And that's pretty darn good for a 19 year old who had never pitched a game in the minors and never pitched a varsity college baseball game either.
But if you dig deeper into his 1955 stats you'll find that after the game of August 27th he had an ERA of 1.31! And as late as September 3rd his ERA was 2.05 before his final 3 uninspiring performances.
1. The Dodgers had such a backlog that they lost their "bonus baby" Roberto Clemente, whom they tried to hide in Montreal, to the Pirates after the 1954 season.
2. Furillo's nickname, The Skoonj, is also the name of the play he was known for. Because of the short right field wall and the very tall scoreboard, he played a very short right field and would sometimes throw a batter out at first after a ball hit sharply to right. That's a Skoonj.
3. A "bonus baby" who made the 1955 team was Sandy Koufax, signed for a $14,000 bonus, forcing the Dodgers to keep him on the team to protect him from being claimed by another team. I saw him pitch at Ebbets Field in 1956 and 1957.
Thanks for sharing all this wonderful info. I'd love to hear your memories of seeing Koufax pitch in 1956 and 1957 and whether you thought he would develop into a legend.
You may be interested in a conversation I had here last night, early AM, with Doug Glanville, talking about the ABS system, and how it has effectively changed the strike zone from a 3D solid to a 2D plane. You can probably find it by searching his name here.
There was a lot of buzz about Koufax because he was a Brooklyn boy who signed for a large, at that time, bonus. He threw fast, but had a hard time finding the strike zone.
Actually, Koufax had some games in 1955 in which his control was stellar, and that's according to Campy who caught those games. He had one game in particular that was considered one of the best pitched games in the National League in 1955. There is a chapter in my book about it called, "OH MY GOSH! 19-YEAR-OLD KOUFAX."
I don't have specific memories, as I was very young. I loved Koufax and Snider because, like me, they were lefties.
I do have a memory I'm not quite certain of. I recall that before the game, starting pitchers warmed up on the field, one on each side of home plate, pitching toward the wall. I think the Dodger was on the 1st base side, and the visitor on the 3rd.
He pitched in 12 games, 5 starts and went 2-2. 41.2 innings pitched. 28 walks. ERA 3.02. WAR 0.9.
And that's pretty darn good for a 19 year old who had never pitched a game in the minors and never pitched a varsity college baseball game either.
But if you dig deeper into his 1955 stats you'll find that after the game of August 27th he had an ERA of 1.31! And as late as September 3rd his ERA was 2.05 before his final 3 uninspiring performances.
Yes. Had it not been for the Clemente experience, he probably would have spent a year or two in the minors.
Imagine if the Dodgers outfield was Clemente, Snider and Furillo. Maybe they would have won the 1955 and 1956 World Series.
1. The Dodgers had such a backlog that they lost their "bonus baby" Roberto Clemente, whom they tried to hide in Montreal, to the Pirates after the 1954 season.
2. Furillo's nickname, The Skoonj, is also the name of the play he was known for. Because of the short right field wall and the very tall scoreboard, he played a very short right field and would sometimes throw a batter out at first after a ball hit sharply to right. That's a Skoonj.
3. A "bonus baby" who made the 1955 team was Sandy Koufax, signed for a $14,000 bonus, forcing the Dodgers to keep him on the team to protect him from being claimed by another team. I saw him pitch at Ebbets Field in 1956 and 1957.
Thanks for sharing all this wonderful info. I'd love to hear your memories of seeing Koufax pitch in 1956 and 1957 and whether you thought he would develop into a legend.
You may be interested in a conversation I had here last night, early AM, with Doug Glanville, talking about the ABS system, and how it has effectively changed the strike zone from a 3D solid to a 2D plane. You can probably find it by searching his name here.
There was a lot of buzz about Koufax because he was a Brooklyn boy who signed for a large, at that time, bonus. He threw fast, but had a hard time finding the strike zone.
Actually, Koufax had some games in 1955 in which his control was stellar, and that's according to Campy who caught those games. He had one game in particular that was considered one of the best pitched games in the National League in 1955. There is a chapter in my book about it called, "OH MY GOSH! 19-YEAR-OLD KOUFAX."
I don't have specific memories, as I was very young. I loved Koufax and Snider because, like me, they were lefties.
I do have a memory I'm not quite certain of. I recall that before the game, starting pitchers warmed up on the field, one on each side of home plate, pitching toward the wall. I think the Dodger was on the 1st base side, and the visitor on the 3rd.
Very interesting. Thanks!