Cleveland Sports Forum

good point TG. We have plenaty of young prospects and should be looking to get a very good young RH bat with pop....

With regards to Santana's slump- Only thing I have noticed is that they pitch him much more inside so that he cannot extend his arms. He tends to backoff(jackknife) a little when they come inside thinking the ball is too close to him and he gets called out by the ump. He needs to adjust by swinging at that pitch and taking less. If he can do that perhaps by moving back a little more in the batters box, he would see the ball as more hittable. If they then pitch him outside he needs to take the ball to left center. He has the power to do this.

Rocky Colavito is getting wide mention today.

I'm just learning about that Reds-Phillies game that went 19 innings last night.

2nd baseman Wilson Valdez got the win.

There are only three position player in baseball to have earned a victory on the mound in the past 40 plus years.

Rocky Colavito picked up a win for us over the Yankees by pitching in a game on August 25, 1968.


When I just read that Buster Posey is out for the season after yesterday's collision, I wanted to tune in to Ray Fosse down in Anaheim today knowing he would have thoughts to offer as the news came out.

He offered some, and I'm sure he'll offer more.

Fosse is the one who was just talking about Rocky Colavito getting a win and he immediately qualified it with, "but Rocky Colavitio REALLY could pitch."

I remember Canseco pitching, and hurting himself in the process.

Indians activate Sizemore from DL

jingraham@MorningJournal.com



Step one of a two-step sequence that will result in the return of Grady Sizemore to the Indians’ active roster took place Thursday, when the Tribe optioned outfielder Ezequiel Carrera to Columbus.

Carrera wasn’t up long, but it was long enough for him to win a game for the Tribe. That came on a pinch-hit RBI bunt single in his first major league at bats, in the eighth inning of the Tribe’s 5-4 win over the Reds last Friday.

Carrera appeared in five games with the Indians, going 2-for-8 with 2 RBI.

Sizemore is expected to be activated off the disabled list today. Manager Manny Acta said Wednesday that he expected Sizemore to be activated this weekend, but then hastened to add that “the weekend lasts from Friday to Sunday.”

Sizemore has been on the disabled list since May 16. He hasn’t played in a game since May 10. The Indians’ record since then is 7-6.

When healthy, Sizemore was very productive. Although he has only appeared in 18 of the team’s 46 games, Sizemore is second on the Indians in home runs with 6 and tied for second in doubles with 10. He is hitting .282 with 11 RBI.

The return of Sizemore means that Michael Brantley moves from center field back to left field, and from the leadoff spot to the No.7 spot in the batting order.

Sizemore’s return will be a welcome one for the Indians, who will need all the help they can get in the next two games, in which they will face a couple of very formidable pitchers in Tamps Bay’s David Price and James Shields.

Strange I don't remember Rocky pitching; or maybe I thought I remembered him getting a mopup inning in September. I remember Sam McDowell playing 2nd base, but I was at that game.

Flashbacks

Rocky Colavito Pitches In Cleveland Stadium

August 13, 1958

By Nathan Hale

A young slugger could hardly ask for a greater compliment than the one bestowed on Rocky Colavito by Gordon Cobbledick of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, who dubbed the Indians’ powerful young rightfielder "the new Babe Ruth." But the veteran scribe wasn't just referring to Colavito's powerful swing -- he was pointing out his hidden talents on the mound.

Colavito's first appearance on a major-league mound wasn't mop-up duty. It came in a tight game against Detroit on Aug. 13, 1958, when the Tigers put runners on second and third against knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. Manager Joe Gordon decided it was time for a new hurler -- but instead of turning to the bullpen, he looked towards right field. Colavito jogged in.

The 24-year old outfielder was enjoying a breakout season -- he went on to lead the team with a .303 batting average, 113 RBI and 41 home runs, second only to Mickey Mantle in the American League. But the most impressive part of his game was his cannon arm. Herb Score, who came up through the Indians’ farm system with Colavito, spoke of players placing bets on whether the outfielder could clear the center field wall with a throw from home plate. He would routinely make the 400-foot throws.

