The 1967 Yankees

Here are the 1967 New York Yankees. (And why do they have their own bass drum?) The Yankees of the late 1960s were a far cry from the Yankees of the early 1960s (and for 40 years before that). They finished with a 72-90 record in 1967, leaving them in 9th place (Hooray for the Kansas City Athletics!)


Starting Pitchers:

Here are the starting pitchers, in order of innings pitched. The Yankees began the season with a rotation of Mel Stottlemyre, Fritz Peterson, Whitey Ford, Fred Talbot, and Al Downing. When Ford retired in late May, his spot was filled by rookie Thad Tillotson until Steve Barber arrived on July 4th. That arrangement lasted until September, when Bill Monbouquette took Talbot’s spot in the rotation.

Stottlemyre and Downing won 15 and 14 games respectively, but nobody else on the entire staff won more than 8 games. In fact, nobody else had a winning record except for Monbouquette and Joe Verbanic (and those were by 1-game margins). Mel and Al also pitched 10 complete games each. Peterson was the #3 starter, compiling an 8-14 record in 181 innings. Talbot went 6-8, starting 22 of his 29 games.


Relievers:

Dooley Womack led the team with 18 saves in 65 appearances. The other relievers are shown in order of innings pitched. Bill Monbouquette was signed on May 31st (after his release from the Tigers) and pitched in 33 games (including 10 starts). Thad Tillotson (pictured below on a Rookies card) was 3-9 in 98 innings pitched.

Joe Verbanic was acquired from the Phillies in the off-season for veteran Pedro Ramos, and appears to have been the long man, pitching 80 innings in 28 games. Steve Hamilton (at age 31 the 2nd oldest on the staff, after Whitey Ford) was the left-handed short man, pitching 62 innings in 44 games. Hamilton, Womack and Hal Reniff were the only pitchers used strictly in relief.


Other Pitchers:

Reniff, a veteran of better days with the Yankees, was in his last season. He pitched in 24 games before going to the Mets on June 28th. Steve Barber was acquired from the Orioles on July 4th, and started 17 games the rest of the way.

Jim Bouton was a 21-game winner in 1963, but was nearing the end of his career by 1967. He made 1 start on April 23rd, and pitched 16 other games in relief. He was also in the minors from late-May to mid-August. Veteran Whitey Ford retired on May 31st after starting 7 games. A workhorse from 1953-1965, Ford only pitched 73 innings in ’66 and 44 innings in ’67, winning 2 games each season.


 Starting Line-up:

Here are the Starting Eight. Jake Gibbs took over the starting catcher job from Elston Howard in 1967. Mickey Mantle played first base in his final 2 seasons (1967-68) because of limited mobility. He started 130 games there in ‘67.

Horace Clarke was the Yankees’ regular shortstop in July and August 1966, and took over the 2nd base job when veteran Bobby Richardson retired before the 1967 season. Ruben Amaro started almost every game at shortstop from May 14th to September 10th.

Charlie Smith had replaced departed 3rd baseman Ken Boyer in St. Louis in 1966, and was now replacing departed 3rd baseman Clete Boyer in New York in 1967. He started 130 games as the regular 3rd baseman, except during “The Roy White Experiment” (see White, below) in late July. 1962 Rookie of the Year Tom Tresh was the everyday left fielder, although he didn’t play after September 10th.

Joe Pepitone swapped positions with Mantle for the 1967-68 seasons. He was a Gold Glove 1st baseman in ’65, ’66, and ’69, but not so much in the outfield. With the departure of Roger Maris after 1966, the Yankees used a trio of right fielders, with Steve Whitaker (74 starts), Bill Robinson (49), and Roy White (29).


Bench Players:

Here are the bench players, in order of at-bats. Bill Robinson was acquired from the Braves in the off-season for Clete Boyer, and was dubbed “the next Mickey Mantle” (as was Steve Whitaker, as was Roy White, as was Bobby Murcer, as was Roger Repoz, as was (you get the idea). At least Murcer panned out). Robinson shared right field with Whitaker, and also started 30 games in center field.

Roy White had started 66 games in left field during 1966, when Tresh moved in to play 3rd base. White began the ’67 season with the Dodgers’ AAA team in Spokane, learning how to play 3rd base. The Yankees recalled him in mid-July and installed him at the hot corner. By August, he returned to the outfield – experiment over.

