STATS Classic Baseball Blog

I really don’t intend for this to morph into an obit column, but . . .

I was driving to work a couple weeks ago when I heard that Moe Drabowsky had passed away on June 10. My first thought was, of course, the 1966 World Series and 11 strikeouts. Drabowsky was one of those players whose career was pretty much defined by a single World Series game, like Howard Ehmke or Don Larsen. Or Bill Bevens and Cookie Lavagetto, who shared the same spotlight, although Bevens got the short end of that one.

Anyway, Drabowsky had a reasonably successful, if not outstanding, career. It spanned 17 years, certainly a significant tour of duty, over which he posted a mediocre 88-105 win-loss record with 55 saves. Drabowsky was also known as a clubhouse prankster, and once gave Commissioner Bowie Kuhn a hotfoot, which by itself should have gained him entry into Cooperstown. But for his first 11 years in the majors, his claim to fame was defined by dubious brushes with greatness. He tied a record by hitting four batters in one game in 1957, allowed Stan Musial’s 3000th hit a year later, and was the losing pitcher when Early Wynn finally captured his 300th career victory in 1963. Moe also claimed the first victory for the Kansas City Royals franchise in 1969, and to my knowledge is still the only MLB player to have been born in Poland (his parents immigrated to the US in 1938 when he was three).

After toiling with also-rans like the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City A’s, he had the fortune of being dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in time for their first World Series appearance in 1966. Moe, formerly a starting pitcher, had enjoyed a rebirth as part of a deep Oriole bullpen, going 6-0 with seven saves and a 2.81 ERA. His legacy would change with one appearance on October 5, 1966.

The Orioles faced the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the 1966 World Series, and in Game 1, they chased Don Drysdale for a 4-1 lead after two innings, most the damage done by back-to-back homers by the Robinsons, Frank and Brooks, in the first. But when Baltimore starter Dave McNally faltered in the third, Drabowsky came on with one out and the bases juiced, courtesy of three free passes. Moe promptly fanned Wes Parker, but then walked Junior Gilliam to force in a run and make it 4-2. It would be the last run the Dodgers would score for the balance of the Series.

Drabowsky got John Roseboro to foul out, then proceeded to close out the game with 11 strikeouts over six and two-thirds innings, including six in a row over the fourth and fifth frames. He allowed just one hit and two walks, and the 11 strikeouts still stand as a World Series record for a reliever.

That was just the beginning of the Dodgers’ frustration at the plate. The next three games featured complete game shutouts at the young hands of Jim Palmer (age 20), Wally Bunker (21) and McNally (23). The Baltimore pitchers held them to an all-time low .142 average, allowing just 17 hits and those two Game 1 runs. Another event of note: Willie Davis had a particularly bad day in Game 2, losing fly balls in the sun to consecutive batters in the fifth inning, then making a wild throw for his third error of the inning, another Series record. And in the next frame, Davis and right fielder Ron Fairly both backed off a deep drive by Frank Robinson that fell for a triple. That all led to four runs – three unearned – that broke a scoreless tie, and a defeat for Sandy Koufax, a game that proved to be the last of his Hall of Fame career. Fortunately for Willie and Sandy, this was not the defining moment of their careers.

Parting shot: My lasting image of the 1966 World Series was the celebration following the final out in Game 4:

Forty years later I’m still impressed by the height of Brooks Robinson’s celebratory leap. I mean, it’s practically Jordanesque. Koufax had gotten a basketball scholarship to the University of Cincinnati before signing with the Dodgers – I wonder if he could have beaten Robinson one-on-one back then. Was Brooksie a high school basketball star too? Anyone know?

4D