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Baseball Profiles: Ben Jukich
Left-handed pitcher Benjamin D. Jukich was born on Oct. 17, 1982, in Duluth, Minn. He graduated from Duluth Denfeld High School in 2001 and played baseball at McCook Community College in McCook, Neb., and Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. Jukich pitched for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League in 2005 and briefly in 2006 before he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 13th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on June 12, 2007. He has pitched for Class A teams in Vancouver, British Columbia.; Kane County, Ill.; Stockton, Cal.; and Sarasota, Fla. He pitched for the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts in 2008, going 8-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 19 starts before his promotion to the Class AAA Louisville Bats on July 19. He represented Chattanooga and was the winning pitcher in his start for the Southern League All-Star Game on July 14, 2008. He was one of 19 non-roster players invited to the 2009 Reds' spring training camp. He will begin the 2009 season with Louisville of the International League.
Jukich and PHS Assistant Coach Anthony Bush were teammates on the Bayside Vipers amateur baseball club of Superior, Wis., in 2004 and for one game in 2006 when Jukich struck out 23 batters just weeks prior to being drafted by Oakland.
Click here to view Ben's official Minor League Baseball page.
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Baseball Profiles: Joe Bush -- "Bullet Joe"
Leslie Ambrose "Bullet Joe" Bush was born near Brainerd, Minn., on Nov. 27, 1892. He played amateur baseball as a teenager in Brainerd and signed with the Missoula (Mont.) Highlanders in 1912. One year later, at age 20, he was the winning pitcher in game three of the 1913 World Series for the Philadelphia Athletics against the New York Giants. He was the youngest pitcher to earn a World Series win until Francisco Rodriguez broke his record in 2002. Bush had been purchased by Connie Mack in 1912 after the A's star pitcher Jack Coombs fell ill. Bush started one game for Philadelphia in 1912 before joining the team full-time the next season. He was 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA as a rookie.
Philadelphia won the 1913 World Series and returned in 1914 but were swept by the "Miracle" Boston Braves. Two of the A's top pitchers, Hall of Fame inductees Eddie Plank and fellow Minnesotan Chief Bender, bolted to the upstart Federal League in 1915. Mack subsequently sold off most of his high-priced talent and the A's slumped for the next several years, including a Major League record for worst season in 1916 (36-117). Despite leading the American League with 24 losses in 1916, Bush recorded a 2.57 ERA and provided a rare highlight as he threw a no-hitter on Aug. 26 against Cleveland. He walked the first batter of the game but then retired 27 straight.
Bush was traded to the Boston Red Sox following the 1917 season and joined pitcher Babe Ruth as Boston defeated the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series. Bush was 15-15 with a 2.11 ERA in 1918. Ruth was purchased by the New York Yankees in 1920 and Bush followed suit when he was traded in Dec. 1921. Bush enjoyed the finest season of his career in 1922, posting a 26-7 record. He pioneered the use of the forkball that season. The Yankees lost the World Series to their fellow Polo Grounds tenants, the Giants, but returned to face them in 1923, this time in the brand-new Yankee Stadium. The Yankees opened their new stadium in style, earning the franchise's first World Series championship. Bush, a 19-game winner in 1923, lost game one in relief when Casey Stengel hit an inside-the-park home run in the ninth inning, but he recorded a complete game 8-1 victory in game five, becoming the first Yankee to win a World Series game in Yankee Stadium.
Bush was traded to the St. Louis Browns for star pitcher Urban Shocker in 1924. He played for St. Louis, Washington, Pittsburgh, and the New York Giants between 1925-27 before returning to the A's in 1928, his final season in the Major Leagues. His teammates in 1928 included Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Al Simmons, Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane, and Jimmie Foxx, all Hall of Fame inductees. He is one of only three pitchers to win three World Series with three different clubs. Jack Morris (another Minnesotan) and Dave Stewart are the others.
