Don Drysdale
| Don Drysdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | ||
| Born: July 23 1936 Van Nuys, California |
||
| Died: July 3 1993 (aged 56) Montreal, Quebec | ||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 17, 1956 for the Brooklyn Dodgers | ||
| Final game | ||
| August 5, 1969 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Win-Loss record | 209-166 | |
| Earned run average | 2.95 | |
| Strikeouts | 2,486 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
| ||
| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame | ||
| Elected | 1984 | |
| Vote | 78.41% | |
Donald Scott Drysdale was born on July 23, 1936 in Van Nuys, California. The son of a baseball coach, Don Drysdale was destined for Major League Baseball at a very young age. Drysdale was one of the most feared pitchers in the history of baseball, best known for his ruthless aggression and pinpoint accuracy around the strikezone—particularly the intentional clobbering of batters. He teamed up with fellow Cy Young winner and teammate Sandy Koufax to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to multiple World Series championships. Drysdale's illustrious Hall of Fame career bridges a gap of several eras—1950's and 1960's— in Dodgers baseball, during which he pitched in five World Series, led the league in strikeouts three times, and threw 46 shut outs, including a record setting 58 1/3 innings of flawless baseball.
Biography
Major League Career
he teamed with Sandy Koufax during the late 1950s and 1960s to form one of the most dominating pitching duos in history. The ferocious hurler (nicknamed "Big D" by fans) used brushback pitches and a sidearm fastball to intimidate batters
A New Record
Dawn Of A New Era
In 1962, Drysdale won 25 games and the Cy Young Award. In 1968, he set a record with 58 consecutive scoreless innings; the record was ultimately broken by fellow Dodger Orel Hershiser 20 years later. In 1963, he struck out 251 batters and won Game Game 3 of the World Series at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium). In 1965, was the Dodgers' only .300 hitter and tied his own National League record for pitchers with seven home runs. That year he won 23 games and led the Dodgers to their third World Championship in Los Angeles. He ended his career with 209 wins, 2,486 strikeouts, 167 complete games and 49 shutouts. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, and had his number 53 officially retired at Dodger Stadium on July 1, 1984. Drysdale took part in a well-publicized salary holdout in the spring of 1966 along with Koufax, with both finally signing contracts just before the season opened.
Broadcasting career
Don Drysdale retired midseason in 1969 due to an ailing shoulder and became a broadcaster for not just the Dodgers (from 1988 up until his death in 1993), but also the Montreal Expos (1970-1971), Texas Rangers (baseball) (1972), California Angels (1973-1979}), Chicago White Sox (982-1987), and Major League Baseball on ABC ({{1978-1986).
While at ABC Sports, Drysdale not only announced baseball telecasts, but also Superstars and Wide World of Sports. During the 1979 World Series, Drysdale covered the World Series Trophy presentation ceremonies for ABC. In 1984, Drysdale did play-by-play (alongside fellow Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Earl Weaver) for the thrilling 1984 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.
On October 6, 1984 at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium, Game 4 of the NLCS ended when Padres first baseman Steve Garvey hit a dramatic two run home run off of Lee Smith. Drysdale on the call:
| “ | Deep right field, way back. Cotto going back to the wall...it's gone! Home run Garvey! And there will be tomorrow! | ” |
The Padres, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five series against the Cubs won the decisive Game 5 the next day (thus, winning their first ever National League pennant).
While broadcasting for the White Sox, Drysdale generated some mild controversy while covering a heated argument between an umpire and Sox manager Tony LaRussa. The animated LaRussa pulled up the third base bag and hurled it into the outfield, to the approval of the Comiskey Park crowd, and ensuring his ejection. Drysdale remarked, "Go get 'em, Dago!"
For the Sox, Drysdale broadcasted the 300th victory of pitching contemporary Tom Seaver against the host New York Yankees in 1985. His post-game interview with Seaver was carried live by both the Sox' network and the Yankees' longtime flagship television station WPIX.
Personal
Drysdale married Ginger Dubberly in 1958, with whom he had a daughter, Kelly. They divorced in 1982. In 1986, he married Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Ann Meyers, who took the name Ann Meyers-Drysdale. It was the first time that a married couple were members of their respective sports' Hall of Fame. Drysdale and Meyers had three children together: Don Junior ("DJ") (son), Darren (son), and Drew (daughter). In 1990, Drysdale published his autobiography, Once a Bum, Always a Dodger.
