R.I.P. Paul Splittorff

[MARIS61]

A final tip of the cap to the best pitcher the Royals ever had, and one of the more cunning players in the thinking man's game.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Paul Splittorff, the winningest pitcher in Kansas City Royals history and a popular broadcaster for the team, died Wednesday after a battle with oral cancer and melanoma, the club announced.

Splittorff, 64, died at his home in the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs, Mo., the team said.

Splittorff was drafted by the expansion Royals in the 25th round in 1968 and spent his entire 15-year career in Kansas City. A big, blond and bespectacled left-hander with a high leg kick, he often appeared to squint into the catcher's mitt as though he was having trouble seeing the sign - proving disconcerting to hitters who wondered if they should be ready to bail out if the ball should come toward their head.

He retired during the 1984 season with a club-record 166 victories.

He had already been preparing for a broadcasting career, covering high school football and basketball games for a local radio station, and he soon joined the Royals' television crew. A two-sport star in baseball and basketball at Morningside College in Iowa, Splittorff also was a respected college basketball announcer.

He was not a hard thrower but had command of several pitches and always prepared carefully for every outing.

"He really got the most out of his ability," said Denny Matthews, the Royals' hall of fame radio broadcaster who called every major league game Splittorff pitched and became his close friend.

Splittorff lacked the natural talent of many of the top pitchers in Royals history, such as Steve Busby and Cy Young winners David Cone and Bret Saberhagen. But the fact he retired with more victories in a Kansas City uniform than any of the others is a testament to the iron-willed work ethic that characterized both his baseball and broadcasting careers.

"He was a good athlete, but he had to work at it, and he did. He recognized that. He always worked hard," Matthews said.

In 15 seasons, Splittorff was 166-143 with a 3.81 ERA. He also holds the Royals record for starts (392) and innings pitched (2,554 2/3).

After making his major league debut on Sept. 23, 1970, he became a mainstay in the rotation. His best year was 1973 when he went 20-11 and became the Royals' first 20-game winner. He was 19-13 in 1978.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/news-herald/obituary.aspx?n=paul-splittorff&pid=151289086

 

[Denny Crane]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryne_Duren


Rinold George "Ryne" Duren (February 22, 1929 - January 6, 2011) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.[1]
He was known for the combination of his blazing fastball and his very poor vision. With his thick coke bottle glasses, few batters dared to dig in against Duren. Casey Stengel said, "I would not admire hitting against Ryne Duren, because if he ever hit you in the head you might be in the past tense."

...

Duren was a showman. In those days the Yankee bullpen was a part of the short-porch right field and only a low chain link fence served as the boundary. When called upon by Casey Stengel to relieve, he wouldn’t use the gate, but preferred to hop the fence with one hand and begin a slow walk to the mound with his blue Yankee warm-up jacket covering his pitching arm; he followed this routine even on the hottest days. When he finally took the ball and began his warmups, the first pitch was typically a hard fastball 20 feet over the catcher’s head. The succeeding warmup pitches would be thrown lower and lower (but not slower) until Duren would finally "find" the plate.

 

[Denny Crane]

From my own memory, Duren wore eye glasses as thick as pop bottle bottoms. He beaned a guy in the warm up circle once. And he threw about 100 MPH.

 

[Minstrel]

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/05/25/splitt/