Elston Howard shared the catching duties with starter Jake Gibbs, then was traded to the eventual AL champion Red Sox on August 4th. John Kennedy was acquired from the Dodgers on April 3rd, and started the first 24 games at shortstop. After that he was relegated to the bench (and the occasional start at 3rd base) for the rest of the season.

Dick Howser came over from the Indians after the 1966 season, and started 13 straight games at 2nd base in early July, but mostly backed up Clarke at 2nd base in ’67 and ’68. Mike Hegan (son of Yankees’ coach Jim Hegan) was in his first full major-league season. He was used as Mantle’s defensive replacement at first base, while also starting 22 games there.

Jerry Kenney made his major-league debut on September 5th, and started 17 of the final 18 games at shortstop. When the Red Sox acquired catcher Elston Howard from the Yanks on 8/4, that made Bob Tillman expendable, so they sold him to New York a few days later. He started 15 games down the stretch, filling in for Gibbs.


Others associated with the 1967 Yankees:

Like Kenney, Frank Fernandez was called up in September, and made his debut on September 13th. He started 7 games at catcher and 2 in right field. He was the starting catcher for 25% of the 1968 season. Ray Barker was a reserve 1st baseman in April and May, then was sent down to the minors. He was traded to the Orioles on July 4th for Steve Barber.

Tom Shopay was another September call-up. He started 7 games in left field during Tresh’s late-September absence. Bill Bryan played 7 games before May 9th, and 9 games after September 8th. In-between, he was in the minors. His only start was the 2nd game of a 9/29 doubleheader.

This was Lou Clinton’s last season. He played in 6 games in April (five as a pinch-hitter), then found work with the triple-A San Diego Padres, where the Phillies were apparently running an old-age home for ex-major-leaguers.

Ralph Houk was in his 2nd term as Yankees’ manager. His first stint (1961-63) resulted in 3 AL pennants and 2 World Series championships. His 2nd stint (1966-73) didn’t go as well. Bobby Murcer did not play for the team this season, as he was in the Army during 1967 and 1968. Too bad - he probably would have won the shortstop job over the Kennedy-Amaro tandem.

Also playing for the Yankees in 1967 was Frank Tepedino, who appeared in 9 games from May to July in his rookie season, mostly as a pinch-hitter.


Rookies:

Here are the rookie cards. All but Stan Bahnsen and Murcer played for the Yankees in 1967. Tillotson bridged the gap in the starting rotation between Ford’s retirement in May, and Barber’s arrival from the Orioles in July.


Also check out the Yankees' 1960s classic lineups: Pitchers     Batters

 
Transactions from the end of the 1966 season to the end of 1967:

10/19/66 - Released outfielder Hector Lopez.

11/28/66 - Drafted first baseman Frank Tepedino from the Orioles in the rule 5 draft.

11/29/66 - Traded 3rd baseman Clete Boyer to the Braves for Bill Robinson and pitcher Chi-Chi Olivo.

12/08/66 - Traded outfielder Roger Maris to the Cardinals for Charley Smith.

12/10/66 - Traded pitcher Pedro Ramos to the Phillies for Joe Verbanic.

12/20/66 - Traded minor-leaguer Gil Downs to the Indians for Dick Howser.

04/03/67 - Traded pitcher Jack Cullen and outfielder John Miller to the Dodgers for John Kennedy.

05/31/67 - Signed Bill Monbouquette as a free agent.

06/28/67 - Sold Hal Reniff to the Mets.

07/04/67 - Traded Ray Barker to the Orioles for Steve Barber.

08/03/67 - Traded Elston Howard to the Red Sox for pitchers Ron Klimkowski and Pete Magrini.

08/08/67 - Purchased Bob Tillman from the Red Sox.

11/28/67 - Lost Bill Bryan to the Senators in the rule 5 draft.
11/28/67 - Selected outfielder Andy Kosco from the Athletics in the rule 5 draft.

11/30/67 - Purchased shortstop Gene Michael from the Dodgers.

12/02/67 - Purchased catcher John Boccabella from the Cubs. (returned in April 1968)

12/07/67 - Traded Bob Tillman and pitcher Dale Roberts to the Braves for 3rd baseman Bobby Cox.

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Willie McCovey (#480)

It's hard to believe I haven't gotten around to Willie McCovey yet on any of my blogs. Plus, the Giants are under-represented here, so I'm killing 2 birds with one stone.

