Former pitcher Tracy Stallard died Wedensday at the age of 80. He allowed the 61st home run of the 1961 season hit by Roger Maris:
Stallard, a fastballing right-hander, was 24 years old and in his first full major league season when he was the starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 1, 1961, at Yankee Stadium.
He retired Maris on a fly to left field on his first trip to the plate. But in the fourth inning, he delivered a fastball on a 2-0 count that Maris drove into the lower right-field seats, where it fell a few rows deep into the lower deck.
My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Stallard also was on the opposite end of a Jim Bunning perfect game. His best season was in 1964 for the Mets. He walked just 2.9 batters per nine that year. That was great for him, a pitcher who showed poor control in general. He went 10-20 that season, proving once again that a 20-game loser can be a good pitcher.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2BPmKKk
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