Saturday, May 30, 2015

Oh, How Different Things Might Have Been: Rube Waddell and the 1905 A's

History is fixed.  It is unchangeable.  Nothing can change the past.  You can watch Carlton Fisk hop down the line a million times and he will still waive the ball fair.  No matter how many times Todd Worrell touches that bag, Don Denkinger is still going to call Jorge Orta safe.  Bill Buckner is never going to field that little roller behind the bag and Mitch Williams will not look back over his shoulder to see Joe Carter's fly ball being caught.

The winners and losers in the history of the game will always be winners or losers.  But the series of articles beginning this week will explore some "what if's".  What if a player who missed the World Series hadn't gotten injured?  What if a play that turned a World Series had been completed differently?

The first article in the series is a review of the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics and how the loss of their star effected the history of the World Series.  So let's get started:

This was the original "marquee matchup".  You could not avoid the talk.

Waddell vs Mathewson.

It was the kind of talk you will hear today but it still had something exotic about it.

Waddell vs Mathewson.



More than 90 years before interleague play, this was unique.  When the Athletics won on September 7, 1905 their lead expanded to 4 1/2 games over the pesky White Sox.  In the National League, the Giants had not been seriously challenged in weeks.  So when the A's seemed to put a comfortable cushion between themselves and the Sox the talk grew louder.

Waddell vs Mathewson.

Fans salivated.  Just the mention of one of the names or one of the teams and eyes would widen, pulses would quicken, smiles would creep across faces.  You could almost see the wheels in their minds turning, processing the possibilities.  Truthfully, the actual mention didn't have to occur to trigger it.  A nice old lady could be walking down the streets of Philadelphia and casually mention
she was headed to the deli.   Did someone say Waddell?  In New York, a young boy could sneeze eliciting the response of "bless you son".  Did someone say Mathewson?



Waddell vs Mathewson

It was something that would be repeated for years.  That dream matchup that could only happen in a World Series.  In 1912 it would be Mathewson vs Smokey Joe Wood. In 1934 it was Dizzy Dean vs Schoolboy Rowe (although it didn't quite happen that way).  In 1936 it was Carl Hubbell vs Red Ruffing.  In 1945 it was Hank Borowy vs Hal Newhouser.  In 1948 it was Spahn and Sain of the Braves against Feller and Lemon of the Indians.  1949 was Newcombe vs Reynolds.  1950 was Robin Roberts vs Reynolds.  In 1957 it was Spahn vs Whitey Ford.  In 1963 it was Koufax vs Ford.  In 1964 it was Gibson vs Ford.  In 1968 it was Gibson vs McLain.  In 1986 it was Gooden vs Clemens.  In 1992 it was Morris and Cone vs Smoltz and Glavine.  These were matchups that could only happen in the most pressure packed, intense, season deciding situations.  It could only happen in the World Series.  But these were the days before interleague play and this was the original.

Waddell vs Mathewson.

This was all still new.  The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans (still a few years from being called the Red Sox) had faced off in the first ever World Series in 1903.  The Americans had repeated as AL champs in 1904 but the Pirates were dethroned by the Giants. Although detrhoned doesn't quite give you the right idea.  The Giants destroyed the National League.  They won 106 games and beat an improving, second place Cubs team by 13 games.  John McGraw hated the American League and when McGraw hated something there was nothing that would change his mind.  Not even money.  McGraw had joined the American League when it was formed and ran the Baltimore Orioles.  He clashed repeatedly with Ban Johnson. Johnson didn't like McGraw's foul language.  Johnson didn't like McGraw's questioning the umpires.  Johnson didn't like McGraw's aggressive (read dirty) style of play.  McGraw didn't like Johnson or his rules or his suspensions or his fines.  So McGraw quit.  Though he not only quit, he took most of his team with him and he signed with the National League Giants.  The Orioles franchise was devastated.

Fortunately for McGraw, the owner of the Giants hated Ban Johnson as much as McGraw did.  Andrew Freedman had once owned the Cincnnati Reds.  During his time there, a young sports writer in Cincinnati named Ban Johnson had the audacity to actually criticize the team.  Sure, there was the freedom of the press and all that but it meant nothing to Freedman.  He refused to allow Ban Johnson on team grounds making it impossible for Johnson to cover a team he was assigned to cover.  Johnson eventually teamed with Charles Comiskey, Connie Mack, Clark Griffith and John McGraw to start the rival American League.  When McGraw destroyed the Baltimore franchise and jumped to New York to join Freedman, Johnson struck back.  He basically laid the shattered remains of the Orioles on McGraw's doorstep and moved the franchise to New York.  The war between the American and National Leagues heated up.  It was clear to everyone that the American League was winning.  The war quieted after the peace conference of 1903, although there was one owner who threatened to blow the whole process.

Andrew Freedman would be damned if he would quietly recognize Ban Johnson's league.  Fortunately for both leagues, McGraw's Giants had little to say about it in 1903.  But 1904 was different.  An 18 game winning streak from June to July gave the Giants a 10 1/2 game lead over the competition.  They would stretch that lead to 19 games at one point.  It never got closer than 7 games after July 4th.  The Giants were clearly the best team in the National League and when it came time to set the dates for what would be the second World Series McGraw and Freedman got their revenge.  They refused to play.

According to McGraw and Freedman they had just beaten the best teams in the sport with ease so they were World Champions.  Why would they sully and degrade that title by playing an inferior team from some minor league?  The Giants players were furious.  Several of them, including Joe McGinnity and Mathewson, begged McGraw to let them play.  After all, the players didn't make much and the money from the extra games could surely help them through the winter months.  McGraw would not back down.  He also would not back down on the view that the Giants were World Champs.  When the Giants walked onto the field for Opening Day of 1905, their brand new Navy Blue uniforms had giant white letters across the front declaring "World's Champions".  After destroying the competition again, McGraw finally agreed.  He would face the AL Champs.

Waddell vs Mathewson.

Christy Mathewson was in his prime.  He was the oddity in baseball.  A college boy.  A nice, polite boy.  Good looking.  Well mannered.  Quiet.  Not a drinker or carouser.  He didn't swear.  He didn't fight.  He didn't argue with the umpires.  He was known as the "Christian Gentleman".  He is considered by some as the first baseball player to be viewed as something other than an uncouth thug and reached heights of fame that none had reached, or even imagined, before.

In 1905 Mathewson was the clear leader of the Giants.  He went 31-9.  His ERA was 1.28.  In today's game 200 inning pitched in a season is a strain on the arm.  Mathewson threw 338 2/3 innings.  He allowed 85 runs for the season.  Only 48 of those were earned.  That stat alone is amazing.  Nearly half of the runs allowed were through the poor defense behind him.  After Yogi Berra faced Sandy Koufax in the 1963 World Series he asked "how the hell did he lose five games?"  The question for Mathewson would be, how the hell did he ever lose?

Waddell vs Mathewson.

