OT: Warren Spahn

[Imperial Capitalist]

sj2 just wants to (buzz) because someone started an OT thread, which is only slightly different from his usual take of wanting to (buzz) because someone made a post in an existing thread.

[ScotchMIrish]

Hitting is timing. Pitching is disrupting timing - Warren Spahn

He was able to pitch for so many years because he had a deceptive delivery and great control.

[OldRed]

Spahn was also a pretty good hitting pitcher:

35 HRS
189 RBI
.194 BA
.234 OBP

17 years in a row he hit at least one HR and his last he hit was at 43 years of age.

And of course, the legendary game where he and Marichal 16 inning game in which Marichal threw 227 pitches and Spahn 201. The score ended 1 - 0 Giants on a walk off Willie Mays home run in the bottom of 16th inning.

How is that good?

With a little effort you can find this information for yourself, but since you are lazy today read on:
Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 batting average (363-for-1872) with 141 runs, 57 doubles, six triples, 94 walks, and 189 runs batted in (RBIs). He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958, he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBIs and a walk.

LMAO..he is not a good hitter. you posted his stat's. That's horrible career 43 OPS+! you think that is a good hitter?

You sound like a person that has no history of pitchers hitting or when they managed a minor league team and who they developed. Get a life and do some research before making such stupid comments.

[sp25]

Warren Spahn is often overlooked as one of the greats. Not only was he a great pitcher, but a great American having served in the military which interrupted his early career. None the less , he went on to to win 363 games. Along the way , he had lost some zip on his fastball , but in a sense reinvented himself and still was a 20 game winner. I had the pleasure of meeting him and having a nice conversation. He was also fan friendly.

Yes, he was. He even gave my wife a kiss on the check when we left.

Another thing, he helped develop some good pitchers for the Cardinals when he was manager of the Tulsa minor league team.

I was fortunate to get his autograph when he was the manager of the Tulsa Oilers, circa 1970. A very nice gentleman.

[12xu]

He is in my top 5 left hand pitchers of all time:
(in order of their last year played)
Lefty Grove 1941
Warren Spahn 1965
Steve Carlton 1988
Randy Johnson 2009
Clayton Kershaw 2025

[sp25]

He is in my top 5 left hand pitchers of all time:
(in order of their last year played)
Lefty Grove 1941
Warre2n Spahn 1965
Steve Carlton 1988
Randy Johnson 2009
Clayton Kershaw 2025

Hard to argue with this group

[sp25]

He is in my top 5 left hand pitchers of all time:
(in order of their last year played)
Lefty Grove 1941
Warre2n Spahn 1965
Steve Carlton 1988
Randy Johnson 2009
Clayton Kershaw 2025

Hard to argue with this group

Ha, well there's also Koufax

[scoutyjones2]

Spahn was also a pretty good hitting pitcher:

35 HRS
189 RBI
.194 BA
.234 OBP

17 years in a row he hit at least one HR and his last he hit was at 43 years of age.

And of course, the legendary game where he and Marichal 16 inning game in which Marichal threw 227 pitches and Spahn 201. The score ended 1 - 0 Giants on a walk off Willie Mays home run in the bottom of 16th inning.

How is that good?

With a little effort you can find this information for yourself, but since you are lazy today read on:
Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 batting average (363-for-1872) with 141 runs, 57 doubles, six triples, 94 walks, and 189 runs batted in (RBIs). He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958, he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBIs and a walk.

LMAO..he is not a good hitter. you posted his stat's. That's horrible career 43 OPS+! you think that is a good hitter?

You sound like a person that has no history of pitchers hitting or when they managed a minor league team and who they developed. Get a life and do some research before making such stupid comments.

You won't back up your post by telling us who he developed. Laughable because you can't name any...

And nobody thinks he was a pretty good hitter

[Galatians221jb1]

Spahn managed Jerry Reuss and Ted Simmons. Many others I’m sure. Al Hrabosky as well. It was a long time ago. Memory fades. Bernie Carbo perhaps. Found this:

“Players from the 1967 Tulsa Oilers who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Fritz Ackley, Dennis Aust, Dave Bakenhaster, Elio Chacón, Joe Christopher, Pat Corrales, Jim Cosman, Hal Gilson, Wayne Granger, Steve Huntz, George Kernek, Coco Laboy, Dick LeMay, Tony Martínez, Danny Napoleon, Bobby Pfeil, Ron Piché, Jerry Reuss, Sonny Ruberto, Warren Spahn, Tracy Stallard, Mike Torrez, Floyd Wicker, Nick Willhite, Jimy Williams and Don Young.”

