World Series HR Miscellany

[Frayed Knot]

During the ten year period from 1965 thru 1974, six different pitchers hit a total of eight World Series Home Runs



1965 - Mudcat Grant (Twins) off Howie Reed (Dodgers)

1967 - Jose Santiago (Red Sox) off Bob Gibson (Cardinals)

1967 - Bob Gibson (Cardinals) off Jim Lonborg (Red Sox)

1968 - Mickey Lolich (Tigers) off Nelson Briles (Cardinals)

1968 - Bob Gibson (Cardinals) off Joe Sparma (Tigers)

1969 - Dave McNally (Orioles) off Jerry Koosman (Mets)

1970 - Dave McNally (Orioles) off Wayne Granger (Reds)

1974 - Ken Holtzman (A's) off Andy Messersmith (Dodgers)



- The consecutive series of 1967 & 1968 had four pitcher HRs

- Gibson & McNally hit two each

- Gibson is the only pitcher to both hit one (two actually) as well as give one up, and he did it in the same series (though not the same game)

- Santiago's HR and McNally's 1969 shot were solo HRs in losing efforts and provided their club's only run of the game.

- McNally's 1970 HR was a Grand Slam



The kicker to all this is that there has been one pitcher HR since 1974, Joe Blanton for the 2008 Phillies off Tampa's Edwin Jackson

Now obviously the introduction of the DH has a lot to do with that, but still ... There was no DH used in the WS for a while, no not even in AL parks, so pitchers have batted more than

half as often as during that decade-long stretch (maybe less than half since they get pulled earlier in games these days). But also, from 1920 when the first pitcher WS HR happened

(coinciding pretty much with the introduction of the HR) up until 1965 there were a total of only six ['20, '24 (2), '26, '40, '58] so there's little other way to look at that '65-'74 stretch

than just a fluke.

[Edgy MD]

Without looking up the others, I know Lolich's was the only one of his career.



Lolich, by the way, in his much-derided lone season with the Mets, had a 3.22 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. Those numbers would get him at least a taste of Cy Young support today.

[G-Fafif]

A Mets third baseman has homered in each of the franchise's last four World Series: Garrett, Knight, Ventura, Wright.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: Without looking up the others, I know Lolich's was the only one of his career.

Jose Santiago had one other career HR in addition to his WS dinger

Kenny Holtzman hit two

Mudcat Grant had six

McNally had nine

and Bob Gibson totaled 24

Lolich, by the way, in his much-derided lone season with the Mets, had a 3.22 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. Those numbers would get him at least a taste of Cy Young support today.

I think a lot of that had to do with the price being Rusty, but also with, as they'd say today, the 'optics', although I like how BB-Ref's bio lists Lolich at 6' 1" 170

Either those were his Jr HS measurements or the line about what it would read if he put his other foot on the scale comes to mind.

I'm 6'0"/180 and people look at me and say 'Damn, you're a skinny sumbitch', a line I'm pretty sure no one said ever about Lolich ... not by the end of his career anyway.

A good GM could probably field a halfway decent middle infield and still keep it under the just the weight gained by mound-mates Lolich & McLain during the course of their careers.

[HahnSolo]

Chirinos's has two HRs in DC in this series. First catcher to have two homers on the road in a single World Series since.....Gary Carter in Fenway in 1986.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Without looking up the others, I know Lolich's was the only one of his career. Lolich, by the way, in his much-derided lone season with the Mets, had a 3.22 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. Those numbers would get him at least a taste of Cy Young support today.

I never got the derision aimed at Lolich the Met. Maybe it was that he wasn't so fond of being here (the team or the city? or both?). Maybe he was unreasonably blamed for fan favorite Rusty Staub's departure. Maybe some fans were expecting the prime of Lolich, when he was Cy Young caliber. But Lolich was a very solid pitcher for the Mets. Go beyond the stats and check out his game by game log if you have the time.

[G-Fafif]

I think I learned the term “snakebit” from Murph describing Lolich's luck (and had it ingrained in me when it was applied to Koosman a year later).