Carl Willey, 1931-2009

[Guest Edgy DC]

Carl had a pretty good year (as good as you could've hoped for really) as a starter in 1963, but had little to offer as a reliever the next two years, after taking a liner off his jaw in spring training.

Pitched in the first ever Mayor's Cup Game.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-07-21-3725108615_x.htm

[Guest Edgy DC]

Is this his before or after jaw?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Wow. His last memory in UMDB:

Mets fan in Maine

September 24, 2007

A few days ago the Bangor (Maine) Daily News ran a story on Carlton's ex-wife (they were "high school sweethearts" but divorced "recently," noted the article). She got their house in Cherryfield, Maine, apparently, which has a railing made of bats, one of which was Stan Musial's, and autographed baseballs, including ones from Eddie Mathews and Red Schoendienst. She also has one of Henry Aaron's Milwaukee Braves jerseys and said the Willey children played with Aaron's kids. She said that Fidel Castro was a fan of Carlton's and "wanted to know why [the Braves] didn't pitch Willey in the third game of the [1958] series." She did mention the grand slam and said that their son got the ball. Finally, describing when Carlton's jaw was broken by a line drive, she said, "[T]hat just ruined his career."

Hope Carlton's OK after this late-in-life divorce.

[Frayed Knot]

[Fman99]

="Frayed Knot":6dym12yv][/quote:6dym12yv] Boy Mr. S had some game. Wonderful artwork.

G-Fafif Jul 22 2009 10:41 AM

From Jerry Mitchell's seminal team history, The Amazing Mets, regarding the unfortunate turning point of Willey's career in 1964: ]Carl Willey, a nine-game winner the season before and potentially the ace of the staff when the new one started, was the best pitcher in Florida by April 3. He had gone 26 innings without a run. Then, in an exhibition game with Detroit, the quiet man from Maine had has jaw broken by a drive off the bat of Gates Brown, a Tiger rookie. He was sidelined for two months, then tried to pitch too soon and developed arm trouble. He appeared in only 14 games, two as the starting pitcher, before being sent home. (There must have been Mets fans at Yankee Stadium one midsummer afternoon when Detroit was the visiting club. When Gates Brown, a total stranger, was introduced as a pinch-hitter, Met banners were waved and Brown was lustily booed.)

G-Fafif Jul 24 2009 04:58 PM

Willey gets the NY writeup he deserves from Newsday's Alan Fallick here. Highlight: ]Carlton Willey, the first Mets pitcher to hit a grand slam, has died. One of the Mets' best pitchers in their early days, Willey, 78, died Monday in his hometown of Cherryfield, Maine. Family members told Bangor's WABI-TV that he died of complications from lung cancer. [...] Willey pitched 57 games for the Mets, winning 10 and losing 18 with an ERA of 3.29 from 1963 to 1965. He struck out 128 and walked 92 in 241 innings. His best Mets season was his first, at the Polo Grounds. He went 9-14 in 1963 and led the team with a 3.10 ERA. But he allowed 24 home runs in 183 innings. Willey tied the Mets' season record of four shutouts in 1963, previously set by Al Jackson in the inaugural season of 1962. Jerry Koosman broke the mark in 1968 with seven shutouts. A friend of Willey's, Steve McLain, recalled in a 2007 online story when Willey hit the grand slam, at the Polo Grounds in 1963, despite a lifetime .099 batting average. "His father was at the game that day," McLain wrote. "And the boy who caught the ball somehow found Carlton's dad and gave him the ball."

