| Don Drysdale | |
|---|---|
 Drysdale in 1961 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1936-07-23)July 23, 1936 Van Nuys, California, U.S. | |
| Died: July 3, 1993(1993-07-03) (aged 56) Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1956, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 1969, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 209–166 |
| Earned run average | 2.95 |
| Strikeouts | 2,486 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1984 |
| Vote | 78.4% (tenth ballot) |
Donald Scott Drysdale (July 23, 1936 – July 3, 1993), nicknamed "Big D", was an American professionalbaseball pitcher andbroadcaster who played inMajor League Baseball. He spent his entire 14-year career with theBrooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Known for being a fierce competitor, Drysdale won theCy Young Award in 1962 and was a three-timeWorld Series champion during his playing career.
Born inVan Nuys, California, Drysdale made his major league debut in 1956. He quickly made a reputation for himself as abrushback pitcher who was not afraid to pitch inside to batters in order to keep them off balance. Often overshadowed by teammate and Dodgers aceSandy Koufax, Drysdale nevertheless made his own mark, winning theCy Young Award in1962 and setting a record six consecutive shutouts and 58consecutive scoreless innings in1968.
Drysdale was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in1984 and, the same year, had his number 53 retired by theLos Angeles Dodgers. After his playing career ended in 1969, Drysdale became a radio and television broadcaster until his sudden death from aheart attack in 1993.
Drysdale was born inVan Nuys, Los Angeles to Scotty and Verna Drysdale. His father was a repair supervisor for thePacific Telephone and Telegraphy Company who had a brief minor league career before Drysdale was born.[1][2]
Drysdale attendedVan Nuys High School where one of his classmates was actorRobert Redford.[3] While he had played baseball since childhood, primarily as asecond baseman, Drysdale only began to pitch during his senior year in high school; he posted a 10–1 record. He was signed out of high school by theBrooklyn Dodgers for a minimum salary and asigning bonus of $4,000.[1]
Drysdale began his professional career in 1954, playing for the Class-CBakersfield Indians of theCalifornia League where he posted an 8–5 win-loss record with a 3.46 earned run average and 73 strikeouts inBakersfield.[4]
The next season, Drysdale was promoted to the Triple-AMontreal Royals of theInternational League. In 1955, he posted an 11–11 record with a 3.33 earned run average and 80 strikeouts for Montreal. The following year, he was promoted to theBrooklyn Dodgers.[4]
Drysdale made his major league debut on April 17, 1956, pitching a scoreless 9th inning in an 8–6 loss against thePhiladelphia Phillies. He made his first start on April 23, also against the Phillies, a complete game win in which he allowed only one run and struck out 9 batters. Drysdale finished his rookie season with an 2.64earned run average and 55strikeouts in 99innings pitched.[5]
Drysdale, along with Dodgers teammateSandy Koufax, served six months in theUnited States Army Reserve atFort Dix, New Jersey andVan Nuys, California after the end of the 1957 season and before spring training in 1958. In his autobiography,Once a Bum, Always a Dodger, Drysdale wrote:
Those six months were good for me. When you wake up at three-thirty every morning, and you realize that some of your buddies are just getting in back home, it gives you a lot of discipline. The service should be mandatory for every kid in America. You thought you were hot stuff being a major league pitcher, and then you went to Fort Dix and found out that it doesn't matter who you were. There were no exceptions.[6]
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In 1962, Drysdale won 25 games and led the Majors in strikeouts with 232. He won theCy Young Award and was namedThe Sporting News Player of the Year andPitcher of the Year. In 1963, he struck out 251 batters and won Game 3 of theWorld Series at Los Angeles'sDodger Stadium over the Yankees, 1–0. In 1965, he was the Dodgers' only .300 hitter and tied his own National League record for pitchers with sevenhome runs. That year, he also won 23 games and helped the Dodgers to their third pennant in Los Angeles.[4]
