July 24, 1965: The low point in the sensational baseball career of Sandy Koufax takes place. He gives up a home run to Bob Uecker.
Uecker was, by his own admission, a bad ballplayer. How bad was he? His lifetime batting average was .200, and he was lucky to get it. This was only his 2nd home run of the season, and he finished with 14 in his career.
He was the 1st native of Milwaukee, or even of Wisconsin, to play for a Milwaukee team in the major leagues, playing 46 games for the Braves in 1962 and '63, mostly as backup to catcher Joe Torre. In 1964 and '65, he backed up Tim McCarver on the St. Louis Cardinals, but his 40 games in the '64 season did earn him a World Series ring.
In 1966, the Cardinals traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1967, the Phils traded him to the Braves, who had since moved to Atlanta. They released him after the season, and he'd played all of 297 games in the major leagues. Of course, that's 297 more than most of us reading this post, including its author, will ever play.
In the broadcasting career he later developed with the Braves' replacement, the Milwaukee Brewers, he used self-deprecating humor to describe his playing days: "I got pulled over by the police. They fined me $400: $100 for drunk driving, and $300 for being with the Phillies."
Jokes like these led to appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, appearances in Miller Lite beer commercials, a book deal that led to the memoir Catcher in the Wry, a starring role on the 1980s ABC sitcom Mr. Belvedere, and the role of the hard-drinking Cleveland Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle in the Major League movies. (The 1st movie was filmed in Milwaukee because it was easier to get filming dates at County Stadium than at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, and thus they had access to Bob.)
Bob was given the Ford Frick Award, the Baseball Hall of Fame's award for broadcasters, making him, technically, a Hall-of-Famer in spite of his weak playing career. He was only the 2nd player-turned-broadcaster so honored. The 1st was another weak-hitting ex-catcher-turned-TV personality, Joe Garagiola.
Indeed, most of the players who went into broadcasting and have won the award haven't been star players: Uecker, Garagiola, Jerry Coleman, Tony Kubek, Tim McCarver and Jack Graney. Ken Harrelson, a 1968 All-Star, is, thus far, the only real exception. And none is as beloved as "Uke," the man many people call "Mr. Baseball."
Oh, the game in which Koufax gave up the home run to Uecker? The Cardinals won it, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It wasn't Koufax's fault: He pitched 9 innings, allowing just 2 runs. But the Cards' Ray Sadecki was equal to the task, and the game went to extra innings. The Cards won it in the 10th inning, when Dodger center fielder Willie Davis mishandled a fly ball by the Dick Groat, allowing Lou Brock to score.
As for the other pitchers who gave up home runs to Uecker: In 1962, Diomedes Olivo of the Pittsburgh Pirates; In 1963, none; in 1964, Denny Lemaster of the Braves; in 1965, Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants; in 1966, Fergie Jenkins and Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs on back-to-back days, Dick Ellsworth of the Cubs, Dave Eilers and Rob Gardner of the New York Mets, and 2 off Sadecki, by then with the Giants; and in 1967, Ron Herbel of the Giants, Hal Woodeshick of the Cardinals, and Wade Blasingame of the Houston Astros.
Like Koufax, Perry and Jenkins are in the Hall of Fame. Holtzman and Sadecki were All-Stars. So it wasn't that shameful.
*
July 24, 1965 was a Saturday. These other baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 3-0 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Sam McDowell pitched a 5-hit shutout, striking out 10. Leon Wagner hit a home run. Mickey Mantle went 0-for-4, supplying 3 of the strikeouts. Roger Maris was injured, and did not play.
* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1 at Shea Stadium. Jim Bunning went the distance, striking out 12, and was supported by home runs from Wes Covington and Dick "Dr. Strangeglove" Stuart.
This turned out to be the last game managed by Casey Stengel. I have a separate entry for this event. The next day was to be Old-Timers Day at Shea Stadium, and he partied with some old friends at Toots Shor's famed restaurant in Manhattan, fell, and broke his hip. Wes Westrum was named interim manager until August 30, when Casey realized that his recovery would not allow him to continue, and he retired.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the California Angels, 8-5 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-4, and future Seattle Pilot Jim Gosger hit a home run. "Yeah, surrre." Yeah, sure: He hit it in the 7th inning, off Jim Sukla.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-1 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Boog Powell hit a home run. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-2 with a walk. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The Washington Senators beat the Kansas City Athletics, 9-2 at District of Columbia Stadium (later Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) in Washington. Doc Lock hit 2 home runs.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline, Norm Cash and Bill Freehan all homered for the Tigers.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Roberto Clemente and Bill Virdon homered for the Pirates, Ron Santo and Billy Williams for the Cubs. Ernie Banks went 0-for-4, and Willie Stargell went 0-for-5.
* A doubleheader was split at the Astrodome in Houston. The Houston Astros won the opener, 4-2. The Cincinnati Reds won the nightcap, 2-0, as Joe Nuxhall, once the youngest player ever to enter an MLB game but now in his final season, allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 11. Over the 2 games, Frank Robinson went 3-for-7 with an RBI, Pete Rose went 3-for-8 with 2 RBIs, and Joe Morgan went 1-for-7 with a walk and an RBI -- for the Astros.
* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Braves, 4-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Willie Mays went 0-for-3, but Tom Haller hit a home run. Hank Aaron went 0-for-4, but Mack Jones hit a home run.
