Friday, March 13, 2009

#585 Hank Fischer

#585 Hank Fischer
Get a load of the big grin on Hank Fischer's face! It makes sense, since 1964 would turn out to be the best season of his career. If he had known at the time that he'd be finished as a major leaguer after 1967, maybe he wouldn't be so chipper.

Fun facts about Hank Fischer:

-He played both basketball (18 points per game as a freshman) and baseball at Seton Hall before signing with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959.

-Was noted for having a strong three-pitch repertoire: fastball, curve, slider. He couldn't always harness them, though.

-Won 15 games with a 2.01 ERA at class B Cedar Rapids in 1960 and led the AAA International League with 163 strikeouts the following year.

-Spent two rocky years in the Braves bullpen (1962-1963) before hitting his stride as a starter in 1964.

-In 1964, Hank had his personal best season, starting 28 of his 37 games and going 11-10 with a 4.01 ERA. He had all five of his career shutouts in that season, ranking second in the league in whitewashes.

-Went 3-2 in May 1964; all three wins were shutouts. Two-hit the Phillies on May 3, then three-hit the Mets on May 12, and finally four-hit Houston on May 27.

-Was traded twice in two months in the summer of 1966, from Atlanta to Cincinnati to Boston.

-A shoulder injury ended his career in 1967 at age 28.

-Preferred home cooking, going 17-14 with a 3.66 ERA at home in his career, compared to 13-25, 4.78 on the road.

-Inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown of Yonkers, NY in 1979.
#585 Hank Fischer (back)

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