Thursday, March 05, 2009

#568 Ron Taylor

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If you looked up "lantern-jawed" in the dictionary, you would see this photo of Ron Taylor.

Fun facts about Ron Taylor:

-Born in Toronto, he is fifth all-time in saves among Canadians (72).

-Signed by the Indians in 1956, won 79 games in seven minor league seasons.

-Debuted with the Indians on April 11, 1962 and made baseball history by giving up a game-ending grand slam to Carroll Hardy of the Red Sox. It broke a scoreless tie in the twelfth inning, the latest inning in which a walkoff granny has ever been hit. It was a tough-luck loss, as Taylor had pitched the entire game and notched two hits of his own.

-Primarily a reliever, appeared in 50 or more games seven times in eight years (1963-1970).

-In June 1965, Ron and Mike Cuellar were traded to the Astros for Hal Woodeshick and another Taylor (Chuck).

-Saved exactly 13 games each year from 1968-1970.

-Had a sub-3.00 ERA four different times.

-Tossed 10 and 1/3 scoreless innings and saved three games in three career postseason series, all wins for his team (1964 World Series with Cardinals, 1969 NLCS and World Series with Mets).

-Earned a medical degree after he was through as a pitcher and spent many years as team doctor for the Blue Jays.
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