Late Win Brings Back Memories

By Evan Pritchard
Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Tuesday night’s crazy come-from-behind 12th inning victory, (Mets 5 Giants 4) with the Gigante’s Armando Benitez balking in Jose Reyes from third base as the fourth (and come-from-behind) run followed by a solo walk-off shot from Delgado ending in a deafening cheer blotting out the voice of the announcer, seemed strangely familiar somehow. I turned to my handy game-by-game reference to the 2006 Mets, “Flushing Fever,” and easily found what I was looking for. There was a similar game played on May 3rd of last year. Nearing completion, this indispensable book is soon to be available at Flushing University for a reasonable price. Did I mention that I was the author? Not important, but I think you’ll like it anyway.

Here is an excerpt from Flushing Fever, which provides not only a game-by-game reference to highlights of the Mets’ incredible 2006 season, but behind-the-scenes insights into the team and the philosophical significance of it all.

“On a rainy Wednesday, May 3rd the Mets beat Pittsburgh 4-3 in 12 innings on a dramatic walk-off homer by Carlos Delgado. Pedro Martinez was stunning, giving up three hits in six innings and striking out nine, while walking only one Pirate. I should mention that one of those hits was a homer to Freddy Sanchez. Reyes’ triple brought the Mets to a 3-1 lead in the sixth. Kaz Matsui executed a decent bunt, but slipped in the mud. The throw beat him to first, but the fielder’s foot was off the bag. Unfortunately , the umps refused to acknowledge the mistake. Reyes had long scored the fourth run, sliding and I mean sliding, in from third, but the officials refused to allow it. Reyes had to go back, and never returned. That phantom run turned out to be important.

“Heilman came in and turned two perfect innings, and it looked like a well-deserved win for Pedro, but Wagner came in and blew the save, allowing the Pirates to tie it up, (Wagner was booed for the first time in a Mets uniform) and after the Mets could not score in the bottom of the ninth, it went into overtime. The two teams were deadlocked until the bottom of the 12th, when Delgado hit his dramatic homer to “pick up” the rueful Billy Wagner out of his post-plastered blues. By the time it was over, the Mets had completed one-sixth of their already so-memorable season.” (Excerpted from Flushing Fever, by Evan Pritchard release date June 2007 Brandywine New Media, Flushing University Press)

For those who missed the play-by-play, Delgado hit a monster home run earlier in the game, his sixth on the season, which was his way of saying to California “I’m baaaack!” The seventh was hit with less authority, but had more impact than an Arnold Schwartzenegger flick.
 

Later today, May 30th, 2007, Glavine will go to the mound again, pitching in his 20th season and approaching 300 wins, with five to go, a mark few left handers have drawn in the sand of major league baseball. How unusual is that? You can count on one hand (unless you’re Three Fingered Brown) the lefties with 300 or more wins: (Also published in Flushing Fever)
1. Warren Spahn 363 wins
2. Steve Carlton 329 wins
3. Eddie Plank 326 wins
4. Lefty Grove 300 wins

But twenty seasons? That’s another thing. Tom Seaver, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Red Faber, Mel Harder, Dutch Leonard, Curt Simmons, and Dolf Luque never made it past twenty seasons. Babe Ruth pitched on and off from 1914 to 1933, and if you think he never pitched for the Yankees, you’re a dweeb; he was undefeated! Warren Spahn pitched twenty full seasons, and a handful of games in one other, as Glavine seems about to do.

The following is a complete analysis of pitchers with the most seasons in the bigs, from about 1900 to about 1990, focusing on now-inactive players. Mickey Lolich knew Satchel Paige and recently related to us that Paige used to take unusually hot showers after a game and claimed that was his secret to long innings and a long career. Mickey always took boiling hot showers after that, and was one of the last men to break the 300 inning mark in a season, and did so several times. Today, that longevity is becoming rare. Maybe it’s those ice packs!

The Rhyme of the Ancient Pitcher:
How Old is “Old” ?

Many Taoist philosophers in China developed a belief in immortality. Myths and legends around the world suggest it is possible to achieve a deathless state, for example the Babaji figure of the Himalayas, the Joseph of Aramathea character in Grail legends, Yoda, of the Star Wars neo-mythology looks pretty old to me. Then there’s the Wandering Jew, and Mel Brooks 2000 year old man. Methusula (who must have maintained high glutathione levels by drinking raw milk extracts and working out at the gym) had it easy by comparison. But what about pitchers? Is it true that some pitchers can pitch forever? Or is it a myth?