Rube Waddell was...odd.  That would be the nicest way to put it.  He was impulsive.  Unreliable.  He was fascinated with fires.  In his early days in baseball his teammates dreaded the sound of a fire engine.  Even if Waddell were in the middle of a pitch he would stop and chase the fire engine.  He once damaged his fingers on his pitching hand when he ran into a fire to save...wait for it...a young boy's little red wagon.  The metal wagon burned Waddell's fingers causing him to miss time.
Waddell would routinely leave the team to go fishing for days at a time.  Not telling anyone where he went.  He would just leave and reappear on his own schedule.

He started with the Louisville Colonels but the free spirited Waddell did not mix well with the rigid, strict Fred Clarke.  After repeated run ins Waddell  left the Colonels and ended up in a minor league.  He was happy there.  He could care less about minors vs majors.  He eventually was sent back to the Colonels.  Clarke needed pitching and he could not deny that the odd ball could pitch.  Waddell, along with most of the Colonels stars, were traded to the Pirates before the 1900 season but his antics continued to infuriate Clarke.  He was sent to the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, where he was managed by Connie Mack.  From there he was sent to the Chicago Orphans (later the Cubs).  They didn't like his antics either.  He decided he wanted to play on the west coast so he jumped the Chicago team and landed in the Los Angeles franchise in the Pacific Coast League.  That was in 1901 but half way through the season he had worn out his welcome even in the minor league town of Los Angeles and he was signed by the Athletics.

His antics continued in Philadelphia but Connie Mack was a smart man.  He used the zaniness to his advantage.  He played the antics up.  Come and see the wierdo.  Sure he's crazy but he can pitch like no one else.  He arrived in Philadelphia in June of 1902 but still managed to pitch in 33 games.  He went 24-7.  The antics continued in 1903 as he went 21-19.  1904 was an improvement in his record to 25-19.  His ERA dropped from 2.44 to 1.62.  He had 4 shutouts and struck out an unbeleiveable  (for the time)304 batters.  It was clear there was no better pitcher in the American League.

In 1905 he was at his best.  On September 7 his record stood at 27-10.  His ERA was 1.48.  He had thrown 8 shutouts, struck out 287 and walked only 90 in 328 2/3.  He was clearly the top pticher in the American League and with the Athletics at 4 1/2 games up the talk started.

Waddell vs Mathewson.

September 7.  That's when everything changed.  There was a rule.  It was a fashion rule and no one ever really accused baseball players of being fashionable, though apparently it was one that Rube, who was never much for rules, chose to take seriously.  It was never mentioned if alcohol was involved, although with Rube there was a better than 50/50 chance there was.  The rule was:  don't wear a straw hat (a summer item) after Labor Day.  The other unwritten part of that rule is that if someone catches you wearing one they can take the hat and punch a hole through it.  Hey, it's a rule.



Athletics Pitcher Andrew Coakley arrived at the train station to join the team for their next road trip.  Sitting on his head was a brand new straw hat.  Rube decided it was time for him to inform Coakley of his faux pas.  He approached Coakley.  Coakley was not quite sure what the hell was going on.  Rube was erratic after all and who knew what his intentions were.

According to one biographer Coakley had his spikes hung around his shoulder and when he moved to avoid the lunging Waddell the shoes swung out and hit Waddell in the face.  Waddell, thinking Coakley had punched him, went from jovial to angry and instead of going after Coakley's hat he went after Coakley.  As others jumped in to separate the two, some pushing and shoving started.  With all those suit cases around it was probably inevitable.  Someone tripped.  They went down.  Possibly grabbing onto someone, trying to keep their balance in the chaos, they may have pulled someone else down with them.  In no time a dog pile formed with Waddell and his left arm at the bottom of the pile.

The next day Waddell felt  "a click" in his shoulder as he was shaving.  His arm went dead.  The report was originally that he would take a week off.  He pitched in relief a week later but he had no velocity and no control.  Another week off and the White Sox were hanging around.  By September 21 the lead had dropped from 4 1/2 to 2 1/2.  Rube was still out.  One more week off.  The teams were tied.  If only Rube could pitch.  Already at 27 wins for the year, how many could he have won if he finished the year?  It was over for Rube.  The Athletics struggled through.  They held on to win the American League.



Waddell vs Mathewson.

It would never happen.  Waddell's arm injury kept him out of the World Series.  There have been rumors, stories, as there always were in the days before the Black Sox, that Waddell's arm was not really injured.  The persistent suspicion is that the gamblers had gotten to Rube.  There were rumors that Chicago gamblers got to Rube to allow the White Sox to win the pennant.  There were stories that New York gamblers had gotten to Rube to keep him out of the World Series.  Nothing has ever been proven.

Meanwhile. Mathewson took the mound on October 9th for Game 1.  Instead of Mathewson vs Waddell it was Gettysburg Eddie Plank.  Mathewson was his normal spectacular self.  9 shutout innings.  3 hits.  (Of course 1 Giants error) New York led the series.



The Athletics tied the series in Game 2 with a 3-0 win behind Chief Bender.  Mathewson took the mound again in Game 3.  Instead of Mathewson vs Waddell it was Mathewson vs Coakley.  If only Coakley had followed the damn rules and not worn that straw hat.  Oh, what could have been!  Mathewson lived up to the hype.  Another 9 shutout innings (that was now 18 for the series), only 4 Philadelphia hits, of course another Giants error.  Giants led the series 2 games to 1.

Game 4 was a tense affair with Joe McGinnity facing Eddie Plank.  Both pitchers were on their game but the Giants were able to sneak a 4th inning run across the plate for a 1-0 win and a 3 games to 1 lead in the Series.

With just one more win needed to prove to the world that the American League was so damn inferior that they could only score one, measley, pathetic, stupid run against his Giants, McGraw sent Mathewson out to the mound.  Mathewson pitched 9 more shutout innings (that made it 27 for the series) allowed 5 hits to the Atheletics, of course there were 2 Giants errors. Mathewson won giving the Giants their first World Series victory.

Waddell vs Mathewson.

Mathewson's stats for the 1905 World Series:  3 games started.  27 innings pitched.  13 hits, 0 runs, one walk, 18 strikeouts, 3 wins. 3 shutouts.  Immortality.

Waddell's stats for the 1905 World Series: 0 games, 0 innings.  0  wins.  Generations of speculation.


TRIVIA QUESTION:
One can imagine that sharing a room on the road with the eccentric Rube would cause some clashes.  Fortunately for Connie Mack Catcher Ossie Schreckengrost loved to room with the Rube (or maybe unfortunately since the two got along so well they raiesed all kinds of hell).  Rube did have one habit that drove Ossie nuts and although the Catcher loved rooming with Rube, he had one demand come contract time.  What clause did Schreckengrost insist be put in Rube's contract  if he were to continue sharing a room with the eccentric pitcher?

Answer to Last Week's Question:
The Colorado Rockies are more famous for their lack off pitching than for their pitching success.  Still, Ubaldo Jimenez had quite a bit of success in his days in Colorado.  Jimenez even threw the only no-hitter in the franchise's history.

As with many stars who come through Colorado, Jimenez was traded for minor league prospects, the most prominent of which was Drew Pomeranz.  After the 2011 trade, Jimenez finished the year at 4-4 in Cleveland.  His 2012 was not good.  He led the league in losses  (9-17) and had a 5.40 ERA.  Jimenez turned things around in 2013 with a 13-9, 3.30 season.  In 2014 he signed a big contract with the Orioles but finished the year at 6-9, 4.81 and did not appear in the Orioles' post season run.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Why Don't the Colorado Rockies Wear That Number Anymore?

