No big deal. Took him two games.
https://www.mlb.com/news/rick-wise-amazed-by-shohei-ohtani
Remember watching that game. And we all were so upset when the Phillies traded him for Carlton. LOL.
I know Rick is old because he said he saw it in Sportcenter.
Former Buffalo Head. The Buffalo Heads were a group of Red Sox who did not get along with Don Zimmer in 1977-78. Bernie Carbo, Bill Lee, Wise, I think Fergie Jenkins and a few others. Zimmer didn't think they were serious enough and disliked that some or all smoked marijuana. Lee though Zimmer had a head like a Buffalo, thus the name.
This all had consequences in 1978 when Zimmer pulled Lee from the rotation as they were flailing in the 2nd half, blowing a one-time 14 game lead. The Sox tried minimally talented call ups instead. In the big showdown wipe out series vs the NYY, known as the Boston Massacre, Zimmer went with I think Bobby Sprowl instead of Lee, saying Sprowl "had ice water in his veins." Sprowl was destroyed, and I think he never pitched in the majors again. Zimmer was basically forced into reinserting Lee after that, and he won his games as the Sox came back from being 4 down in the last 2 weeks to tie the Yankees and force the Bucky Dent game.
Oddly enough, given his dislike for the Buffalo Heads, Zimmer insisted on playing the hard-nosed former Alabama QB turned 3rd baseman Butch Hobson. Hobson's nose may have been hardened from his cocaine use, but he was southern and not laid back like Lee, so he was OK for Zimmer. Hobson at that point was incapable of throwing to first accurately with his bone chips locking up his elbow. He would manipulate his elbow to slide the chips in place between pitches. Again, down the stretch, Zimmer was forced to play Hobson's very capable backup, Jack Brohamer, who at least eliminated the costly errors during the last couple of weeks.