In 1965, Koufax declined to pitch the first game of the World Series as it fell onYom Kippur, the holiest day in theJewish calendar. Drysdale pitched for the Dodgers instead of Koufax, giving up seven runs in2+2⁄3 innings, with the Dodgers losing 8–2 to theMinnesota Twins. When Dodgers managerWalter Alston came to the mound to remove him from the game in the 3rd inning, Drysdale quipped, "Hey, skip, bet you wish I was Jewish today too."[7] Despite the setback, the Dodgers went on to win the Series behind Koufax's MVP-winning performances in Games 5 and 7, with Drysdale winning Game 4 atDodger Stadium.[4]
Drysdale and Koufax took part in a famousjoint holdout in the spring of 1966. They had set an NL record the year before for strikeouts by teammates, with a combined total of 592. Both wanted to be paid $500,000 over three seasons, but Dodgers' GMBuzzie Bavasi preferred to give them one-year contracts according to team policy. They both finally signed one-year contracts just before the season opened. Drysdale's contract was for $110,000, and Koufax's contract was for $125,000. Those contracts made them the first pitchers to earn more than $100,000 a year.[8]
In 1968, the "year of the pitcher", Drysdale set Major League records with six consecutive shutouts and58+2⁄3consecutive scoreless innings, winningNL Player of the Month honors in June and starting theAll-Star Game in Houston.[4] The scoreless innings record was broken by fellow Dodgers pitcherOrel Hershiser 20 years later. Hershiser, however, did not match Drysdale's record of six consecutive complete-game shutouts.[9]
Recurring shoulder injuries had slowed Drysdale down in his final years. After suffering a torn rotator cuff, Drysdale retired from Major League Baseball during the 1969 season, having made only 12 starts. At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player on the Dodgers who had played for them inBrooklyn.[10]
In his 14-year career, Drysdale compiled a record of 209–166 with anearned run average of 2.95. He struck out 2,486 batters, posted 49 shutouts, and hit 154 batters. He struck out 200 or more batters six times and won 20 games twice. In the World Series, he had a record of 3–3 with a 2.95 ERA. Drysdale led the Majors instrikeouts three times, wins once, and lead the NL inshutouts once. In 1962, with a record of 25-9 and a Major League-leading 232 strikeouts, he won theCy Young Award.[4]
Additionally, Drysdale won threeNL Player of the Month awards: June 1959 (6–0 record, 1.71earned run average, 51 strikeouts), July 1960 (6–0 record, 2.00 earned run average, 48 strikeouts), and May 1968 (5–1 record, 0.53 earned run average, 45 strikeouts, with 5 consecutive shutouts to begin his scoreless inning streak, which was carried into June).[11]
He was also a good hitting pitcher. In 14 seasons, he had 218 hits in 1,169 at-bats for a lifetime .186batting average, including 96runs, 26doubles, 7triples, 29 home runs, 113RBI and 60bases on balls. His 29 home runs are sixth all-time for pitchers. He was occasionally used as a pinch-hitter, including once during the1965 World Series. Drysdale hit 7 home runs in a season twice, in 1958 and 1965, and was the only .300 hitter for the offensively-weak Dodgers during the latter season.[4]
Drysdale was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1984, his tenth year of eligibility,[12] and his number 53 retired was retired by the Dodgers on July 1, 1984.[13] During his career, he was a nine-timeAll-Star, starting the Midsummer Classic a record five times and pitching a record 19.1 innings, making an appearance in all nine games he was selected to.[14] During All-Star Game play, Drysdale compiled a record of 2–1, with a 1.40 ERA; he faced 69 batters and struck out 19,both All-Star records.[15]
| Category | W | L | ERA | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | HBP | WHIP | FIP | ERA+ | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 209 | 166 | 2.95 | 465 | 167 | 49 | 6 | 3,432 | 3,084 | 280 | 855 | 2,486 | 154 | 1.148 | 3.02 | 121 | [4] |
Standing at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), Drysdale was known to usebrushback pitches and a sidearm fastball to intimidate batters. He gained a reputation for intimidation similar to his fellow Hall of Famer and contemporaryBob Gibson.[1]Sal Maglie, also known for brushback pitches, taught him how to pitch aggressively when both were Dodger teammates in the 1950s.[16] Drysdale led the NL inhit batsmen for four straight seasons from 1958 to 1961, and again in 1965. His 154 careerhit batsmen is a modernNational League record.[17]
