Was listening to Howard Eskin on WIP this morning. He was discussing today’s pitchers, the dying breed that is complete games, and the name of Robin Roberts came up.

So I tweeted Howard:

FLASHBACK

I was laying on the floor listening to the Phillies game on a console radio. The Phils were playing the first game of a doubleheader at Shibe Park against the Boston Braves. That’s right – the Boston Braves – a year before they moved to Milwaukee, and Robin Roberts was on the mound.

The date was September 6, 1952, and I was nine years old.

The Phillies were losing 6-2 going into the bottom of the eighth, Roberts was still on the mound, and then the Phils rallied:

• Mel Clark led off with a double to center.
• After Olney’s own Del Ennis grounded out to short, Smoky Burgess drove Clark home with a single to center.
• Willie “Puddin Head” Jones singled to put runners on first and second with one out.
• Johnny Wyrostek singled to center. Burgess scored and Jones moved to third.
• Jackie Mayo cleared the bases with a double to center to tie the score 6-6.

Extra Innings

The game moved into extra innings . . . 12th . . . 13th . . . 14th . . . 15th . . . 16th . . . and, yes . . . the 17th inning – and Robin Roberts was still on the mound.

Del Ennis led off the bottom of the 17th and ended the game with a line drive into the bleachers in left to give the Phillies a 7-6 win.

Roberts picked up a complete-game win – which upped his record to 23-7. He gave up 18 hits over the full 17 innings, but he shut out the Braves on eight hits over the final nine innings. So, if anything, he was getting stronger as the game went on.

Four days earlier, Roberts had pitched a complete-game 8-2 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. And five days later, Roberts took his regular turn and pitched a complete-game 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

That’s how starting pitchers use to pitch. Supposedly, they weren’t as big or as strong or as fast or as well-nourished as today’s pitchers but – pardon my French – goddammit, they pitched their asses off.

Here’s how Robin Roberts finished that 1952 season:

• 28-7 record and a 2.59 ERA.
• Started 37 games and completed 30 of them.
• Relieved twice and saved both games.
• Led the NL with 330 innings pitched.

Apparently all those innings and all those pitches did little to harm his arm:

He pitched in the big leagues for 19 years.

• Won 286 games.
• Competed 305 games.
• Threw 45 shutouts.
• Notched 25 saves.
• Pitched 4,688 innings.
• Struck out 2,357 batters.
• Compiled 3.41 ERA.
• Made the Hall of Fame.

No Comparison

So when comparing today’s pitchers to the pitchers of yore – almost any comparison is unfair.

For instance, just looking at complete games in 2014:

• Clayton Kershaw led the NL with 6 complete games.
• Dalls Keuchel ked the AL with 5 complete games.

In 1952, Robin Roberts pitched 19 more complete games than Kershaw and Keuchel did combined in 2014 – 30 to 11.

They don’t make pitchers like they used to.

Barry Bowe is the author of:

• Born to Be Wild
• 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
• 12 Best Eagles QBs
• Soon-to-be-published Caribbean Queen