Every organization in the league has their own legends.  Some legends tower over the history of the game.  Some tower over a certain portion of the history.  Some define an organization and are the first thought anyone has when the team is mentioned.

Each team finds a way to honor their legends, usually with the retirement of the player's number.  For the fans of that team it is easy to sit in the stadium seats, look out on the display of retired numbers and feel pride in the part that number represents to their history.  Unfortunately, fans of the visiting team stopping  by to see a game may not know the meaning of those numbers.

So during this series we will explore what the retired numbers for each team mean and why they were retired.

So far in this series of articles we have reviewed the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.  This week we will look at the Colorado Rockies.

Todd Helton joined the Rockies in 1997 for 35 games.  The following year he was a Rookie of the Year candidate, finishing second to Kerry Wood.  In his 17 years (how's that for irony) in Colorado Helton would make  five All Star appearances, receive MVP votes 6 times, win four Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Glove awards.  Helton was often near the top of the league in batting average and in 2000 Helton threatened to hit .400.  Helton retired after the 2013 season.  As an all time Rockies player Helton ranks high in many categories: WAR (1st), Offensive WAR (1st), Average (3rd), OBP (2nd), slugging % (7th), OBP (3rd), Games (1st), At Bats (1st), Plate Appearances (1st), Runs (1st), Hits (1st), Total Bases (1st), Doubles (1st), Triples (4th), Home Runs (1st), RBI (1st), Walks (1st), Strikeouts (1st), Singles (1st), Extra Base Hits (1st), Times on Base (1st),Hit By Pitch (3rd), Sac Fly (1st) and Intentional Walks (1st).  Only one other player in Rockies history wore the #17.  Pitcher David Nied wore the number from 1992-1996.

42
The number 42 was retired league wide in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson.  Pitcher Armondo Reynoso wore the number for the Rockies from 1992-1996.  He was the only player in Rockies history to be issued that number.

TRIVIA QUESTION:
The Rockies are not known for pitching, in fact they are known more in their history for poor pitching than they are for stellar pitching.  Yet, in their history, there is a name that seems to stand out above other pitchers.  This pitcher played three full seasons for the Rockies and appeared in parts of three others, including their 2007 and 2009 post season teams.  In 2010 he finished third in the Cy Young voting and made his only All Star appearance.

This pitcher ranks high in many pitching categories for the organization including: WAR for Pitchers (1st), ERA (1st), Wins (5th), Wins-Loss % (3rd), WHIP (1st), Walks per 9 IP (9th), Strikeouts per 9 IP (1st), Innings Pitched (5th), Strikeouts (1st), Games Started (5th), Complete Games (3rd), Shutouts (1st tied), K's/BB (5th), Home Runs/9IP (1st), Earned Runs (7th), Wild Pitches (2nd), Hit by Pitch (5th), Batters Faced (6th).

Who is he?

Answer to Last Week's Question:
Congratulations to Hope for answering last week's question!
Steve Finley was a sometimes over looked but irreplaceable piece of the Diamondbacks' playoff teams.  In fact, it seems that almost everywhere Finley went his teams won.  As a rookie in 1989, Finley was part of an Orioles team that very nearly became the first "worst to first" team in history.

Following the 1990 season Finley, Pete Harnisch and Curt Schilling were traded to the Houston Astros for Glenn Davis.  In his four years in Houston Finley built his reputation as a great young player.  He was strong defensively, had great speed on the base paths and could hit for power.

Following the 1994 season Finley was part of another huge trade.  This one sent Finley, Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Robert Petagine and Brian Williams to the Padres. In return the Astros received Derek Bell, Doug Brocail, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez (not that Pedro), Phil Plantier, Craig Shiply and Sean Fesh.  Finley and Caminiti helped turn the Padres into a contentder and reached just their second World Series in team history.

Following the 1998 World Series season Finley was a free agent and signed with the new Arizona franchise where he would help the Diamondbacks win their first ever World Series and achieve the franchise numbers shown in last week's trivia question.

At the 2004 trade deadline the Diamondbacks, now old and rebuilding, sent Finley and Catcher Brent Mayne to division rivals, Los Angeles, in exchange for Reggie Abercrombie, Koyie Hill and Bill Murphy.  The trade worked out for the Dodgers.  On the final Saturday of the season, with the Dodgers facing the hated Giants of Bonds, Finley stepped up to the plate needing just a sac fly to give the Dodgers the division title.  Instead, Finley hit a walk off, pennant clinching, Giant killing Grand Slam to send the Dodgers to the Playoffs.

Following the 2004 season Finley signed with the southern California Dodger rivals, the Angels where he had a frustrating, injury plagued season.  He was traded by the Angels to the Giants before the 2005 season.  After one season with the Giants he signed with the Rockies but was unable to finish the season where he was released in June.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Why Don't the Arizona Diamondbacks Wear That Number Anymore?

Every team in the league has its own legends.  Some legends tower over the history of the game.  Some tower over a certain portion of the history.  Some define an organization and are the first thought anyone has when the team is mentioned.

Each team finds a way to honor their legends, usually with the retirement of the player's number.  For the fans of that team it is easy to sit in the stadium seats, look out on the display of retired numbers and feel pride in the part that number represents to their history.  Unfortunately, fans of the visiting team stopping  by to see a game may not know the meaning of those numbers.

So during this series we will explore what the retired numbers for each team mean and why they were retired.

So far in this series we have seen the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.  This week we will look at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Luis Gonzalez had big expectations placed on him when he came up with the Houston Astros.  He did not live up to the unrealistic expectations.  Gonzales had already completed his 9th year in the majors when the Tigers traded him to Arizona for Outfielder Karim Garcia before the 1999 season. Gonzalez immediately made an impact.  He became a 4 time All Star and finished third in MVP voting during the Diamondbacks World Series season.  Gonzalez would play a total of 8 years with the team and got the game winning hit off of Mariano Rivera when the Diamondbacks won their only World Series in 2001.  Gonzalez leads the teams statistics in many categories: WAR (1st), Offensive WAR (1st) , Average (1st), OBP (1st), Slugging % (1st), OBP (1st), Games (1st), At Bats (1st), Plate Appearances (1st), Runs (1st), Hits (1st), Total Bases (1st), Doubles (1st), Triples (6th), Home Runs (1st), RBI (1st), Walks (1st), Singles (1st), Extra Base Hits (1st), Times on Base (1st), Hit By Pitch (1st), Sac Fly (1st), Intentional Walks (1st).  In the Diamondbacks first season Jeff Suppan wore the number 20.  No other player has worn the number.

42
The Diamondbacks played their first Major League game in 1998.  By the time they started play the number 42 had already been retired in honor of Jackie Robinson..  No player ever wore the number for Arizona.

