Off the Cliff: July-August, 1959

[welch]

The edge of the cliff, a double-header, the real sort, two games on one ticket, beginning about 1pm at Griffith Stadium. Think of it: 1:03 start time in July in The District. The Nats at 43-46, after a weak 1955-1958 as Calvin Griffith takes over from the great, but now departed, Clark Griffith. Calvin has traded away Pete Runnels, Mickey Vernon, and Eddie Yost, fine players, the core of the team outside of Roy Sievers. Camilo Pascual has gone to Calvin G, saying, if you pay us a decent salary, we won't have to play that second season in the Cuban League just to make ends meet. So far, Pascual is 11-7, with a 2.52 ERA, and enough strikeouts to near the AL lead.

Sievers has been moved to 1B, after a 1958 in which he hit 39 homers, and a 1957 in which he led the AL with 42 homers and and 114 RBIs, along with batting .301, good for a .967 OPS, or 164 OPS+. In '58, Sievers "fell" to .295 BA, 108 RBIs, .900 OPS, and 147 OPS+. Washington kids loved Roy, and hoped for another year like those.

However, a runner had stepped on Sievers's ankle, knocking him out for about 50 games.

Instead of Roy Sievers, fans followed Washington's first bonus baby, Harmon Killebrew. Forced onto the Nationals' bench (yes, that was the official bonus rule) when he signed at 17, Killebrew had appeared in every Spring Training, and been sent to the minors as soon as the bonus rules allowed. Each year, Killebrew appeared in a few games before rosters were cut to 25, and then after rosters were expanded in September. He never got into more than 44 games in a season with the Nats, spending his time between Charlotte, an A team, and Chattanooga, Washington's top farm club, the AA team in the Southern Association. In 1958, Washington shared AAA Indianapolis with the White Sox. It was not a great season, by the numbers, but a coach from Chicago took him aside, saying, "Get closer to the plate. You are so strong that if a pitch hits you, it will dent the baseball but won't hurt you", approximately.

I saw Harmon, and Bob Allison, that summer at Prince George's Plaza. Killebrew almost looked short, but he was like a barrel of muscles. He hit homer after homer. deep home runs to LF and left-center at Griffith Stadium, and everywhere else. Fans were amazed all over baseball.

Further, Killebrew appeared with a tall CF, a former college football player at the University of Kansas. named Bob Allison.

Over in RF, we saw our veteran, Jim Lemon,another slugger. a strikeout king who had it 27, 17, and 26 home runs in 1956, '57, and '58. 

In the first game of that double-header, the Nats crushed the KC Athletics 7-0. Pascual pitched a complete game, giving up 5 hits, striking out 7, with 1 walk. Allison hit his 24th homer.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1195907191.shtml

[welch]

1959/07/19 Sunaday, 3:55

Later that same afternoon, the Senators played the second game of the doubleheader. With a record of 43-46, things were looking better for the Nats. No more "First in war! First in peace! Last in the American League!" The Nats were in 5th place, striking distance -- 2.5 games -- behind the mighty Yankees, who were stumbling for the first time under Casey Stengel. Maybe this would be the year that the Washington finished in the First Division...

Kansas City, then known as the Yankees advanced farm team, started ex-Yankee Tom Sturdivant. A former star prospect for the Yankees, having gone 16-8 with a 3.30 ERA in 1956, and 16-6 with a 2.54 ERA over 200 innings in 1958, Sturdivant had developed a tender arm and had hurt his heel goofing around in the outfield. When he had a weak start to 1959, he and Johnnie Kucks, another shiny pitching prospect, were traded to the A's.

Cookie Lavagetto, managing the Senators, picked a dull non-prospect, spot starter and long reliever Hal Griggs.

Both teams went down in order in the 1st, and Griggs set down KC in the 2nd, three up, three down. In the bottom of the second, Julio Becquer, Washington's 1B, and future part of the first All-Cuban Triple-Play, doubled to CF. The play-by-play does not explain, but I would guess that Becquer was hurt on the play. Ptcher John Romanosky ran for him, and catcher Jay Porter shifted to 1B the next inning.

[hotshot]

1959/07/19 Sunaday, 3:55

Later that same afternoon, the Senators played the second game of the doubleheader. With a record of 43-46, things were looking better for the Nats. No more "First in war! First in peace! Last in the American League!" The Nats were in 5th place, striking distance -- 2.5 games -- behind the mighty Yankees, who were stumbling for the first time under Casey Stengel. Maybe this would be the year that the Washington finished in the First Division...

Kansas City, then known as the Yankees advanced farm team, started ex-Yankee Tom Sturdivant. A former star prospect for the Yankees, having gone 16-8 with a 3.30 ERA in 1956, and 16-6 with a 2.54 ERA over 200 innings in 1958, Sturdivant had developed a tender arm and had hurt his heel goofing around in the outfield. When he had a weak start to 1959, he and Johnnie Kucks, another shiny pitching prospect, were traded to the A's.

Cookie Lavagetto, managing the Senators, picked a dull non-prospect, spot starter and long reliever Hal Griggs.

Both teams went down in order in the 1st, and Griggs set down KC in the 2nd, three up, three down. In the bottom of the second, Julio Becquer, Washington's 1B, and future part of the first All-Cuban Triple-Play, doubled to CF. The play-by-play does not explain, but I would guess that Becquer was hurt on the play. Ptcher John Romanosky ran for him, and catcher Jay Porter shifted to 1B the next inning.