Benjamin Grimm Aug 07 2009 12:06 PM

The death of Carl Willey creates an opening in the list of 20 oldest living Mets. At the time of his death, Willey was in 14th place, just behind another Willie, Mr. Mays. Welcome to the group, George Altman. +-----------------+--------------+------------+ | Berra | Yogi | 1925-05-12 | | Snider | Duke | 1926-09-19 | | Ginsberg | Joe | 1926-10-11 | | Hillman | Dave | 1927-09-14 | | Thomas | Frank | 1929-06-11 | | Pignatano | Joe | 1929-08-04 | | Piersall | Jimmy | 1929-11-14 | | Landrith | Hobie | 1930-03-16 | | Lary | Frank | 1930-04-10 | | Friend | Bob | 1930-11-24 | | Zimmer | Don | 1931-01-17 | | Craig | Roger | 1931-02-17 | | Mays | Willie | 1931-05-06 | | Sherry | Norm | 1931-07-16 | | Fernandez | Chico | 1932-03-02 | | Bressoud | Ed | 1932-05-02 | | Marshall | Jim | 1932-05-25 | | Taylor | Sammy | 1933-02-27 | | Bouchee | Ed | 1933-03-07 | | Altman | George | 1933-03-20 | +-----------------+--------------+------------+

[G-Fafif]

From Jerry Mitchell's seminal team history, The Amazing Mets, regarding the unfortunate turning point of Willey's career in 1964:

]Carl Willey, a nine-game winner the season before and potentially the ace of the staff when the new one started, was the best pitcher in Florida by April 3. He had gone 26 innings without a run. Then, in an exhibition game with Detroit, the quiet man from Maine had has jaw broken by a drive off the bat of Gates Brown, a Tiger rookie. He was sidelined for two months, then tried to pitch too soon and developed arm trouble. He appeared in only 14 games, two as the starting pitcher, before being sent home. (There must have been Mets fans at Yankee Stadium one midsummer afternoon when Detroit was the visiting club. When Gates Brown, a total stranger, was introduced as a pinch-hitter, Met banners were waved and Brown was lustily booed.)

[G-Fafif]

Willey gets the NY writeup he deserves from Newsday's Alan Fallick here. Highlight:

]Carlton Willey, the first Mets pitcher to hit a grand slam, has died. One of the Mets' best pitchers in their early days, Willey, 78, died Monday in his hometown of Cherryfield, Maine. Family members told Bangor's WABI-TV that he died of complications from lung cancer. [...] Willey pitched 57 games for the Mets, winning 10 and losing 18 with an ERA of 3.29 from 1963 to 1965. He struck out 128 and walked 92 in 241 innings. His best Mets season was his first, at the Polo Grounds. He went 9-14 in 1963 and led the team with a 3.10 ERA. But he allowed 24 home runs in 183 innings. Willey tied the Mets' season record of four shutouts in 1963, previously set by Al Jackson in the inaugural season of 1962. Jerry Koosman broke the mark in 1968 with seven shutouts. A friend of Willey's, Steve McLain, recalled in a 2007 online story when Willey hit the grand slam, at the Polo Grounds in 1963, despite a lifetime .099 batting average. "His father was at the game that day," McLain wrote. "And the boy who caught the ball somehow found Carlton's dad and gave him the ball."

[Benjamin Grimm]

The death of Carl Willey creates an opening in the list of 20 oldest living Mets. At the time of his death, Willey was in 14th place, just behind another Willie, Mr. Mays. Welcome to the group, George Altman.

+-----------------+--------------+------------+
| Berra           | Yogi         | 1925-05-12 |
| Snider          | Duke         | 1926-09-19 |
| Ginsberg        | Joe          | 1926-10-11 |
| Hillman         | Dave         | 1927-09-14 |
| Thomas          | Frank        | 1929-06-11 |
| Pignatano       | Joe          | 1929-08-04 |
| Piersall        | Jimmy        | 1929-11-14 |
| Landrith        | Hobie        | 1930-03-16 |
| Lary            | Frank        | 1930-04-10 |
| Friend          | Bob          | 1930-11-24 |
| Zimmer          | Don          | 1931-01-17 |
| Craig           | Roger        | 1931-02-17 |
| Mays            | Willie       | 1931-05-06 |
| Sherry          | Norm         | 1931-07-16 |
| Fernandez       | Chico        | 1932-03-02 |
| Bressoud        | Ed           | 1932-05-02 |
| Marshall        | Jim          | 1932-05-25 |
| Taylor          | Sammy        | 1933-02-27 |
| Bouchee         | Ed           | 1933-03-07 |
| Altman          | George       | 1933-03-20 |
+-----------------+--------------+------------+