Bush batted over .300 three times and ended his Major League career with a .253 batting average. He played outfield in the Pacific Coast League following his pitching career. He managed the Allentown (Pa.) Dukes in 1930 and the Allentown Buffaloes in 1931. His Dukes won the Eastern League championship in 1930. He died in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Nov. 1, 1974.
References
Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society, Inc.
Baseball-Reference.com
Briggeman, Kim. "Bullet Joe and baseball history". Missoula Missoulan. 2008.
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Baseball Profiles: Harvey Haddix -- "The Kitten"
Harvey Haddix (1925-1994) pitched the greatest game in the history of baseball... and lost. On May 26, 1959, Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings, only to lose the game in the 13th inning. Although Haddix's Pirates collected 12 hits off the Braves' Lew Burdette, they could not score. Felix Mantilla reached base on an error committed by Pirates third baseman Don Hoak to lead off the bottom of the 13th inning. Eddie Mathews followed with a sacrifice bunt sending Mantilla to second base. Haddix then intentionally walked Hank Aaron, and Joe Adcock followed by hitting a 1-0 pitch barely over the right field fence. So the game ended 3-0, right? Wrong. Aaron, not realizing it was a home run, touched second base and believing the game was over as Mantilla scored, left the field without circling the bases. The umpires ruled the final score to be 2-0, but the next day the National League changed the score to 1-0. Adcock's hit was ruled a double, and he was called out for passing Aaron on the base paths.
Haddix was the Pirates' winning pitcher in game seven of the 1960 World Series, being the lucky recipient of Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run, but will forever be known for the incredible bad luck that befell him the previous season.
To add insult to injury, the 1991 Statistical Accuracy Committee that removed the asterisk associated with Roger Maris' 61 home runs in 1961 also changed the wording to define a no-hitter as a complete game rather than nine innings, thus removing the greatest game ever pitched from the official list of no-hitters.
Click here to read a detailed account of the famous game. Click on the baseball card for the box score.
Harvey Haddix Fast Facts:
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series Championship
3-time NL All Star (1953-55)
3-time NL Gold Glove Winner (1958-60)
Won 20 games as a rookie for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953
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Baseball Profiles: Lefty O'Doul -- "The Man in the Green Suit"
"Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul (1897-1969) ranks fourth all-time in career batting average (.349), yet he is not enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The only other person in the top ten who shares that distinction is "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (3rd, .356). Jackson was banned from organized baseball for life following the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. O'Doul, on the other hand, remained a hero and baseball ambassador his whole life. Why is O'Doul not in the hall of fame? Click here to read more.
For a more in-depth look at the history of Japanese baseball and Lefty's role in it, click on the picture at the right.
Lefty O'Doul Fast Facts
1933 New York Giants World Series Championship
1933 NL All Star
2-Time NL Batting Champion (1929, 1932)
Set NL Record 254 Hits in 1929 (Giants' Bill Terry tied O'Doul in 1930)
Was Joe DiMaggio's Minor League Manager (San Francisco Seals)
2002 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee
Lefty O'Doul Bridge spans McCovey Cove in San Francisco
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Baseball Profiles: Dave Bancroft -- "Beauty"
By James J. Spence, Jr., Professional Sports Authenticator, www.psadna.com
David James Bancroft was born on April 20, 1891, in Sioux City, Iowa. He was of English decent and son of Frank and Ella. The cross-handed/switch hitter played shortstop for Sioux City High School and sandlot baseball teams before signing his first professional contract at the age of 17 for the Duluth club of the Minnesota-Wisconsin League. In 1908, he actually tried out for the Winona team but was cut a day before the season’s start.
From the start, “Banny” excelled as a natural shortstop, possessing quick reflexes, great range from either his right or left side and was known for his strong throwing arm. At 5’ 9” and 150 pounds, Bancroft improved on his batting average with minor league stops in Superior (1910-11) and then with the Portland teams of the Pacific Coast and Northwest Leagues until 1914. When a called third strike would sail passed him, he would verbally express “Beauty,” which earned him his nickname.