TRIVIA QUESTION:
Although the starting Center Fielder on the Diamondbacks World Series team does not often get mentioned in the Hall  of Fame conversation, he may get future consideration for number retirement by the Diamondbacks.  He ranks highly on the Arizona leader boards in a number of categories including: WAR (2nd) Offensive WAR (2nd), Defensive WAR (8th), Average (8th), On Base Percentage (7th), Slugging Percentage (3rd). On Base Percentage (4th), Games Played (4th). At Bats (3rd), Plate Appearances (3rd), Runs (2nd), Hits (2nd), Total Bases (2nd), Doubles (6th), Triples (3rd), Home Runs (2nd), RBI (2nd), Walks (3ed), Strikeouts (8th). Stolen Bases (5th), Singles (5th), Extra Base Hits (3rd), Times on Base (2nd), Hit by Pitch (8th), Sac Flies (3rd), Intentional Walks (4th), Stolen Base % (2nd), At Bats Per K (8th), At Bats Per Home Run (2nd),

Often overshadowed by the likes of Gonzales, Matt Williams and Mark Grace on offense and Johnson/Schilling on the mound, this player was known as Centerfield defensive star.  While with San Diego he won four Gold Gloves and made two All Star Teams, receiving MVP votes in the Padres 1996 playoff appearance (their first since 1984) and was a key piece of the Padres 1998 World Series team.  He won a fifth Gold Glove in 2004 and received MVP votes that year.

During the 2004 season he was traded to the Dodgers where he hit an iconic Grand Slam to win the NL West title for the Dodgers over the Giants on the final weekend of the season.  He went on to play for the Angels, Giants and Rockies before retiring in 2007,  Prior to his National League play he had been one of the bright young stars in a crowded Orioles outfield that included defensive stars Brady Anderson, Mike Devereaux and Joe Orsulak, which led to his inclusion in one of the worst trades in baseball history.

Who is he?

Answer to Last Week's Question:
Despite all the qualifications listed last week Steve Garvey has not been elected to the Hall of Fame and has not had his number retired by the Dodgers (though he has by the Padres).  Garvey became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1993 and received 41.6% of the vote.  Only Reggie Jackson was elected during that year.  He reached a high of 42.6% of the votes in 1995, although only Mike Schmidt was elected that year.  He never fell below 20% of the vote but never came truly close to the required percentage.  In 2007 Garvey fell off the ballot.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Why Don't the Los Angeles Dodgers Wear That Number Anymore?

Every team in the league has its own legends.  Some legends tower over the history of the game.  Some tower over a certain portion of the history.  Some define an organization and are the first thought anyone has when the team is mentioned.

Each team finds a way to honor their legends, usually with the retirement of the player's number.  For the fans of that team it is easy to sit in the stadium seats, look out on the display of retired numbers and feel pride in the part that number represents to their team's history.  Unfortunately, fans of the visiting team stopping  by to see a game may not know the meaning of those numbers.

So during this series we will explore what the retired numbers for each team mean and why they were retired.

We have already looked at the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants in this series.  This week we will look at the Brooklyn Dodgers/Los Angeles Dodgers:



The Dodgers in Brooklyn got a reputation of winners in their final two decades.  It wasn't always that way.  The key man, the leader, in establishing that trend was Pee Wee Reese.  He was the captain, the field leader.  He well earned the #1.  He was more than numbers, he was the guiding force of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The 10 time All Star also received MVP votes in 12 different seasons.  Pee Wee ranks among the top Dodgers in many categories: WAR (1st), Offensive WAR (2nd) , Defensive WAR (1st), Games Played (3rd), At Bats (2nd), Plate Appearances (2nd), Hits (2nd), Runs (1st), Total Bases (5th), Doubles (4th), Triples (8th), RBI (7th), Walks (1st), Stolen Bases (10th) Singles (2nd), Extra Base Hits (8th). Times on Base (2nd) and Sac Hits (3rd),  Before Pee Wee came along seven players wore the number 1: Johnny Frederick (1932-1934), Buzz Boyle (1935), Freddie Lindstrom (1936), Woody English (1937-1938), Packy Rogers (1938), Gene Moore (1939) and Charlie Gilbert (1940).  While Pee Wee Reese was serving in World War II, the number 1 was issued to Paul Waner (1943 and 1944) and Mike Sandlock (1945).  Following Reese's retirement in 1958 four players wore the number 1 for the Dodgers:  Billy Grabarkewitz (1969-1972), Rick Auerbach (1974-1976), Derrel Thomas (1979) and Gary Weiss (1980-1981).  Reese was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984 by the Veteran's Committee.

2

Tom Lasorda pitched two years  for the Dodgers in Brooklyn and lost his spot on the roster to Sandy Koufax.  If you ask Lasorda, he should have been kept instead of Koufax.  His work in those two years (8 games, 0-0, 7.62 ERA) are not why his number is retired.  Lasorda's number is retired because he managed the team for 22 years, won 1599 games as manager and constantly had the Dodgers contending for first place.  Under Lasorda's leadership the Dodgers won 8 division titles, 4 National League Pennants and two World Series.  Before Lasorda took over the team 14 players wore the number 2:  Neal Finn (1932), Joe Judge (1933), Jim Bucher (1934-1937), Leo Durocher (1938-1945), Bobby Morgan (1950-1953), Randy Jackson (1956-1958), Don Demeter (1959-1960), Bart Shirley (1966), Dick Schofield (1966-1967), Zoilo Versalles (1968), Bobby Valentine (1969-1972), Paul Powell (1973), Orlando Alvarez (1973-1975) and Ellie Rodriguez (1976).The number 2 was never issued following Lasorda's retirement.  Lasorda was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

4

If Pee Wee Reese was the leader of the Brooklyn teams, Duke Snider was the power.  Snider hit 407 career Home Runs and likely would have hit quite a few more if not for the first few years in Los Angeles when the Dodgers played in the oddly shaped Coliseum.  Snider played on six of the Dodgers World Series teams, the first in 1949, and hit 11 World Series Home Runs.  Snider is in the top 10 Dodgers in many categories WAR (2nd), Offensive WAR( 1st), Slugging % (4th), OPS (5th), Runs (3rd), Hits (4th), Total Bases (2nd) , Doubles (2nd), Triples (6th), Home Runs (1st), RBI (1st), Walks (4th),Singles (9th), Extra Base Hits (1st) Times on Base (4th) and Intentional Walks (3rd).  Snider was a long time presence for the Dodgers long after he retired and he loved to mentor young players.  10 players were issued the number 4 before Duke (some of them quite famous in their own right):  Hack Wilson (1932-1934), Frenchy Bordgaray (1935-1936), Tony Malinosky (1937), Bert Haas (1937), Dolph Camili (1938-1943), Gil Hodges (1943), Joe Orengo (1943), Gil English (1944), Babe Herman (1945) and Mike Sandlock (1946).  Three players wore the number 4 following Snider: Tom Hutton (1966-1969), Kevin Pasley (1974-1977) and Bill North (1978).  Snider was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

