This was Fergie Jenkins' fifth straight 20+ win season. The
Cubs, as you probably know, don't have the best record in baseball
history. Their last World Series victory was in 1908; their last
pennant was in 1945. Outstanding Cub pitchers have been few and far
between, and Jenkins was one of them. Pitching in Wrigley Field, he
gave up a lot of home runs; but he didn't walk anybody, which
minimized the damage.
The Cubs lost 103 games in 1966; the next year Jenkins won 20
games for the first time, and the Cubs had a winning record. From
1967-72, Jenkins had six straight 20+ win seasons, and the Cubs had
a winning record each year. He then left the team, and they went
back to being the stinky Cubbies. Jenkins and Bob Gibson are the only
black major league pitchers in the Hall Of Fame; Jenkins is also
the lone Canadian-born member.
I admire Fergie Jenkins a great deal. Wrigley Field was a
tough place to pitch, and Jenkins' ERA's from these years are actually much better
than they look. But I have to pick Tom Seaver as the Cy Young
winner this year; his ERA was more than a run lower than Jenkins', he was much
tougher to hit, and he won 20 games, too. Jenkins was great, but
Seaver was a little better.
Dock Ellis was a tall, lanky pitcher, listed at 6'3", 210lbs. He grew up in the Watts district of Los Angeles; in March 1964 he was arrested for stealing a car, and was convicted of grand auto theft when he was 19 years old. After being put on probation, he attended camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was taken under the wing of scout Chet Brewer. He spent four years in the Pirates' system before making his debut in the summer of 1968.
He had a 6-5 record as a rookie, then in 1969 made 33 starts as a regular in the rotation. His record was 11-17, though his ERA was only slightly below average. Armed with a good sinking fastball, Ellis got better as the year wore on; he also had his first brush with controversy, when he took exception with some articles written about him and decided to stop talking to the press.
"They told me that life isn't a one-way street"
In 1970, he started talking again, thanking Willie Stargell and others for helping him to deal with the media. He entered the season as the Pirates' #2 pitcher; he made 30 starts and had a 13-10 record, with four shutouts and a good ERA. On June 12 he threw a no-hitter against the Padres, a wild game in which he walked eight batters and hit another. Later in the season, in a start against the Braves, Ellis knocked Rico Carty out of the lineup with a HBP, and almost came to blows with Orlando Cepeda after hitting him as well.
Ellis went on the DL in September with a sore elbow, but came back to make three great starts at the end of the season. The Pirates won the East by five games over the Cubs after an 18-10 September; in the NLCS, they were swept 3-0 by the Reds. Ellis started Game One, in which he and Gary Nolan both threw nine shutout innings. Ellis started the 10th, but gave up three runs and lost the game.
In 1971, the Pirates won 97 games and repeated as the champs in the East. Ellis had his best season; he went 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA. He was 14-3 at the All-Star break, and despite his declaration that "they'll never start one brother against another brother", he was chosen by Sparky Anderson to start the All-Star Game against Vida Blue, the first time the midseason classic had featured two black starters. Ellis served up four home runs, including Reggie Jackson's famous shot off the light tower in Tiger Stadium, and took the loss.
After the break, Ellis again suffered from elbow pain, and struggled in August and September. "The day will come when I can't throw a baseball anymore," he predicted. But he still finished 4th in Cy Young voting, and started Game Two of the NLCS. He gave up two runs in five innings, as the Pirates won easily 9-4. He started Game One of the World Series, and took the loss after giving up four runs in 2 1/3 innings. The Pirates won the Series, but Ellis did not pitch again due to his elbow.
"I've never regretted saying anything in my life"
Ellis courted controversy all season long. He was outspoken on issues concerning black athletes, and voiced his frustration when he felt that the press was avoiding those issues. Later in the year, he refused to take part in autograph day; he signed autographs outside the park, but would not join the rest of the team. During the NLCS, he complained about the poor quality of his accomodations, in a statement that did not please the fans in Pittsburgh:
"The Establishment doesn't treat the players first class. We don't travel first class, we don't get good rooms in a lot of hotels. The Establishment doesn't deserve a pennant winner. It doesn't deserve to be in a World Series."
Ellis' offseasons were usually quiet; he worked as a counsellor in a halfway house for ex-cons, and after the 1971 World Series spent two weeks on a goodwill tour in Vietnam. But in April of 1972 he was fined for showing up late to the park; he had a good 5-1 start, but then began skipping starts due to elbow soreness. On May 5 he was maced in the eyes by a police officer at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati when he couldn't prove his identity.
He ended up making 25 starts, going 15-7 with a good 2.70 ERA. The Pirates won another division title, but in the NLCS fell to the Reds in five games. Ellis started and lost Game Four, giving up three unearned runs in five innings.
The next season was a difficult one for the Pirates. Steve Blass couldn't throw strikes, while Richie Hebner feuded with manager Bill Virdon. Ellis almost managed to stay out of trouble, but for one incident in which he warmed up in the bullpen with curlers in his hair. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn heard about it, and Ellis was ordered to remove his hair curlers before entering the playing field.