[OldRed]

Spahn was also a pretty good hitting pitcher:

35 HRS
189 RBI
.194 BA
.234 OBP

17 years in a row he hit at least one HR and his last he hit was at 43 years of age.

And of course, the legendary game where he and Marichal 16 inning game in which Marichal threw 227 pitches and Spahn 201. The score ended 1 - 0 Giants on a walk off Willie Mays home run in the bottom of 16th inning.

How is that good?

With a little effort you can find this information for yourself, but since you are lazy today read on:
Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 batting average (363-for-1872) with 141 runs, 57 doubles, six triples, 94 walks, and 189 runs batted in (RBIs). He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958, he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBIs and a walk.

LMAO..he is not a good hitter. you posted his stat's. That's horrible career 43 OPS+! you think that is a good hitter?

You sound like a person that has no history of pitchers hitting or when they managed a minor league team and who they developed. Get a life and do some research before making such stupid comments.

You won't back up your post by telling us who he developed. Laughable because you can't name any...

And nobody thinks he was a pretty good hitter

You have to be the dumbest poster on this forum who can do their own research.

[60 year Cardinal fan]

Spahn was also a pretty good hitting pitcher:

35 HRS
189 RBI
.194 BA
.234 OBP

17 years in a row he hit at least one HR and his last he hit was at 43 years of age.

And of course, the legendary game where he and Marichal 16 inning game in which Marichal threw 227 pitches and Spahn 201. The score ended 1 - 0 Giants on a walk off Willie Mays home run in the bottom of 16th inning.

How is that good?

With a little effort you can find this information for yourself, but since you are lazy today read on:
Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 batting average (363-for-1872) with 141 runs, 57 doubles, six triples, 94 walks, and 189 runs batted in (RBIs). He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958, he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBIs and a walk.

LMAO..he is not a good hitter. you posted his stat's. That's horrible career 43 OPS+! you think that is a good hitter?

The only thing that I am convinced of is that you are the biggest as-$ on this forum.

[The Nard]

Spahn was not a flame thrower. I believe he threw a screwball. Kept hitters off balance. He coached in the Cards system. Coached Simmons and Reuss at Tulsa (AAA) I'm pretty sure. They didn't care for him.

Not primarily a screwball thrower - those who did usually had short careers. But Spahn was a cerebral pitcher, in that he “kept ‘em guessing”. He mastered a variety of pitches, and could throw them for strikes. In other words, he knew how to pitch, and art form that many of today’s minor leaguers no longer learn, as they’re just told to blow ‘em away with speed.

[12xu]

He is in my top 5 left hand pitchers of all time:
(in order of their last year played)
Lefty Grove 1941
Warre2n Spahn 1965
Steve Carlton 1988
Randy Johnson 2009
Clayton Kershaw 2025

Hard to argue with this group

Ha, well there's also Koufax

and of course he could have outdone all of them if he could have kept pitching longer.

[Sheepdawg]

He is in my top 5 left hand pitchers of all time:
(in order of their last year played)
Lefty Grove 1941
Warren Spahn 1965
Steve Carlton 1988
Randy Johnson 2009
Clayton Kershaw 2025

Sorry, got to have Koufax on that list.

[ramfandan]

Spahn was not a flame thrower. I believe he threw a screwball. Kept hitters off balance. He coached in the Cards system. Coached Simmons and Reuss at Tulsa (AAA) I'm pretty sure. They didn't care for him.

Not primarily a screwball thrower - those who did usually had short careers. But Spahn was a cerebral pitcher, in that he “kept ‘em guessing”. He mastered a variety of pitches, and could throw them for strikes. In other words, he knew how to pitch, and art form that many of today’s minor leaguers no longer learn, as they’re just told to blow ‘em away with speed.

Sounds like my first girlfriend's traits... she 'screwed' me over many times and 'kept me guessing' whether she was just a big tease or not .

[Sheepdawg]

Stan Musial and Spahn faced each other a record 361 times, with Musial batting .319 against and hitting 14 home runs. Only Willie Mays had more HRs against Spahn with 17.