19

There has been a general rule with the Dodgers management that only players inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will have their number retired.  That will explain why you don't see Maury Wills, Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Garvey, Orel Hershiser or Kirk Gibson's numbers up there.  There is one exception to this rule: Jim Gilliam.  Gilliam does appear on a number of the Dodgers lists of top ten all time: WAR (8th), Offensive WAR (8th), Games Played (5th), At Bats (5th), Plate Appearances (3rd), Runs (4th), Hits (8th), Total Bases (9th), Doubles (7th), Walks (2nd) Singles (6th), Times on Base (3rd), Gilliam was quite a bit more than that.  He was one of the longest hold overs from the Brooklyn days, spent 14 years as a player for the Dodgers and remained as a coach until his death in 1978, just before his 38th birthday.  During the post season of 1978 the Dodgers wore a patch with the number 19 on their uniform sleeve in honor of Gilliam. Before Gilliam came along 17 players wore the number for the Dodgers: Ray Phelps (1932), Chink Outen (1933), Babe Phelps (1935-1936), Jim Lindsey (1937), Ralph Birkofer (1937), Ira Hutchinson (1939), Herman Franks (1940-1941), Cliff Dapper (1942), Frenchy Bordagaray (1943), Ed Head (1944), Charlie Fuchs (1944), Tom Sunkel (1944), Morrie Aderholt (1944-1945), Cy Buker (1945), Joe Hatten (1946-1951), Johnny Schmitz (1951-1952) and Joe Landrum (1952).    No player was issued the number 19 after Gilliam's death.

20

Don Sutton debuted for the Dodgers in 1966 and joined a defending World Champion.  He finished at 12-12 that year and would not appear in the Dodgers' World Series loss to the Orioles.  Sutton would go on to pitch for the Dodgers for a total of 16 years and win 233 regular season games and another five post season games for the Dodgers.  Sutton was the link in the chain of great Dodgers pitchers between Koufax and Drysdale to Valenzuela and Hershiser.  Sutton was a four time All Star and four times received votes for the Cy Young (all of them top 5 finishes).  Of course Sutton ranks in the top 10 all time Dodgers in many categories: WAR for Pitchers (4th), Wins (1st), WHIP (6th), Games Pitched (1st), Innings Pitched (1st), Strikeouts (1st), Games started (1st), Complete Games ( 8th), Shutouts (1st).  24 players wore the number before Sutton came along:  Sloppy Thurston (1932-1933), Glenn Chapman (1934), Zack Taylor (1935), Harry Eisenstat (1935), George Cisar (1937), Tom Baker (1937), Ernie Koy (1938-1940), Wes Flowers (1940), Kemp Wicker (1941), Larry French (1941-1942), Al Glossop (1943), Tommy Warren(1944), Charlie Osgood (1944), Ralph Branca (1946-1947), Elmer Sexauer (1948), Hank Behrman (1948), Phil Haugstad (1947-1951), Carmen Mauro (1953), Rip Repulski (1959-1960), Turk Farrell (1961), Daryl Spencer (1962-1963), Dick Scott (1963), Larry Miller (1964 and AL Ferrara (1963-1965). 11 players wore the number 20 following Sutton's departure: Candy Maldonado (1982-1985) , Ed Amelung (1986) , Larry See (1986), Phil Garner (1987), Don Sutton (in his return in 1988), Willie Randolph (1989), Mike Davis (1989), Brian Traxler (1990), Darren Holmes (1990), Mitch Webster (1991-1995), Mike Blowers (1996) and Darren Lewis (1997).  Sutton was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998.

24

For a team as consistently competitive as the Dodgers were in their last two decades in Brooklyn it seems odd that they had so many managers.  There was Leo Durocher, Clyde Sukeforth, Burt Shotton, Durocher again, Ray Blades, Shotton again, Charlie Dressen and finally Walter Alston,  Wearing number 24 Alston led the team to seven first place finishes, seven National League pennants and four World Series wins (the first four in franchise history).  Alston spent 24 years as Dodgers manager and won 2040 regular season games.  In addition to the 7 first place finishes, he led the team to 8 second place finishes.  18 players wore the number 24 before Alston came along: Ed Pipgras (1932), Cy Moore (1932), Jimmy Jordan (1933), Watty Clark (1934), Bobby Reis (1935), Randy Moore (1936), Jim Peterson (1937), Jake Daniel (1937), Buck Marrow (1937-1938), Lee Rogers (1938), Al Hollingsworth (1939) Bill Crouch (1939), Joe Gallagher (1940), Tommy Tatum (1941), Paul Waner (1941) Augie Galan (1941-1946), Bobby Bragan (1947-1948) and Hank Edwards (1951).  No player was issued Alston's number 24 following his departure.  Alston was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

32

Along with Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax could be the most iconic Dodger of all time.  Koufax started with the Dodgers in Brooklyn but did not become a great pitcher until the team moved to Los Angeles.  Koufax was absolutely dominant through 1966 and is considered one of the greatest pitchers the sport has ever seen.  Koufax was a six time All Star, three time Cy Young winner and an MVP.  He ranks high on many Dodgers' categories and would have ranked much higher had his elbow not broken down.  For All Time Dodgers lists he ranks: WAR (3rd), ERA (10th). Wins (5th), Win Loss % (7th), WHIP (4th), Hits/9 IP (2nd), K/9IP (3rd), Games Pitched (7th), K's (3rd), Shutouts (3rd), K/Walk (6th),  18 players wore the number 32 before Koufax: Goody Rosen (1937), Art Parks (1939), Boots offenberger (1939), Jimmy Ripple (1939), Lee Grissom (1940-1941), Bob Chipman (1941), Johnny Rizzo (1942), Rube Melton (1943), Bill Lohrman (1943), Fats Dantonio (1944), Ray Hayworth (1944-1945), Babe Herman (1945), Les Webber (1945-1946) Joe Tepsic (1946), Willie Ramsdell (1947-1948), Cal Abrams (1949-1952), Rocky Nelson (1952) and Bill Antonello (1953),
No player was issued number 32 following Koufax's retirement.  He was elected into the Hall of Fame 1972 on the first year of eligibility.

39

Roy Campanella was one of the most well respected Dodgers of the Brooklyn era and had he not been paralyzed in a car accident likely would have played well into the Los Angeles era.  He was so well respected by the O'Malley's that he was often spoken of as a future manager, twenty years before Frank Robinson became the first African American manager.  An All Star in 8 of his 10 years he was also a 3 time MVP.  He ranks high in many Dodgers categories;  Offensive WAR (10th). Slugging % (10th), Home Runs (4th) and RBI (8th), If he had not been injured he would certainly be higher on many lists.  Only three players wore the number before Campy:  Ray Lucas (1933), John Corridon (1946) and Ed Chandler (1947).  Three players were issued Campy's number 39 following his retirement : Ken Rowe (1963), Howie Reed (1964-1966) and Bob Lee (1967).  Campanella was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.

42

Little explanation is needed for Jackie Robinson.  He is the face of the Dodgers history and much of Baseball's history. Along with Reese and Snider, Jackie dominates the Dodger record books: WAR (3rd), Offensive WAR (3rd), Defensive WAR (7th), OBP (4th), OPS (9th), Runs (7th), Walks (6th), Extra Base Hits (10th), Hit By Pitch (2nd),  What is most amazing about Jackie's numbers is that baseball was considered his 4th best sport.  He was best known for football at UCLA and was an Olmypic athlete in Track.  He also lettered in Basketball while at UCLA.  If he had been allowed to play baseball directly out of college there is no telling what his numbers could have been.  Only 1 player, George Jeffcoat (1939) wore the number 42 before Jackie and only Ray Lamb (1969) ever wore the number 42 following Jackie's retirement. Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.