Indeed, the Bronx native had originally been signed as much for his pitching ability as anything else. In his only mound appearance to date, had struck out five Cincinnati batters in two innings of an exhibition game. "As a pitcher, Rocky could have been a 20-game winner," Gordon said on numerous occasions.

On Aug. 13, Colavito gained several believers -- especially among the Detroit hitters. He dominated the Tigers with his 90-mph fastball, tossing three innings of no-hit relief, walking three and striking out one. Despite Colavito’s impressive outing, the Indians lost the game 3-2.

Colavito was too valuable as a home run hitter for the Indians’ front office to risk his getting hurt on the mound. Although Gordon would also use outfielder Gary Geiger for an inning in ’58, Colavito never pitched for the Tribe again.

Yet "The Rock" would not leave baseball without an encore performance. A decade later -- long after the notorious deal that sent him from Cleveland to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn -- Colavito found himself in Yankee pinstripes following a midseason trade from Los Angeles. He contributed five round-trippers but hit just .220 for the fifth-place Yankees.

But this was 1968 -- the "Year of the Pitcher" -- and on the mound, Colavito put forth a more worthy performance. When he convinced manager Ralph Houk to send him to the hill, he returned with a victory after 2 2/3 shutout innings.

Fans in Cleveland adored him, teammates called him an angel and one of the friendliest guys you’d ever meet, but try prying the same response from the batters who had the unfortunate opportunity to dig in against the fastball of Rocky Colavito.

civ ollilavad wrote:Strange I don't remember Rocky pitching; or maybe I thought I remembered him getting a mopup inning in September. I remember Sam McDowell playing 2nd base, but I was at that game.

As you can see from my previous posts, Rocky was with NY when he pitched in 1968, so that may be why it's not familiar to you.

Thanks for the correction JR.

I remember McDowell playing 2nd base in a game, and I remember announcers talking about Colavito's cannon of an arm on a regular basis.

When Rocky Colavito did get his pitching win....albeit not for The Indians as I erroneously thought I remembered...I had turned 12 the day before.

I distinctly recall the object of my lust was a girl named Mary Ann who was 12 going on 13 and wore really short skirts. It was an ongoing lust. She had accompanied me to an airing of Dr. Doolittle.....the Rex Harrison version....in prior months.

According to MLB network, that 19 inning game was the first time a position player has started a game at a regular position, then WON the game as a pitcher since 1921.

Last guy to do it? Babe Ruth.

Shelley Duncan is 4-5 as a pinch hitter this year and seven of his 13 RBIs have come in pinch hit situations.

Duncan may be pinch hitting well this year, but he as a long way to go to be a Gates Brown....

Until I just looked, I never knew Gates is from Crestline OH

Here's a Gates anecdote I just found:


On August 7, 1968, Brown made history. He wasn't in the starting lineup, so he decided to grab two hot dogs from the clubhouse. He was ordered by manager Mayo Smith to pinch hit. He stuffed the hot dogs in his jersey to hide them from his manager.

"I always wanted to get a hit every time I went to the plate. But this was one time I didn't want to get a hit. I'll be damned if I didn't smack one in the gap and I had to slide into second—head first, no less. I was safe with a double. But when I stood up, I had mustard and ketchup and smashed hot dogs and buns all over me.

"The fielders took one look at me, turned their backs and damned near busted a gut laughing at me. My teammates in the dugout went crazy." After fining Brown $100, Smith said, "What the hell were you doing eating on the bench in the first place?" Brown: "I decided to tell him the truth. I said, 'I was hungry. Besides, where else can you eat a hot dog and have the best seat in the house'"

Great story about Gates Brown!

My favorite tribe pinch hitter is Pat Tabler, he seemed to always get a hit in the clutch.

Indians GM Mark Shapiro on whether his team could be buyers at the trade deadline: "It’s not a matter of money. It’s a matter of not giving away any of our prospects. We’re not going to do that."