Virdon was fired on September 6 with the team three games out of first place; former manager Danny Murtaugh returned, but the Pirates missed the playoffs. Ellis was given injections in his elbow and knee, but could make only two starts in September, and finished the year 12-14. After the season he had surgery on his knee, which he had shattered when he was 11 years old.
"It's only a game. There are bigger things in the world than baseball."
In 1974 the team struggled in April and May, while Ellis' record fell to 3-8. On May 1, in a start against the Reds, Ellis hit the first three batters he faced, hoping to spark his team. The Pirates improved during the summer, as Ellis won six straight decisions, then nine of ten. The Pirates entered September in a pennant race with the Cardinals; on September 11, Ellis' hand was broken by a Willie Montanez line drive. The Pirates lost six straight games, but recovered to win the division. They lost the NLCS to Los Angeles in four games; Ellis missed the postseason.
Ellis struggled with shoulder soreness in early 1975; he pitched better during the summer, but in August had consecutive starts in which he didn't get out of the first inning. He was demoted to the bullpen, but refused to report; he was fined and suspended, then was briefly reinstated before he held an infamous clubhouse meeting to which manager Murtaugh was invited. Over the course of the meeting, Ellis made comments that infuriated his manager, resulting in a two-week suspension.
He returned on August 30 and apologized; Ellis made his last three starts for the Pirates in September, as his team pulled away and won another division title. In the NLCS, the Pirates were swept by the Reds; Ellis made one relief appearance in a lost cause. After the season, he was traded to the Yankees (with Ken Brett and Willie Randolph) in exchange for Doc Medich.
The acquisition of young Randolph alone made the deal a steal for New York. But Ellis also excelled; he stayed in the rotation for the full year and posted a 17-8 record. The Yankees had a great season, easily winning the division and returning to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Ellis also managed to mostly avoid controversy; the exception was a pitch he threw on July 27 that broke Reggie Jackson's cheek.
In the ALCS, the Yankees beat the Royals in five games; Ellis started and won Game Three, giving up three runs in eight innings. With the Pirates he had appeared in many big games against the Reds, and now faced them in the World Series. He was roughed up in Game Three and took the loss, as the Yankees were swept. His magical year ended with a the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
But his time in New York was short-lived. He was offered a three-year deal by the Yankees, and publicly criticized the offer and owner George Steinbrenner. In May of 1976, he as traded to Oakland for Mike Torrez.
"The man told me to sit down and shut up. My father died when I was 13 years old. He was the last man who told me to do that. And as far as I'm concerned, nobody else can."
He was bothered by a hand injury early in the season, and didn't last long with Oakland; he was sold to Texas in June, saddled with a 2-6 record and 6.31 ERA. Once again, he recovered and pitched brilliantly the rest of the season, while the Rangers just fell short in a pennant race with the Royals. And once again, his relationship with his team soured quickly.
In 1978 he criticized manager Billy Hunter, who had banned alcohol on team flights and in hotels. During a team flight, Hunter told Ellis to "sit down and shut up", prompting another outburst from Dock, who also resigned as the team's player rep. Ellis only made five starts during the year; despite the distractions, and Dock's inability to pitch, Texas finished in second place again. Hunter was fired after the season.
Dock Ellis pitched for 12 years, posting a 138-119 record with a 3.46 ERA. From 1970-75, the Pirates won five division titles in six years, winning one World Series but also losing four NLCS series against the Dodgers and the Big Red Machine. Ellis took a regular turn in the rotation during each of those years. In 1979, he returned to Pittsburgh and finished his career with the Pirates; they also returned to the playoffs and won the championship, though he did not pitch in the postseason.
In retirement, he became a drug counsellor, while admitting to his own past drug use. Ellis claimed to have often pitched while on pep pills; most famously, he claimed that he threw his no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. It is a claim that has been disputed by some, and can't really be confirmed by anyone except Ellis himself; in any case, it has furthered fuelled his reputation as one of the most controversial players in the game.
Al Downing and Don Sutton both pitched for the Dodgers.
Downing finished third in the balloting, Sutton didn't receive a
single vote. Downing won 20 games, and threw one more shutout, but I
have to believe that Sutton was a little better during the
season. This was Sutton's first really good season; he would
eventually win more than 300 games in his career. Downing would eventually give
up Hank Aaron's 715th home run.
Don Wilson of the Astros also had his best year. His numbers
were helped by the Astrodome, a great park for
pitchers. He still pitched very well, though, and his won-loss
record was hurt by the Astros' terrible offense. Wilson remained a
good pitcher until 1975, when he accidentally killed himself by
falling sleep in his garage with the car motor running.
Special mention should be made of Dave Roberts' wonderful
season. You can argue that he was better than Sutton or Wilson;
Roberts pitched for the San Diego Padres, who had about as bad a
offense as you can have. Roberts bounced up and down for the next
decade, mixing some decent seasons with some really awful ones.