Don Drysdale was the counterpart to Sandy Koufax and in some ways a better pitcher.  Drysdale won 209 games in 14 years with the Dodgers.  He represented the team in 8 All Star Games, was a Cy Young Award Winner and four times received MVP votes (twice finishing in the top 5).  Drysdale and Koufax defined the first winning era of the Los Angeles chapter.  He leads even Koufax in many of the Dodgers pitching categories: WAR for Pitchers (2n), Wins (2nd), Games Pitched (2nd), Innings Pitched (2nd), Strikeouts (2nd), Complete Games (6th), Shutouts (2nd), Prior to Drysdale no player ever wore the number 53 for the Dodgers.  Following Drysdale only Tom Paciorek (1970) ever wore the number.  Drysdale entered the Hall of Fame in 1984.

TRIVIA QUESTION:
As mentioned in today's article, with the exception of Jim Gilliam, the Dodgers' team policy has generally been to not retire a player's number unless they are elected to the Hall of Fame.  This leaves quite a few players with major impacts on the team history without thatt honor.  One player spent 14 years of a 19 year career with the Dodgers, won an MVP, received MVP votes 8 times as a Dodger (including a second place finish), made eight All Star Teams and won 4 Gold Gloves.  He also is among Dodgers top 10 lists in a number of categories: WAR (9th), Games Played (9th), At Bats (8th), Plate Appearances (8th), Hits (5th), Total Bases (6th), Doubles (3rd), Home Runs (6th), RBI (5th),Strikeouts (9th), Singles (7th)Extra Base Hits (6th), Times on Base (9th), Sac Flies (3rd), Intentional Walks (4th).  In addition to all  that, this player was the leader on 4 Dodger Playoff Teams (all of which made the World Series and one of them won) and won an NLCS MVP with the Dodgers.  After leaving the Dodgers he played in another NLCS and won an NLCS MVP with that team.  The man also holds the National League record for consecutive games played.  Who is this?

Answer to Last Week's Trivia Question:
Amos Wilson Rusie, known as the Hoosier Thunderbolt, played 10 years in the Major Leagues.  He started in 1889 with his hometown Indianapolis Hoosiers going 12-10 with a 5.32 ERA.  When the Indianapolis franchise closed shop because of financial issues, Rusie was sent to the Giants.  Rusie would pitch for the Giants from 1890-1898, although he would miss all of 1896 as a hold out.  In his 8 seasons with the Giants, Rusie never won less than 20 games (his lowest total was 20).  His win totals were amazing: 29, 33, 32, 33, 36, 23, 28 and 20.  Rusie won the 1894 Pitching Triple Crown, twice had the league's top ERA, led the league in strikeouts 5 times and four times led the league in shutouts.  Rusie was inducted in the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1977.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Why Don't the San Francisco Giants Wear That Number Anymore?

Every team in the league has its own legends.  Some legends tower over the history of the game.  Some tower over a certain portion of the history.  Some define an organization and are the first thought anyone has when the team is mentioned.

Each team finds a way to honor their legends, usually with the retirement of the player's number.  For the fans of that team it is easy to sit in the stadium seats, look out on the display of retired numbers and feel pride in the part that number represents to their history.  Unfortunately, fans of the visiting team stopping  by to see a game may not know the meaning of those numbers.

So during this series we will explore what the retired numbers for each team mean and why they were retired.

Last week we looked at the San Diego Padres.  Continuing this series is the San Francisco Giants.  More accurately the New York Gothams/New York Giants/San Francisco Giants.

They are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the sport dating back to 1883. It should be no surprise that the team has honored quite a few of their former players, and will likely honor quite a few of their current heroes in the coming years.  So why don't the Giants wear certain numbers anymore?  Let's take a look:

Known as the "Christian Gentleman" or "Big Six" Christy Mathewson was one of the first stars of the game.  In fact, Matty changed the public perception of what a baseball player could be.  Before Mathewson, baseball players were viewed as borish, uncouth and uneducated drunks.  Mothers warned their sons not to become a ball player.  Mathewson was a college educated, well spoken gentleman who preached clean living and had once considered priesthood.  Mathewson created the "fadeaway" pitch which was essentially the early version of the slider.  He won 372 games for the Giants in 17 years and was the identifying field leader of the Giants.  In the 1905 World Series Mathewson pitched three complete games (27 innings) and allowed 0 runs. Hard as it is for a pitcher to win three games in any World Series, three shut outs in a World Series has never been approached.  Mathewson played long before players used numbers on their uniforms so the Giants "retired" his initials.  Despite not having played for nearly 100 years, Mathewson still ranks high in the Giants' record books: WAR for Pitchers (1st), Wins (1st), ERA (1st), W-L % (5th), WHIP (1st), BB/9 IP (3rd), Games Pitched (2nd), Innings Pitched (1st), Strikeouts (1st), Games Started (1st), Complete Games (1st), Shut Outs (1st), Hits (1st), Walks (4th), BB/K (3rd), HR/9 IP (7th), Losses (1st), Earned Runs (3rd), Wild Pitches (4th), Hit By Pitch (7th), Batters Faced (1st)

JM
The Giants history stretches back to the very beginning of the game, long before numbers on the back of the uniforms identified players.  Yet the history of the Giants would be nothing without John McGraw.  From 1902 through 1932 McGraw led the Giants as their manager.  He led the team to the World Series in 1905, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924.  They won the World Series in three of those appearances.  In several other seasons (1904, 1908 and 1919) he could have guided the Giants to more World Series appearances but came up just short.  He ended his Giants managerial career with 2583 wins and is generally considered the greatest manager of all time.

LS
Lon Simmons never played a game in the Major Leagues but he is closely associated with the San Francisco area for good reason.  Born in Washnigton state, he played baseball at Burbank High School and Glendale College in Califorrnia before entering World War II.  He never made it past the Phillies' minor league system.  Simmons started broadcasting professional sports in 1957 and was the voice of the 49'ers from 1957 through 1980.  One of his iconic calls being the Jim Marshall wrong way play. From 1958 when the Giants came to town until 1973 he joined with Russ Hodges as the voice of the Giants.  He rejoined the Giants doing part time work from 1996 to 2002.  Simmons passed away on 4/5/2015.

RH
Russ Hodges started announcing games in New York in the 1940s and was the Giants' equivalent of Vin Scully.  Hodges called the Giants World Series appearances in New York in 1951 and 1954 and made the famous call on Bobby Thomson's pennant winning Home Run.  Hodges moved to San Franciso and broadcast the team's games through 1970.

