WWTBAM Bored

Here is my attempt to channel Bill Stern:

I recollect that the great Whitey Ford retired in 1967 after a Sunday afternoon one-inning start against the Detroit Tigers, suffering the ignominy of the pitcher usually rated the worst hitter in baseball, Hank Aguirre, knocking one of his pitches over the head of the center fielder towards the monuments in Yankee Stadium, driving in three runs. Ford, aghast, realized immediately that he was done, and retired.

Didn't happen.

The other side of the story...
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


My memory seems to be a conflation of two games. Ford did have a 1-inning start on a Sunday afternoon against the Tigers, and I don't see a game with him starting after that, but it was in Detroit.

Aguirre's blast did happen. Fritz Petersen, though, was the responsible hurler. This WAS Aguirre's last MLB start, in fact, and he spent the rest of his career as a spot lefty reliever.

My enthusiasm, as it were, for the 1967 and 1968 Yanks stems from the fact that the Yanks radio empire reached a station in NY State close to the border -- I was thinking it was WYBG in Massena, but that station was at 1050, and the one with the baseball was between 600 and 700, I think. this station was just audible in Ottawa, Ont, in the afternoon and maybe early evening. Later on was for WJR, Ernie Harwell, and the Detroit Tigers.

My memories of the Yankess of that era include sweeping a weekend series against the soon-to-be world champion Tigers at Yankee Stadium. In the Saturday game, Mel Stottlemyre outpitched Denny McLain who was on his way to winning 30 games that year. Then, in one of the games of the Sunday doubleheader, Rocky Colavito became the wining pitcher when the Yankees brought him in for relief and rallied during the innings he pitched to take the lead in the game.

silverscreenselect wrote:My memories of the Yankess of that era include sweeping a weekend series against the soon-to-be world champion Tigers at Yankee Stadium. In the Saturday game, Mel Stottlemyre outpitched Denny McLain who was on his way to winning 30 games that year. Then, in one of the games of the Sunday doubleheader, Rocky Colavito became the wining pitcher when the Yankees brought him in for relief and rallied during the innings he pitched to take the lead in the game.

He pitched twice in the majors. Once in 1958 and once in 1968. Career record was 1 win, 0 loss. Career ERA was 0.00 in 5 2/3 innings. Not too shabby.

silverscreenselect wrote:My memories of the Yankess of that era include sweeping a weekend series against the soon-to-be world champion Tigers at Yankee Stadium. In the Saturday game, Mel Stottlemyre outpitched Denny McLain who was on his way to winning 30 games that year. Then, in one of the games of the Sunday doubleheader, Rocky Colavito became the wining pitcher when the Yankees brought him in for relief and rallied during the innings he pitched to take the lead in the game.

Believe it or not, I was AT that double-header and saw Colavito pitch.