To misquote the bard Bob Dylan, “How many years can a man pitch in the major leagues before he is washed out to the sea?” Well, I did a complete analysis of all pitchers in the 20th Century, and found that there is a line beyond which no pitcher has ever survived, a quarter century in the majors. Many have pitched 20 seasons, but it tapers off quickly above that, a curve, appropriately enough.

It seems that no matter how strong a man is, he cannot pitch for more than 25 seasons without losing the competitive edge. Only Jim Kaat reached his 25th season, while only Tommy John and Phil Niekro reached their 24th season, yet more reached 23 seasons, 22 and 21 respectively. Like wins in a season, 20 seasons seems to be a kind of Mendoza line for champions; any pitcher who pitches into a glorious twentieth season is probably headed for the Hall, as is Glavine. Any pitcher who reaches that level of seniority will at least get an honorable stat mention, for one reason or another, if only for most mornings at practice on time.

Here is the complete breakdown. So if you plan to pitch your way into the Hall of Fame, you’d better eat your Wheaties. Unless your name is Sandy Koufax, it takes about 20 seasons to collect enough victories, strikeouts, and saves, to make it. That’s how many years Babe Ruth was in the American League; you could call it “the Babe Ruth line.”

Only 29 pitchers hit or passed the 20 season mark before 1990, but almost all are Hall of Famers. (Eppa Rixey, you say; who was he? I don’t know! There’s an exception to every rule)

25 Seasons Pitched (The Sound Barrier)
Jim Kaat

24 Seasons Pitched (The Tommy John Line)
Tommy John
Phil Niekro

23 Seasons Pitched (The Steve Carlton Line)
Steve Carlton
Jack Quinn
Early Wynn

22 Seasons Pitched (The Gaylord Perry Line)
Sad Sam Koons
Herb Pennock
Gaylord Perry
Red Ruffing
Nolan Ryan
Don Sutton
Cy Young

21 Seasons Pitched (The Walter Johnson Line)
Clark Griffith
Waite Hoyt
Walter Johnson
Ted Lyons
Lindy McDaniel
Joe Niekro
Eppa Rixey

20 Seasons Pitched (The Tom Seaver Line)
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Red Faber
Mel Harder
Dutch Leonard
Dolf Luque
Babe Ruth (pitched on and off from 1914 to 1933)
Tom Seaver
Curt Simmons
Warren Spahn (plus one partial year)

Not all the players below this line will make it to the Hall of Fame
19 Seasons Pitched (the “Luis Tiant” Line)
Babe Adams
Nick Altrock
Freddie Fitzsimmons
John Franco
Burleigh Grimes
Jesse Haines
Dick Hall
Jerry Koosman
Tug McGraw
Jim Palmer
Ron Reed
Jerry Reuss
Luis Tiant
Bucky Walters
Tom Zachary

18 Seasons Pitched (The Bob Feller Line)
Burt Blyleven
Lew Burdett
Wild Bill Donovan
Bob Feller
Woody Fryman
Charlie Hough
Johnny Klippstein
Rube Marquand
Don McMahon
Claude Osteen
Camilo Pasqual
Ray Sedecki
Mike Torrez

17 Seasons Pitched (The Bob Gibson Line)
Vida Blue
Jim Bunning
Tom Burgmaier
Guy Bush
Al Downing
Moe Drabowski
Rollie Fingers
Bob Gibson
Steve Gromek
Lefty Grove
Ron Kline
Danny MacFayden
Christy Mathews
Bob Miller
Milt Pappas
Jim Perry
Eddie Plank
Charlie Root
Virgil Trucks
Wilbur Wood

16 Years Pitched (The Whitey Ford Line)
Chief Bender
Tommy Bridges
Bill Dietrich
Roy Face
Whitey Ford
Ken Forsch
Terry Forrster
Bob Friend
Goose Gossage
Larry Gura
Bill Henry
Carl Hubbell
Darold Knowles
Vernon Law
Thornton Lee
Mickey Lolitch
Sparky Lyle
Juan Marichal
Mike McCormick
Fred Norman
Jack Powell
Bobby Shantz

Satchel Paige pitched in 1965 at the age of 59 years old, however he did not pitch consecutive years in the majors. He pitched from 1948 to 1953, then again in 1965. If he had stayed in the majors in the interim years, he would have had 18 seasons in the big leagues.
 

Evan Pritchard is the author of many books including Flushing Fever - The Story of the Incredible 2006 New York Mets: A Fan’s Perspective, available soon at this website in e-book form ($12).