Willie "Stretch" McCovey was a fan favorite in San Francisco (even more so, I've heard, than the transplanted New Yorker - Willie Mays). Back in the 60s and 70s, I heard more than a few pitchers say that McCovey was the most feared hitter they ever faced.

Willie was signed by the New York Giants in 1955, and after 4 1/2 seasons in the minors he made his big-league debut in late-July 1959. He started 49 of the final 55 games at 1st base (pushing Orlando Cepeda to left field) and won the NL Rookie of the Year award that season.

In 1960 McCovey picked up where he left off, but by early June he found himself riding the bench most of the time, and even spent the 2nd half of July back in the minors.

During the '61 and '62 seasons, Willie was used as a pinch-hitter and part time fielder. He shared the 1st base job evenly with Cepeda in 1961 (playing there when Orlando was in left field), then in '62 Willie's primary position was left field, where he started 42 games to Harvey Kuenn's 82 games. He was also 3-for-15 in the 1962 World Series, with a triple and a home run.

McCovey became an everyday player beginning in 1963. Playing in 152 games (including 130 starts in left and only 14 at first base), Willie led the NL with 44 home runs (the first of 3 times he would do so) and made his first all-star team.

His workload was cut back in 1964, playing only 130 games. with only 75 starts in left field and 21 at first base.

Willie took over as the Giants' everyday 1st baseman at the start of the 1965 season. Injuries relegated Cepeda to 34 at-bats over 33 games that year, so McCovey started all but 12 games at 1st base. The following season, Cepeda was traded to the Cardinals in early May, so Willie had a permanent home in the infield.

Between 1965 and 1970, McCovey hit over 30 homers every season, and led the NL in home runs and RBI in '68 (36, 105) and '69 (45, 126). He also bat .293 and .320 in those seasons. He finished 3rd in the 1968 MVP voting, and won the award in 1969.

Willie remained with the Giants through the 1973 season, then was traded to the Padres. After the better part of 3 seasons in San Diego, he was sold to the Athletics in August 1976, where he finished out the season.

In November 1976 he was granted free agency, and returned to the Giants. Willie was the team's primary (not everyday) first baseman for the next 3 seasons.

In 1980, he started 11 of the first 12 games at 1B, but then slipped into a part-time role alongside Mike Ivie. McCovey played his last game on July 6, 1980.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Kansas City Athletics - Spring Training Shots

While I was putting the Lew Krausse card back in my 1967 binder after a recent post, I noticed a large number of Athletics' players photographed in spring training. The Athletics trained in Bradenton, FL from 1963-68, before moving to Arizona in 1969.  (The Pirates moved in to Bradenton in 1969, where they remain to this day.)

As I did with the Dodgers about a year ago, here are the Athletics, in their last year as Kansas City Athletics. Most of the players in the 1967 set are featured WITH caps, and in their green and white uniform. (I think only infielders Ed Charles and Ossie Chavarria are in the green and gold (away?) uniforms.

Here are the two standard "pitching poses". Most of the A's pitchers were very young. Catfish Hunter completed 2 years in the majors, Jim Nash and Chuck Dobson 1 each, with Lew Krausse the veteran of these four pitchers with 4 years.

Here are four more players, warming up before manager Al Dark puts them through some "fundamentals training". That white building behind Campy appears in several of the photos. I wonder if that's the clubhouse, or maybe just the maintenance shed for the lawn tractors and such.

Here we see Al Dark, in the white cap that the coaching staff wore (maybe so the fans in Kansas City knew where to direct their vitriol during a game?). Paul Linblad's cap looks like it just came out of the box THAT day.

Lots of youth here. Every one of these 11 players had 4 years or less in the bigs, except Mike Hershberger with 6 years.

I really like the 1967 Athletics' cards.  In the 1968 set, they're a complete airbrushed mess, what with their move to Oakland.

Jim Grant (#545)

I see that the Twins are in last place on this blog with only 6 posts, and since Mudcat Grant is the only unposted Twin already scanned to my computer...

Jim "Mudcat" Grant was a star pitcher for the Indians and Twins, before finishing his career with several other teams.

Mudcat was signed by the Indians in 1954. After 4 seasons in the minors, he made his debut with the Indians in April 1958. Grant was a swingman for 3 seasons, then joined the starting rotation fulltime in 1961. He collected a then-career-high 15 wins that season.

