat speed and bat weight key factors in determining distance of batted ball. He was unorthodox. What amazed fellow Giant pitcher Bobby Bolin was his control: With that kick I don think anyone else could keep his body pretty straight and get the ball over.. JIM KAPLAN is former editor of the Baseball Research Journal and author of Lefty Grove: American Original (SABR, 2000). 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. I kept going to the mound the last three or four innings asking Juan, Are you all right? And he always said he was.. 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. When he came back after four years at war, he was. A 17-time All-Star, Spahn led the NL in victories eight times and won the 1957 Cy Young Award.