Coming off a sixth place finish, the Philadelphia Phillies hired Pat Moran to manage the club for their 1915 season. Immediately, Moran sought out the fiery, tough and intelligent Bancroft to anchor his infield and purchased his contract from Portland. The rookie responded by playing all 153 games and hitting .254. Along with the likes of Grover Cleveland Alexander, home run king Gavvy Cravath, and future Hall of Fame pitcher Eppa Rixey, Bancroft helped Philadelphia to their first pennant. Dave batted .294 in the World Series despite the Phillies losing in five games to the Boston Red Sox.
The leadoff-hitting Bancroft was not a power hitter, punching only 32 homers in his career. He compiled a respectable .279 lifetime average and collected 2,004 hits. The blue-eyed “Beauty” was certainly not flawless as a fielder, leading the league in errors three times, although he still was considered one of the finest infielders in the league. After the Phillies slid back into the cellar, owner William Baker sold Bancroft to the New York Giants where he enjoyed his best three-plus seasons as team captain and helped them win three straight National League Championships. As a “favor” to his friend Christy Mathewson, Bancroft was traded to the Braves late in 1923 to become their player/manager. The fact of the matter is that McGraw knew that the 32-year-old Bancroft’s best years were behind him and his 20-year-old hotshot Travis Jackson needed some playing time.
Bancroft toiled for four years in Boston, never adapting well to his managerial duties. In July of 1924, a pitch hit him in the stomach which required the removal of his appendix, thus abbreviating his playing time to 79 games. He was traded to Brooklyn, serving also as Wilbert Robinson’s unofficial assistant manager, where he had two mediocre seasons and was released at the end of 1929. The Giants brought him back as a player/coach but he retired from playing after just 10 games. He remained on as coach through the 1932 season, often filling in for the ailing John McGraw. Bancroft seemed like the obvious choice to replace McGraw as manager, but player/manager Bill Terry got the nod instead.
Now, the crafty skipper had his first managerial opportunity with the second place Minneapolis Millers in the American Association in 1933. By 1936, he dropped down to pilot the Sioux City club of the Western League to a fifth place finish. His next stop came eleven years later, in 1947, where he managed the St. Cloud team of the Class C Northern League and he finally won a pennant. Bancroft finished his career by briefly posting managerial stints with the Battle Creek Belles and the South Bend Blue Sox of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. After baseball, he worked for the Lakehead Pipe Company in Superior, Wis.
Bancroft married Edna H. Gisin on November 22, 1910, and they resided at 2302 Tower Avenue in Superior, Wis. Bancroft retired with his wife of 62 years and was selected (#119) by the Veterans Committee to the Hall of Fame on August 9, 1971. His humble response: “I was more surprised by my election than anything that ever happened to me.” After a lengthy illness and too frail to attend his induction ceremony, Bancroft died at a Superior, Wis., hospital, just one year later on October 9, 1972. His heart failed at the age of 81. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Superior, Wis.
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Baseball Profiles: Herb Score
Herb Score was a great young pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in the mid-1950s on a pitching staff that included Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Early Wynn who were all in the twilight of their careers. Score's fate to follow their footsteps into the Hall of Fame was sealed on May 7, 1957, when he was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees' batter Gil McDougald. It was feared Score's eyesight would be damaged by the blow, but he made a full recovery, at least from a health standpoint: Score returned to the mound at the end of the 1958 season and pitched until 1962 for Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox, but he wasn't the same pitcher who lit up the league in his first two seasons. A fireballer before the accident, Score would end up in an off-balance stance after delivering a pitch. He subsequently changed his motion and thus threw slower and was prone to injury in his post-accident career. Score turned to the broadcast booth after his retirement as a player; he was the voice of Cleveland Indians baseball on the radio from 1967-1997. Click on Herb's SI cover photo to read more about what could have been...