In June 1964, Mudcat was traded to Minnesota for pitcher Lee Stange and 3B-OF George Banks. His finest season was 1965, when he led the AL with 21 wins and 6 shutouts, and propelled the Twins to their first World Series.

After the 1967 season (when he was one of six "Jims" on the pitching staff), Grant and shortstop Zoilo Versailes were traded to the Dodgers for catcher John Roseboro and relievers Ron Perranoski and Bob Miller. Grant spent his final 4 seasons bouncing from Los Angeles to Montreal to St Louis to Oakland to Pittsburgh and back to Oakland.

Jim was released by the Athletics after the 1971 season, and pitched for their AAA Iowa Oaks team in 1972, before retiring.  


I started a non-sports blog a short while ago. Check it out! 

 

Bengal Belters (#216)

Here is another of the 13 multi-player cards that Topps included in their 1967 set - the Detroit Tigers' "Bengal Belters". (I always pictured Norm Cash as your typical burly, slugging 1st baseman, but here he looks smallish next to Al Kaline.)

Norm Cash was signed by the White Sox in 1955, and after appearing briefly with Chicago in '58 and '59 (including the 1959 World Series), he was traded to the Indians in a 7-player deal that included Minnie Minoso returning to the Sox. A week before the 1960 season started, Cash was flipped to the Tigers.

After sharing the starting 1st base job in 1960, Norm had a break-out season in 1961, starting 157 games and leading the AL in hits (193), batting average (.361), and intentional walks (19). Cash held the starting 1B job until June 7th, 1974, when catcher Bill Freehan moved out to 1st base, sending Cash to the bench for the rest of the season.

Al Kaline joined the Tigers as a bonus baby in 1953 at age 18, having never played in the minors. He appeared in 30 games that season (mostly as a pinch-hitter) then was a regular outfielder for the Tigers for the next 19 seasons (1954-72).

He led the AL in hits (200) and batting average (.340) in 1955, and hit over .300 eight other times. He also hit .379 in the 1968 World Series, and played in the 1972 ALCS.

Normally the team's right fielder, he was the regular center fielder in '59, '60, and parts of '65 and '66. Kaline was a part-time RF/1B in 1973, and the full-time DH in his final season (1974).

Lew Krausse (#565)

Today we check out Lew Krausse, pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics. This was the Athletics' last year in Kansas City, and Krausse was in the rare 7th series, so it's really the last look at a player in a KayCee uniform. (The other 7th series Athletics are rookie cards, and a capless Bob Duliba.)

Krausse grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs (the topic for my next 1960s Baseball blog post), and went to Chester High School, as did long-time Pirates' manager Danny Murtaugh. (Lew's stomping grounds were the same as my dad's, although Krausse was 12 years younger, so they probably didn't cross paths.)

Krausse's dad (Lew Sr.) pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1931-32.

Lew Jr. had been a star all through little league and high school baseball (pitching 18 no-hitters in high school), and was signed as a $125,000 bonus baby by the Athletics in 1961. He pitched a complete game shutout (vs the Angels) in his major-league debut in June, at age 18.

After appearing in 12 games (8 starts) as a rookie, he spent all of 1962 (class-A) and 1963 (AAA) in the minors. Krausse also spent the bulk of 1964-65 in the minors, but did appear in a half-dozen games with the A's in each season.

Lew became a full-time big-leaguer at the start of the 1966 season. In each of the next four years, he split his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen, but was always among the top four or five A's pitchers in innings pitched (along with Catfish Hunter, Chuck Dobson, Blue Moon Odom, and Jim Nash).

After the 1969 season, Krausse was traded to the Brewers (along with outfielder Mike Hershberger, catcher Phil Roof, and pitcher Ken Sanders) for 1st baseman Don Mincher and infielder Ron Clark.

After 2 seasons in Milwaukee, Lew was traded to the Red Sox (with pitcher Marty Pattin and outfielder Tommy Harper) for first baseman George Scott, pitchers Jim Lonborg and Ken Brett, catcher Don Pavletich, and outfielders Billy Conigliaro and Joe Lahoud. Lew pitched for the BoSox in 1972, but was released the following spring.

He was quickly re-signed by the Athletics, and spent most of the season in the minors, before signing with the Cardinals in September. Krausse spent the '74 and '75 seasons bouncing around in the minors with the Braves and Athletics.