Fellow Hall of FamerFrank Robinson said of him, "He was mean enough to do it, and he did it continuously. You could count on him doing it. And when he did it, he just stood there on the mound and glared at you to let you know he meant it."[16] Of his former teammate, Maglie said: "I don't think Don has ever tried intentionally to send someone to the hospital. A pitcher needs to pitch inside. And if one of your teammates goes down, you do what you have to do to even the score, plain and simple."[18]
%2c_Dodgers_announcer%2c_in_Dodgertown_for_Spring_Training_with_pitchers_Don_Drysdale_(left)_and_Sandy_Koufax_(right)%2c_1985.jpg)
In 1970, Drysdale started a career insports broadcasting that continued for the rest of his life: first for theMontreal Expos (1970–1971), then theTexas Rangers (1972),California Angels (1973–1979, 1981),Chicago White Sox (1982–1987),NBC (1977),ABC (1978–1986), and finally back in Los Angeles with the Dodgers (1988–1993). Additionally, he also worked with his Angels' partnerDick Enberg onLos Angeles Rams football broadcasts from1973 to1976. Drysdale kept the fans' interest with stories of his playing days.[19]
While atABC Sports, Drysdale not only did baseball telecasts, but also regionalcollege football games as well asSuperstars andWide World of Sports. After the1979 World Series, Drysdale covered theWorld Series Trophy presentation ceremonies for ABC. On October 11, 1980,Keith Jackson called anOklahoma–Texascollege football game forABC in the afternoon, then flew toHouston to call Game 4 of theNLCS between theHouston Astros andPhiladelphia Phillies. In the meantime, Drysdale filled in for Jackson onplay-by-play for the early innings.
In 1979, Drysdale was involved in a couple of heated confrontations on theCalifornia Angels team plane with Angels managerJim Fregosi and Angels pitcherJim Barr. Drysdale questioned the legitimacy of an injury Barr had suffered that was preventing him from pitching in the playoffs. After he and Barr went at it, Fregosi stepped in to defend his player. Drysdale apologized the next day.[20]
In 1984, Drysdale called play-by-play with analystsReggie Jackson andEarl Weaver for theNational League Championship Series between theSan Diego Padres andChicago Cubs. On October 6, 1984, atSan Diego'sJack Murphy Stadium, Game 4 of the NLCS ended when Padres first basemanSteve Garvey hit a now-iconic walk-off home run off Cubs relief pitcherLee Smith, forcing a decisive Game 5. 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![21]
In his last ABC assignment, Drysdale interviewed the winners in theBoston Red Sox clubhouse following Game 7 of the1986 American League Championship Series against theCalifornia Angels.[22]
In 1985, for theChicago White Sox, Drysdale broadcastTom Seaver's 300th victory, against the hostNew York Yankees in 1985. His post-game interview with Seaver was carried live by both the Sox' network and the Yankees' longtime flagship television stationWPIX.[23]
On September 28, 1988, fellow DodgerOrel Hershiser surpassed Drysdale when Hershiser finished the season with arecord 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 theSan Diego Padres from scoring, but that his own team would also need to fail to score in order to ensure extra innings; against all odds, Hershiser pitched 10 innings of a scoreless tie, with the Padres eventually prevailing 2–1 in 16 innings, breaking Drysdale's record. Afterwards, Drysdale came onto the field to congratulate him, remarking, "Oh, I'll tell ya, congratulations... And at least you kept it in the family."[24]
Drysdale also calledKirk Gibson's famouswalk-off home run in Game 1 of the1988 World Series for theDodgers Radio Network:
Gibson a deep sigh, re-gripping the bat, shoulders just shrugged, now goes to the top of the helmet as he always does, steps in with that left foot. Eckersley working out of a stretch, now here's the 3-2 pitch...and a drive into right field (losing voice) WAY BACK! THIS BALL IS GONE! – *two minutes of crowd cheering* – This crowd will not stop! They can't believe the ending! And this time, Mighty Casey did NOT strike out!![25]
In 1987, Drysdale hosted a nationally syndicated radio show calledRadio Baseball Cards. 162 episodes were produced with stories and anecdotes told by current and former Major League Baseball players. The highlight of the series were numerous episodes dedicated to the memory and impact ofJackie Robinson as told by teammates, opponents and admirers.Radio Baseball Cards aired on 38 stations, includingWNBC New York,KSFO San Francisco andWEEI Boston, as a pre-game show. A collector's edition of the program was re-released in 2007 as a podcast.[26]
