Who is the man: Ken Holtzman was coming off his best season with the Cubs in 1970, but 1971 would be his last year with Chicago.
Can ya dig it: That's quite a look on Holtzman's face. He looks like he's in the middle of giving a speech.
Right on: That's not the Holtzman I know. Ken Holtzman has long hair, a mustache and wears green and gold.
You see that cat Holtzman is a bad mother: Ken Holtzman hit a home run in the 1974 World Series and is one of 13 pitchers to go yard in the Series. Until the Phillies' Joe Blanton hit a home run in the 2008 World Series, Holtzman was the last one to do it.
Shut your mouth: Holtzman spent much of the 1967 season in the military but still went 9-0 in 12 games. He received his first pass from the Army that year by giving two pints of blood and then proceeded to beat the Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader. Holtzman said he didn't donate the blood just to get the pass: "It goes to Vietnam, I know how much it's needed."
No one understands him but his woman: Holtzman is one of just two pitchers who have thrown a no-hitter without striking anyone out. It happened in 1969 against the Braves.
(A word about the back): Holtzman wouldn't strike out 200 in a season again in his career.
He pitched his second no-hitter on June 3, 1971 against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium, and scored the game's only run.
ReplyDeleteHis high school coach was Ed Mickelson, a career minor leaguer whose cups of coffee in the majors included the distinction of driving in the last run ever scored by the St. Louis Browns. Mr. Mickelson's autobiography Out of the Park was published in 2007, and Ken Holtzman is mentioned a few times.
I never did find out what the deal was between Holtzman and Billy Martin
ReplyDeleteIt would be tempting to accuse Billy Martin of anti-semitism in connection with his beef with Holtzman, but then I remembered an earlier, similar beef with Larry Gura, so then I guess Martin would have also have been anti-Hungarian. And then there was Dave Boswell and Ed Whitson. It seems Martin had trouble getting along with his pitchers.
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