3

Bill Terry is often forgotten  as one of the greats of the game but the big First Baseman was just as important as McGraw or Mays.  He did not manage as long as McGraw (10 years) or get as many hits as Mays (2193) but the history of the Giants would have been dramatically different without him.  Let's start with the obvious:  he is still the last National League batter to hit over .400 in a season (.401 in 1930).  He was the NL First Baseman in the first three All Star Games and seven times received votes for MVP. As a manager, Terry took over for McGraw when the older man retired in 1932 and immediately turned the team around.  In 1933 he led the team to a World Series win and kept the team competitive in the years that followed.  He led them back to the World Series in 1936 and 1937 but they lost to the Gehrig-DiMaggio Yankees both years.  There is one specific reason that Giants fans should remember Terry every time they see the Giants play:  he designed the orange and black uniforms, switching from the red and blue color scheme of the McGraw years.  After all these years Terry still ranks in the top 10 Giants all time in many offensive categories: Batting Average (1st), Games Played (5th), Runs (5th), Hits (3rd), Doubles (4th), Triples (5th). RBI (5th), Singles (3rd) as well as several other categories.  Following Bill Terry's retirement in 1936 the number 3 was issued to 17  other players: Mel Ott (1937), Hank Leiber (1937), Wally Berger (1937) ,Jimmy Ripple (1938),  Jo-Jo Moore (1939), Harry Danning (1940), Johnny Rucker (1941), Joe Medwick (1943), Jim Mallory (1944-1945), Charlie Read (194), Johnny Mize (1942-1946), Herman Franks (1949), Ozzie Virgil (1969), Mike Sadek (1973-1981), Jeff Ransom(1982) and John Rabb (1982).  Bill Terry was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1954.

4
Mel Ott was the third baseman on the teams led by Bill Terry and he was considered the power in the lineup.  Ott played 22 years in the Major Leagues, all with the Giants, made 11 All Star Games and 13 times received MVP votes.  He led the league in Home Runs 6 times and walks 5 times.  Like Terry, Ott still appears in the top 10 in many categories of the Giants all time leaders: Games Played (2nd), Runs (2nd), Hits (2nd), Total Bases (2nd), Doubles (2nd), Home Runs (3rd), RBI (1st), Walks (2nd), Strikeouts (6th) and singles (2nd).  Ott was also one of the most well liked players, league wide, in the history of the game.  The first player issued the number 4 for the Giants was Bill Terry in 1932.  Only one other player (Hank Leiber in 1937) ever wore the number for the Giants.Mel Ott was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951

11
Carl Hubbell was known as "King Carl" for a reason. Carl pitched 16 years for the Giants in New York. He was a 9 time All Star, including the starting pitcher in the first two games, and won two MVP.  He dominated the 1930s and had the Cy Young Award existed at the time, he likely would have been the winner in most years of his career.  He won 253 games and finished with a 2.98 ERA.  Hubbell also is credited with developing the Screwball and his most famous accomplishment was striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Al Simmons, Jimmie Foxx and Joe Cronin consecutively in the 1934 All Star Game.  As far as his place among all time Giants pitchers:  Wins (2nd), Walks per 9 IP (5th), Innings Pitched (2d), Strikeouts (4th), Games Started (3rd), Complete Games (4th), Shutouts (3rd), Only Freddie Fitzsimmons (1932) was issued the number 11 prior to Hubbell.  It was never issued again.  Carl Hubbell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.

20

Visiting fans who see the tributes paid to Monte Irvin may look at his numbers and ask why so much attention is given to this man.  Simple.  He was great.  Irvin signed with the Giants before the 1949 season at the age of 30 and was the first African American player on the Giants.   He was much more than that though.  Irvin was a great defensive outfielder, an All Star, an MVP candidate and a key piece of the 1951 and 1954 Giants World Series teams.  Unlike Ott, Hubbell, Terry and Mays he does not appear on every category of the Giants all time list (he is 9th in On Base Percentage) but the 1950s  New York Giants would have been much less successful without him.  Had he started his career in the Major Leagues at a younger age he may have been much higher on a lot of lists.  21 players were issued the number 20 after Monte Irvin: Darryl Spencer (1956-1959) , Bob Nieman (1960), Dale Long (1962). Bily Hoeft (1963), Frank Johnson (1968-1969), Dick Groat (1967), Bernie Williams (1970-1972), Glenn Redmond (1974) , Bobby Murcer (1975-1976) ,Vic Harris (1977-1978), Joe Strain (1979-1980), Jeffrey Leonard (1985-1986), Eddie Milner (1987), Phil Garner (1988), Tony Torcato (2003), Michael Tucker (2004-2005) , Todd Greene (2006), Fred Lewis (2007), Pat Misch (2008), Steve Holm (2008-2009) and John Bowker (2009-2010).  Monte Irvin was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 for his career in the Negro Leagues.

24

Willie Mays is the Giant.  He is the identity of the team on both coasts.  No man is more associated with the team than Mays.  Rookie of the Year (1951), 20 All Star Games.  15 times received MVP votes (12 of those in the top 10 and twice a winner). 12 time Gold Glove winner.  He is often in the conversation of greatest player of all time.  Mays absolutely dominates the Giants record books: WAR (1st), Offensive WAR (1St), Defensive WAR (3rd), Slugging % (2nd), Games Played, (1St), At Bats (1st), Plate Appearances (1St), Runs (1st), Hits (1st), Total Bases (1st), Doubles (1st), Triples (2d), Home Runs (1st), RBI (2nd), Walks (3rd), Strikeouts (1st) Stolen Bases (3rd), Singles (1st), Extra Base Hits (1st), Times on Base (2nd), Sac Flies (1st), and Intentional Walks (3rd).  22 players wore the number 24 for the Giants before Mays:  Doc Marshall (1932), Francis Healy (1932), Bernie James (1933), Fresco Thompson (1934), Al Cuccinello (1395), Kiddo Davis (1936-1937), Bill Lohrman (1937), Jumbo Brown (1938), Jimmy Ripple (1939), Buster Maynard (1940), Sid Gordon (1941), Frank Demaree (1941), Gus Mancuso (1942), Bobby Coombs (1943), Charlie Mead (1944), Andy Hansen (1944), Slim Emmerich (1945), Bob Joyce (1946), Woody Abernathy (1946-1947), Joe Lafta (1947-1949) and Mario Picone (1952).  No player was issued the number 24 after Mays left the Giants.  Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979.

27


Juan Marichal was a 9 time All Star, 7 time MVP candidate and one time Cy Young candidate.  Six times the man known as the Dominican Dandy led the team in wins and was the ace pitcher on the 1962 World Series team. He ranks high among all time Giant pitchers:  Wins (3rd), WHIP (4th), Walks/9IP (4th), Games Pitched (6th) , Innings Pitched (5th), Strikeouts (2nd), Games Started (2nd), Complete Games (6th), Shutouts (2nd), Strikeouts/BB (2nd), 16 players wore the number before Marichal: Joe Malay (1933), Hank Leiber (1933-1934), Phil Weintraub (1935), Mickey Haslin (1938), Hy Vandenberg (1937-1939), Tony Cuccinello (1940), Al Glossop (1940), Ace Adams (1941-1946), Goody Rosen (1946), Willard Marshall (1947-1949), Earl Rapp (1951), Spider Jorgensen (1951), Al Corwin (1953), Bill Taylor (1954-1956), Bob Schmidt (1958) and Jim Hegan (1959).   No player was issued Marichal's number after he left the Giants. Juan Marichal was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983.