Herb Score Fast Facts:
1955 AL Rookie of the Year
AL All Star in 1955 and 1956
Led AL in Strikeouts in 1955 and 1956
Set MLB Record for Strikeouts by a Rookie in 1955 (245), Passed only by Dwight Gooden in 1984 (276)
One of Only Four Pitchers to Record Over 200 Strikeouts as a Rookie
(Gooden, Don Sutton and Kerry Wood are the others)
Won 20 Games in 1956
Had Career Marks of 36 Wins, 19 Losses, a 2.68 ERA and 508 Strikeouts in 476.2 Innings Pitched in First Two Seasons
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Baseball Profiles: Steve Carlton and Gus Hoefling
Known for his intensity, Carlton's work ethic proved compatible with the Phillies' strength and conditioning trainer Gus Hoefling. Hoefling's arm exercises have been performed by Rails pitchers since 2004, as learned from former UMD pitching coach Cal Barr. Carlton played for the Minnesota Twins in 1987 and 1988. He wore sunglasses in the Twins' photo with President Reagan as the 1987 World Series champs visited the White House. Carlton was labeled an "unidentified secret service agent" in the photo's caption. Click on the picture to read about his remarkable career.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction: 1994 (1st Year of Eligibility)
1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship
10-Time All Star
4-Time NL Cy Young Award Winner
4-Time NL Wins Leader
5-Time NL Strikeouts Leader
Career Wins: 329 (11th All Time)
Career Innings Pitched: 5217.3 (9th All Time)
Career Strikeouts: 4136 (4th All Time)
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Baseball Profiles: Buck O'Neil
Buck died October 4, 2006, at the age of 94. He missed induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by one vote earlier in 2006. He became the oldest professional baseball player in July, 2006, batting in the Northern League All-Star Game for the Kansas City (Kan.) T-Bones, the franchise that was formerly the Duluth-Superior Dukes. Click on Buck's photograph to read more about his amazing life story.
Buck O'Neil Fast Facts:
Played in Negro Leagues From 1937-1953
Interrupted Playing Career for US Navy Service During WWII
Scouted Lou Brock, Ernie Banks and Elston Howard
First Black MLB Coach (1962 -- Chicago Cubs)
Instrumental in Founding the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
Gained National Prominance in 1994 PBS Documentary, Ken Burns' Baseball
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Baseball Profiles: Eddie Waitkus
Click on Eddie's baseball card to read a fascinating true story that changed his life forever. The incident provided a plot base for Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel, "The Natural," which was adapted for the silver screen in 1985, starring Robert Redford.
Eddie Waitkus Fast Facts:
NL All Star: 1948, 1949
Career Batting Average: .285
Led NL in Singles in 1950
Led NL in AB/K in 1950 and 1952
Played in 1950 World Series
Decorated WWII Veteran
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Baseball Profiles: Ty Cobb -- "The Georgia Peach"
Click on the picture to read about how Ty Cobb played the game. Bloody teeth, anyone?
Ty Cobb Fast Facts:
National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction: 1936 (Charter Member)
11-Time AL Batting Champion
8-Time AL Hits Leader
Career Batting Average: .366 (1st All-Time)
Career Runs Scored: 2246 (2nd All-Time)
Career Hits: 4189 (2nd All-Time)
Career Doubles: 724 (4th All-Time)
Career Triples: 295 (2nd All-Time)
Career RBI: 1937 (6th All-Time)
Career Stolen Bases: 892 (4th All-Time)
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Baseball Profiles: Jack Glasscock -- "Pebbly Jack"
Proctor Baseball's "Glasscock Drill," in which the players field ground balls without a glove, was named in honor of the man who played shortstop with his bare hands. Click on Jack's baseball card to read about one of the 19th Century's best shortstops.
Jack Glasscock Fast Facts:
NL Batting Champion: 1890 (.336)
NL Hits Leader: 1889, 1890
Led NL in AB/K: 1886, 1887, 1890
Career Batting Average: .290
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