Death
Don Drysdale died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, where he had been broadcasting a Dodgers game in 1993. Drysdale was found dead by radio station employees sent to look for him when he was late for his scheduled broadcast. After Drysdale missed the team bus, the hotel staff went in and found him face down, near his bed. The coroner estimated that he had been dead for 18 hours. Soon afterwards, Drysdale's broadcasting colleague Vin Scully, who was instructed not to say anything on the air until Drysdale's family was notified, announced the news of his death by saying {{cquote|Never have I been asked to make an announcement that hurts me as much as this one. And I say it to you as best I can with a broken heart.)) Fellow broadcaster Ross Porter told his radio audience,
| “ | I just don't believe it, folks. | ” |
Drysdale was replaced by Rick Monday in the broadcast booth.
Among the personal belongings found in Drysdale's hotel room at the time of his death was a cassette tape of Robert F. Kennedy's victory speech after the 1968 California Democratic presidential primary, a speech given only moments before Senator Kennedy's assassination. In the speech, Kennedy had noted, to the cheers of the crowd, that Drysdale had pitched his fifth straight shutout that evening. Drysdale had apparently carried the tape with him wherever he went since Robert Kennedy's death.
Drysdale's body was cremated at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Quotations
- “Batting against him (Don Drysdale) is the same as making a date with the dentist.” - Dick Groat [1]
- “Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch.” - Mike Shannon
- “The trick against Drysdale is to hit him before he hits you.” - Orlando Cepeda
- For every Dodger they [the Giants' pitchers] knock down, I'll knock down three Giants—and they won't be .220 hitters, either."—Drysdale, still on the subject of brushback pitches; quoted from the Los Angeles Times
Television
Drysdale guest starred in:
- The Greatest American Hero episode "The Two Hundred Mile an Hour Fastball," which was first broadcast on November 4, 1981 as a broadcaster for the California Stars.[2]
- The Brady Bunch episode "The Dropout," which was first broadcast on September 25, 1970.
- Leave It to Beaver episode "Long Distance Call," which was first broadcast on June 16, 1962.[3]
- The Rifleman episode "Skull," which was first broadcast on 1 January, 1962.
- The Millionaire episode "Millionaire Larry Maxwell," which was first broadcast on March 1, 1960.
- With his first wife, Ginger, on You Bet Your Life with host Groucho Marx at some point between the 1958 and 1959 baseball seasons. The episode was released on the 2006 DVD "Groucho Marx: You Bet Your Life - 14 Classic Episodes."
1987
Drysdale hosted a nationally syndicated radio show called Radio Baseball Cards. 162 episodes were produced with stories and anecdotes told by current and former Major League Baseball players, including many Hall of Famers. The highlight of the series were numerous episodes dedicated to the memory and impact of Jackie Robinson. Radio Baseball Cards aired on 38 stations, including WNBC New York, KSFO San Francisco and WEEI Boston. A collector's edition of the program was re-released in 2007 as a podcast.[4]
1988
On September 28, 1988, fellow Dodger Orel Hershiser surpassed Don Drysdale, finishing the season with a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. In his final start of the year, Hershiser needed to pitch 10 shutout innings to set the mark – meaning not only that he would have to prevent the San Diego Padres from scoring, but that his own team would also need to fail to score in order to ensure extra innings. The Dodgers' anemic offense was obliging, however, and Hershiser pitched the first 10 innings of a scoreless tie, with the Padres eventually prevailing 2-1 in 16 innings. Hershiser almost did not pitch in the 10th inning, in deference to Drysdale, but was convinced by the Hall of Famer to take the mound and try to break the record. When Hershiser broke Drysdale's record, Drysdale went to hug him, and said, "Oh, I'll tell ya, congratulations... And at least you kept it in the family."
Drysdale also called Kirk Gibson's memorable walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series for the Dodgers Radio Network:
| “ | Well the crowd on its feet and if there was ever a preface, to Casey at the Bat, it would have to be the ninth inning. Two out. The tying run aboard, the winning run at the plate, and Kirk Gibson, standing at the plate. Eckersley working out of the stretch, here's the three-two pitch...and a drive hit to right field (losing voice) WAY BACK! IT'S GONE! IT'S GONE! (After delay) This crowd will not stop! They can't believe the ending! And this time, Mighty Casey did NOT strike out!!!! | ” |
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Major league career statistics
- Template:Bbhof
- dondrysdale.com Official web site
- find-a-grave
- Branch Rickey's 1954 amateur scouting report on Drysdale, at the Library of Congress.
- Don Drysdale at the Internet Movie Database
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