In 1958, Drysdale married Eula "Ginger" Dubberly, a native ofCovington, Georgia, and a formerAdrian fashion model.[27] The couple had a daughter named Kelly Jean (b. 1959), but divorced in 1982.[1]
In 1986, he married basketball playerAnn Meyers, who took the name Ann Meyers-Drysdale. Drysdale and Meyers had three children together: two sons, Donald Scott Jr. (known as "DJ"; b. 1987, on his father's 51st birthday) and Darren John (b. 1989), and a daughter, Drew Ann (b. 1993). When Ann was elected to theBasketball Hall of Fame in 1993, it was the first time that a married couple were members of their respective sports'Halls of Fame.[28]
On July 2, 1993, Drysdale worked the television broadcast for the game between the Dodgers and theMontreal Expos atOlympic Stadium. After the game, he returned to his room at the hotel the team was staying at,Le Centre Sheraton. As the team left for the stadium the next morning, Drysdale was not with them. Several broadcast team members were sent back to the hotel once the team realized Drysdale had not arrived at the stadium, and when hotel personnel went up to Drysdale's room they discovered his body lying face down on the floor. The cause of death was ruled to be aheart attack, and the coroner's report determined that Drysdale had been dead for at least eighteen hours by the time he was found.[29][30]
The Dodgers noted the death of their former star pitcher during the broadcast of the game later on that day. Drysdale's broadcasting colleagueVin 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, "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." He later described it "the toughest broadcast" of his career.[31][32]
While this was going on, word reached Drysdale's formerWhite Sox colleagueKen Harrelson as he was calling that evening's game against theBaltimore Orioles atComiskey Park for WGN television. Harrelson relayed the information to his audience, barely able to keep his composure while doing so.Dick Enberg, his broadcast partner with the Angels, said, "Every day was a good day when you were with Don Drysdale."[19]Sandy Koufax, his former teammate, said of Drysdale's sudden death: "Don is one of those people you didn't think anything could ever happen to. This is a very hard thing to deal with."[33]
Among the personal belongings found in Drysdale's hotel room was a cassette tape ofRobert F. Kennedy's victory speech after the1968 California Democratic presidential primary, a speech given only moments beforeSenator Kennedy's assassination.[34] In the speech, Kennedy had noted, to the cheers of the crowd, that Drysdale had pitched his sixth straight shutout that evening. Drysdale had apparently carried the tape with him wherever he went since Kennedy's assassination.[35]
Drysdale's funeral was held in Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection inGlendale, California. The ceremony was conducted byJohn Werhas, Drysdale's former teammate who had become a pastor in retirement.Vin Scully,Tommy Lasorda,Bob Uecker, andOrel Hershiser gave eulogies.[36] Drysdale's body was cremated and his ashes were placed in the Utility Columbarium in the Great Mausoleum atForest Lawn Memorial Park inGlendale, California. They were returned to his family in February 2002 and scattered the next year.[37]
Drysdale was a popular guest star in several television programs:
Don Drysdale finished his career plunking 154 batters, all in the National League (NL). The only senior circuit pitchers with more HBP;Vic Willis (156),Chick Fraser (187),Pink Hawley (201), all began their career in the nineteenth century, making Big D the modern day NL HBP king.
The next pitch to Garvey was a high fastball over the plate. Drysdale had the live call on ABC: 'Deep right field, way back. Cotto going back to the wall. It's gone! Home Run Garvey! And there will be tomorrow!'
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Los Angeles DodgersOpening Day Starting pitcher 1958–1961 1963 1965 1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month July 1959 July 1960 May 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Media offices | ||
| Preceded by | #1 color commentator, Major League Baseball on ABC 1978-1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | #2 play-by-play announcer, Major League Baseball on ABC 1983-1985 | Succeeded by |
Links to related articles | |
|---|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