30
Orlando Cepeda, known as the Baby Bull, was a key piece of the Giants identity in the transition from New York to San Francisco.  In the Giants' first west coast season Cepeda won Rookie of the Year.  He went on to All Star appearances in 6 of his 9 years in the Bay and four times received MVP votes.  He was a big part of the Giants 1962 World Series team.  Cepeda spent only 9 years in SF so his numbers are not quite as high as Terry, Ott and Mays but he still ranks among the top 10 in several categories: Slugging % (5th). Total Bases (9th), Home Runs (6th), RBI (10th).  Nine players wore the number 30 before Cepeda: Tip Tobin (1932), Hooks Iott (1947), Bill Voiselle (1947) Ray Poat (1947-1949) Kirby Higbe (1949-1950), Daryl Spencer (1952), Sid Gordon (1955), Dick Littlefield (1956) and Bob Lennon (1956).  Twenty players were issued #30 following Cepeda: Billy Hoeft (1966), Jim Johnson (1970), John Carrithers (1970-1973), John Boccabella (1974), Darrel Thomas (1975-1977) , John Camargo (1978-1979), Bob Kearney (197), Chilli Davis (1981-1987) , Rusty Tillman (1988), Donnell Nixon (1988-1989), Mark Thurmond (1990), Chris James (1992), Jim McNamara (1992-1993), Jim DeShaies (1993), Jamie Brewington (1995), Dan Peltier( 1996), Marcus Jensen (1996-1997), Jacob Cruz (1997-1998) and Dante Powell (1998). Orlando Cepeda was selected for the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 1999.

36

Gaylord Perry won 314 games over 22 years.  10 of those years were in San Francisco and 134 of those wins were in a Giants uniform.  Perry won 15 or more games in 6 straight seasons, was twice an All Star and  finished second in the Cy Young voting in 1970, finishing behind Bob Gibson.  The following year, his last in San Francisco, he helped lead the Giants to a division title.  Perry may not be the biggest name in Giants history but he does appear on  the Giants top 10 in several categories including:  WAR for Pitchers (7th), Innings Pitched (8th), Strikeouts (6th) ,Games Started (8th), K's/BB (4th). 17 Giants wore the number before Perry: Hugh East (1941), Frank Rosso (1944), Bennie Warren (1946), Monty Kennedy (1946) Mickey McGowan (1948), Alex Konikowski (1948), Clint Hartung (1949-1950), Sam Calderone (1953), Joe Garagiola (1954), Mario Picone (1954), Bob Lennon (1954-1956), Max Surkont (1956-1957), Joe Margoneri (1956-1957), Billy Muffett (1959), Bud Byerly (1959-1960), Sherman Jones (1960) and Frank Linzy (1963).  24 players wore the number following Perry: Sam McDowell (1972), Garry Mathews (1972-1976), Tim Foli (1977) , Skip James (1977-1978), Jim Dwyer (1978), Bill North (1979-1981), Dan Schatzeder (1982), Bill Wellman (1982-1986), Keith Comstock (1987), Dennis Cook (1988),  Randy McCament (1989-1990), Rafael Novoa (1990), Gil Heredia (1991-1992), Steve Reed (1992), Erik Johnson (1993), Gino Minutelli (1993), Tim Layana (1993), Tony Mendez (1994), Kenny Greer (1995), Shawn Estes (1995-1996), Jay Canizaro (1996), Wilson Delgado (1997), Joe Nathan (1999-2003) and A.J. Pierzynski (2004).  Gaylord Perry was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

44
Willlie McCovey is probably one of the most under rated players in the history of the game.  McCovey debuted in 1959, the Giants' second year in San Francisco, and after only 52 games he won the Rookie of the Year award unanimously and received an MVP vote.  He was a 6 time All Star and ten times received MVP votes.  He was the MVP of the 1969 season, finishing ahead of Tom Seaver, Hank Aaron and Pete Rose.  Of course he ranks high on a number of the team's all time categories:  WAR (4th), Offensive WAR (4th), Slugging % (8th), OPS (6th), Games (3rd), At Bats (3rd), Plate Appearances (3rd), Runs (6th), Hits (4th) Total Bases (4th), Doubles (5th) , Home Runs (4th), RBI (4th), Walks (4th), Extra Base Hits (4th), Times on Base (4th), Hit By Pitch (7th), Sac Flies (2nd), Intentional Walks (2d),  Only six players wore the number prior to McCovey:  Johnny Vergez (1933), Andy Hansen (1947-1950), Al Gettel (1951), Steve Ridzik (1956-1957), Ray Crone (1957-1958) and Don Johnson (1958).  No Giant player was issued the number following McCovey's departure.  McCovey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1986.

42
Jackie Robinson's number hanging in the Giants' stadium may seem a bit like taunting to the Giants'  faithful, especially since it is in Dodger blue.  But Jackie Robinson very nearly did wear the black and orange.  Jackie was ready to retire following the 1956 season but kept it quiet.  He had signed a deal with LOOK magazine to break the news and give the publication a big exclusive.  What he did not know was that the Dodgers were in the process of trading him to the Giants.  When the news broke that he was a Giant and that he was retiring instead of going to the Giants all hell broke loose.  It strained his relations with the Dodgers front office for years as well as giving voice to  claims by the Giants of shady dealings, adding to the legendary rivalry with stories of Jackie retiring to avoid the horrors of a Giants uniform.  In total, 16 players wore the number 42 for the Giants:  Gene Thompson (1946), Max Lanier (1952), Frank Hiller (1953), Marv Grissom (1953-1958), Joe Shipley (1959-1960), Bobby Bolin (1961-1969), John Morris (1972) Jim Willoughby (1972-1974), Gary Alexander (1977), Milt May (1980), Mike LaCoss (1986), Michael Jackson (1992-1994), John Roper (1995), Shawn Barton (1996), Keith Williams (1996) and Kirk Rueter (1996-1997).


TRIVIA QUESTION:
Surprisingly, despite their tremendous success in the early decades of the New York Giants, only Mathewson and McGraw have been honored by having their initials "retired".  There is a Giants pitcher who twirled for the team from 1890-1898.  He still ranks highly in the top 10 of many Giants categories: WAR for Pitchers (2nd), Wins (5th), Games Played (7th), Innings Pitched (4th) Strikeouts (3rd), Games Started (5th) Complete Games (3rd), Shutouts (4th), Walks (1st), Hits (4th), Home Runs/9 IP (5th), Losses (2nd), Earned Runs (2nd), Wild Pitches (3d), Hit By Pitch (1st ), Batters Faced (2nd).  This Pitcher was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committe in 1977.  Who is this pitcher?

Answer to Last Week's Question:
 Although he was known mostly for his time with The A's and Brewers, Rollie Fingers spent 4 years with the Padres (1977-1980).  During that time Fingers had a 34-40 record and saved 108 games.

Similarly, Rich "Goose" Gossage is best remembered as a member of the great Yankee teams of the 1970s.  Gossage pitched 4 seasons with the Padres (1984-1987).  He went 25-20 with 83 saves.