The Yankees won another pennant, edging the upstart Twins (who were in their first season in Minnesota, having left Washington). They then won the World Series against the Giants, but just barely; Game Seven was a 1-0 squeaker, in which Ralph Terry threw a shutout.
        In the ninth inning, the Giants had the winning runs on base with two outs, and Willie McCovey at the plate. Terry, of course, had given up Bill Mazeroski's Series-winning home run two years earlier. He had come back strong, and had a big season this year; McCovey lined out to second, and the Yankees won.

        No AL pitcher received a vote in the Cy Young balloting this year. Dick Donovan of Cleveland received the most MVP votes; Donovan had a nice year, but certainly was not the best pitcher in the league.
        Terry and Whitey Ford both pitched for the Yankees, and both had fine years. I think Terry was a little better; he was the hardest worker in the AL, and led the league in wins (and picked up a couple of saves as well). Terry was a key member of the Yankee-Athletic pipeline of the late 1950's; he began his career with New York, pitched poorly, and was shipped to Kansas City to gain some experience.
        When he finally started pitching well, he was sent back to New York. He was a star for a short time, then after he started to decline was banished back to Kansas City. This was a familiar pattern for many New York/Kansas City dealings, with the Athletics essentially serving as a farm team. The crooked dealings ended when Charles Finley bought the Athletics, but how were they able to go on for so long?
        After several decades of finishing at or near last place, the Washington Senators had lost much of their fan support. They moved to Minnesota, and promptly finished in second place. Camilo Pascual had struggled with the Senators during their worst years, but now emerged as a fine pitcher. And a new face, Jim Kaat, strengthened the pitching even more with his first big season.
        I've mentioned most of the best starters in the league, but I'm not choosing any of them for the Cy Young this year. My choice is Hank Aguirre of the Tigers. Aguirre was an unremarkable reliever whom the Tigers decided to try in the starting rotation; the results were marvelous. Aguirre's all-around record is terrific, and he won the ERA title by a large margin. He didn't throw as many innings as some of the other guys, but he was versatile, and pitched in more games.
        I'll follow Aguirre with Terry, and then Pascual. After that, I could take Ford or Kaat, but instead I'll choose Dick Radatz, the ace rookie reliever for the Red Sox who was the most overpowering pitcher in the league.

        Dick Radatz was nicknamed "The Monster"; he stood 6'6" and weighed 260 lbs. He was an intimidating figure on the mound, and he was armed with both a hard fastball and an explosive slider. He was a sensation his first three years in the league, as the Red Sox' closer; he lost it quickly after that, but for three years was one of the best relievers in baseball.
        Radatz entered Michigan State with a basketball scholarship in 1955; he graduated with a Masters in Education, but turned his attention towards baseball. He was a starter in the minors until his manager, Johnny Pesky, moved him to the bullpen. Radatz saw the move as a demotion at first, but soon grew into the role. In 1962, he made his debut with the Red Sox; in his first three games, he struck out eight batters in 4 2/3 innings.
        He was a sensation in what was otherwise a lousy season for the Sox. He pitched in 62 games, had a 2.24 ERA and struck out 144 batters in 124 2/3 innings. He led the league with 24 saves, but wasn't used strictly as the closer; in one game against the Yankees in September, he pitched nine innings in relief until the Red Sox won in the 16th inning.
        Radatz was even better in 1963, appearing in 66 games with a 15-6 record and a 1.97 ERA, and 25 saves. He struck out 162 batters in 132 1/2 innings, ranking among the league leaders in strikeouts despite working only in relief. From May 13 to June 14, he threw 33 consecutive scoreless innings; he had a ten game winning streak at one point, and beat every team in the league. He finished 5th in the league MVP vote.
        In 1964, it was more of the same. He appeared in 28 of his team's first 50 games; early in the year he was struck in the forehead by a one-hopper back to the mound, but came back two days later. Both he and John Wyatt passed Jim Konstanty's record for games pitched in a season, with Wyatt leading the league. In 79 games, Radatz threw 157 innings, struck out 181 batters, and had a 2.29 ERA, as well as a 16-9 record and 29 saves.
        Radatz finished 9th in the MVP vote. After the season, he embarked on an intensive running and weightlifting program during the winter, in an effort to show up for spring training in better shape. He opened the 1965 season with a bad stretch of games, and on May 14 his ERA had ballooned to 7.74. He regained his old form in June, striking out 13 of 19 batters at one point, but was inconsistent the rest of the season. He threw 124 innings, but struck out "only" 121 batters and had a 3.91 ERA.
        The Red Sox denied rumours that Radatz might be traded, but things went from bad to worse in 1966. He continued to struggle, and was booed by the Boston fans; Radatz insisted that his arm was fine, but others observed that he had lost velocity. On June 2 he was traded to Cleveland; he had a 4.64 ERA in 75 innings, though his old self would reappear with the occasional overpowering performance (he had one stretch when he had 13 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings).
        He was traded to the Cubs next April, but his control was lost, and he was sent to the minors after walking 24 batters in 23 innings. In 22 innings with Tacoma, Radatz walked 33 batters and threw 12 wild pitches. A pinched nerve in his shoulder was discovered and treated, and he attempted comebacks with Detroit and Montreal before his career ended in 1969.
        Radatz' first three seasons remain three of the most impressive by a relief pitcher in baseball history. He helped define the role of the "relief ace"; his rise coincided with the development of the Save rule, and the introduction of The Sporting News' annual Fireman Award (which he won twice). His rapid fall also served as a warning about the overuse of relief pitchers.