Seaver v. Mantle

[Edgy MD]

The Commerce Comet bats against The Fresno Franchise, 1968 All-Star Game.



[YOUTUBE]ZDtYSvMghMw[/YOUTUBE]

[Fman99]

Clearly overmatched. Mantle was a shell of himself those last few years.

[Edgy MD]

Maybe, but I think it's as true to say that Mantle was stunned to find himself transported into the Year of the Pitcher. He was disgusted by his .237 batting average, without putting as much consideration into the new reality that the whole league had become a circuit of banjo hitters. His line of .237 / .385 / .398 // .782 looks pedestrian in most years, Mantle-like only in his walk rate, but his OPS+ was a team-leading 143. Who wouldn't want that from a 36-year-old?



Bill Freehan finished second in MVP voting and his number was 145.

[G-Fafif]

Mantle getting the honorary invite kept MFYs from being a “we have to have one” team his final year. He was accompanied to Houston by Mel Stottlemyre. In 1967, it was Mantle and Al Downing. Mantle finished 8th in the AL in homers that year, so it could be argued it wasn't just reputation that sent him to Anaheim (not that there's anything wrong with that).



Only four years have MFYs been solo acts at ASG:



1972 — Bobby Murcer (starter)

1990 — Steve Sax (starter)

1991 — Scott Sanderson (DNP)

1992 — Roberto Kelly (substitute)

[whippoorwill]

I couldn't for the life of me figure out who Mantle was til I looked. I had a buddy named Bill Mantle once, so I thought of him when I saw the name

[MFS62]

Were they giving away box seats behind first in 1990?

Or did Sax still have those throwing problems by then?

Later

[ashie62]

Was that the 15 inning ASG?



Not a fair fight for #7

[Edgy MD]

Nope. https://www.baseball-reference.com/allstar/1968-allstar-game.shtmlNine innings, 1-0 score.



Willie Mays led off the bottom of the first with a single to left, reached second when Luis Tiant erred on a pickoff play, got to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Willie McCovey GiDP.



Immediately after the eighth-inning strikeout shown above, Don Wert set up the AL's last best chance to score by doubling down the right-field line, but Seaver reached back and ended the threat with the play of the game, striking out Rick "Manic" Monday.



Ron Reed, of all people, was deployed to start the ninth, but after he got two outs, Carl Yastrzemski stepped up to the plate. Unwilling to let Reed face the dangerous lefty in a one-run game, National League manager Red Schoendienst looked for a challenging lefthander to face the reigning and called on rookie sensation Jerry Koosman.



[YOUTUBE]clvp5Q5BoNQ[/YOUTUBE]



If you look closely as Johnny Bench shakes Koosman's hand, you can see Bench's lips saying, "Yeah, but I'm still going to be Rookie of the Year," and Koosman turning away to Bench's teammate Tony Perez, and tossing off, "Yeah, well, it's not like you'll deserve it."



Chilling.

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: If you look closely as Johnny Bench shakes Koosman's hand, you can see Bench's lips saying, "Yeah, but I'm still going to be Rookie of the Year," and Koosman turning away to Bench's teammate Tony Perez, and tossing off, "Yeah, well, it's not like you'll deserve it." Chilling.

Do they cultivate pompous arsehole baseball players in Cincinnati?

Later

Edited July 14, 2019 by Guest

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: If you look closely as Johnny Bench shakes Koosman's hand, you can see Bench's lips saying, "Yeah, but I'm still going to be Rookie of the Year," and Koosman turning away to Bench's teammate Tony Perez, and tossing off, "Yeah, well, it's not like you'll deserve it." Chilling. Do they cultivate pompous arseholes in Cincinnati? Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

um

[MFS62]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: um

Fixed it.

Later