At 82, I'm of an age to enjoy that account! I only saw one game at Griffith Stadium. Early July of 1951. My dad drove us up from Richmond (US 1 all the way in those days). I was a couple months' short of my 8th birthday.

We lost 5-2 to a Boston team with Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Vern Stephens (he homered) and Billy Goodman. Ted had two singles, going 2-4.

Connie Marrero threw a Complete Game in a losing cause for us. Eddie Yost went 3-4, Irv Noren 3-3. I was surprised how high that RF wall was. Maybe 10,000 in attendance.

[tomterp]

Connie Marrero threw a Complete Game in a losing cause for us. Eddie Yost went 3-4, Irv Noren 3-3. I was surprised how high that RF wall was. Maybe 10,000 in attendance.

NoSpinZone1 told a few Connie Marrero stories.  In honor of our now deceased Cubiche friend, I will post in ALL CAPS an excerpt of one of his stories from 2007.  Perhaps Connie was living in a future WNFF'er's home at the time of his outing here?

WE CAME TO WASHINGTON THE SAME YEAR. HIS ROOKIE YEAR AND WE MET THE VERY START OF THE SEASON SINCE CONNIE MARRERO HAD LINKED ME WITH THE CUBAN BARBERSHOP WHERE ON TOP CAMILO AND MARRERO HAD ROOMS. CAMILO AND I WERE LIKE SIAMESE TWINS. WE WERE ABOUT THE SAME AGE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US WAS THAT THE WAS A BIG LEAGUE PLAYER WITH BIG BUCKS FOR THE TIME AND I DID NOT EVEN HAD A JOB. HARD TO FIND ONE WITH BROKEN ENGLISH. AFTER HE GOT MARRIED MY BROTHER AND I TALKED MY PARENTS INTO RENTING THEM A ROOM. I MARVEL AT HOW A KID FROM A SMALL CITY IN CUBA COULD HAVE LED SUCH A CHARMING LIFE IN MY YOUNG YEARS. WHEN I FOUND A STEAD JOB AT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AS A COPYBOY I USED TO GO TO THE GAMES WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER COVERING THE GAME. WITH HIM I HAD ACCESS TO THE PRESS BOX, FREE FOOD, FREE BEER. LATER WHEN I BECAME A TELETYPE OPERATOR AT THE AP WE WERE ASSIGNED , ON A UNION BIDDING PROCESS TO WORK THE GAMES WHEN IN THOSE DAYS THE AP CARRIED THE GAMES TO THE VISITING TEAM BY TELETYPE, DICTATED PLAY BY PLAY BY THE WASHINGTON STAR BEAT PERSON. FREE PARKING, OVERTIME PAY, FREE FOOD, FREE BEER. WHAT A COUNTRY!

[hotshot]

Marrero was SHORT. Don't know how short but ... 5'7 or less I'd say.

Didn't throw hard either. Almost all slow stuff, with curves, sliders, knucklers. His curve ball was especially impressive. Great control, walked few batters.

[welch]

Marrero was SHORT. Don't know how short but ... 5'7 or less I'd say.

Didn't throw hard either. Almost all slow stuff, with curves, sliders, knucklers. His curve ball was especially impressive. Great control, walked few batters.

I barely remember Connie Marrero, but my dad talked about him. "Not much taller than a fire-plug. Used to smoke his Cuban cigars in the dugout. Threw soft and softer, but had a great curve-ball. Struck out Ted Williams, and went to Clark Griffith for a raise." My careful memories start about 1954. Camilo Pascual was and always will be my favorite pitcher. Threw the same "Cuban curveball" that Marrero threw and taught to younger Cuban pitchers. Like Livan Hernandez, who might be the last of them.

I don't remember the 1953 team very well, since I could not read my baseball cards yet. Instead, I memorized the backs when my dad read them. Always giglled over a Philadelphia Athletics pitcher named Zack Wheat, who had "Won none and lost one". Seemed the peak of futility.

(Looking that up, I find that Zack Wheat was a Hall of Fame outfielder from the Brooklyn Dodgers, who retired after 1927. The 1952 A's had a relief pitcher named Johnny Kucab who was 0-1. That was his last of three seasons in the majors, finished with a 5-5 record. Don't know how I mixed that up. But I doo remember sitting on the red glider on our front porch on 6th Place, NE, where the boys my age on the block competed to read or to guess the cards below us.)

[hotshot]

Other memories from that early 50s Griffith Stadium experience:

- We paid a few local kids to "protect" our car. They approached everyone who was parking on the residential streets.

- Vendors outside the stadium were selling baseballs purportedly autographed by the entire Senators team. Whether they were real signatures or done by clubhouse men, I dunno. They def looked legit. Can't recall the
cost but I'd guess maybe $3 ($38 in today's money).

[welch]

Other memories from that early 50s Griffith Stadium experience:

- We paid a few local kids to "protect" our car. They approached everyone who was parking on the residential streets.

- Vendors outside the stadium were selling baseballs purportedly autographed by the entire Senators team. Whether they were real signatures or done by clubhouse men, I dunno. They def looked legit. Can't recall the
cost but I'd guess maybe $3 ($38 in today's money).

I remember the kids who offered to "watch your car, mister?"