Friday, August 14, 2009

#107 Phillies Rookie Stars: Pat Corrales and Costen Shockley

#107 Phillies Rookie Stars: Pat Corrales and Costen Shockley
I was halfway through a post on the Cardinals team card before I got a sneaking sense of deja vu and discovered that I'd already written about that card in April. I have got to pay more attention to what I'm doing. So instead we jump to this fine card, which allowed me to complete my first binder page for the 1965 Topps set - a major milestone!

Fun facts about Pat Corrales:

-Los Angeleno Pat signed with the Phillies in 1959 as a teenager.

-Was a high school teammate of future MLB pitchers Jim Maloney and Dick Ellsworth.

-Made his major league debut in 1964, his sixth pro season; he had hit .300 twice in the minors.

-His 174 at-bats in 1965 were the most of his major league career; he hit .224 but walked 25 times for a .323 on-base percentage. He also set a major league record by reaching base on catcher's interference six times that season (including twice in one game).

-Did well in limited playing time in Cincinnati in 1968-1969, hitting .268 and .264, respectively.

-The last of his four career home runs was a two-run shot to break a scoreless ninth-inning tie in Atlanta on July 10, 1970; Pat's Reds would top the Braves 3-1. The ball that he hit actually glanced off of Hank Aaron's glove and popped over the fence!

-In parts of nine seasons, he hit .216 with 4 homers and 54 RBI.

-Pat is better-known as a coach and manager; he joined the Rangers staff in 1975 and took over as manager in 1978, compiling a 160-164 record through 1980. He was hired by the Phillies in 1982 and guided the club to a second-place finish in the N.L. East. The following year, he was fired even though his team was in first place (they were a mediocre 43-42). Paul Owens took over and guided them to the World Series. Meanwhile, Corrales was hired by the Indians and finished the year helming a last-place squad. Talk about the penthouse to the outhouse! In Cleveland, he coaxed one suprising season out of the Tribe (84-78 in 1986) but was 280-355 overall when he received his pink slip in mid-1987.

-During a melee in 1986, Pat charged at Oakland pitcher Dave Stewart and tried to kick him, but was decked with a strong Stewart right hand.

-Spent seventeen years on Bobby Cox's coaching staff in Atlanta (1990-2006), and was thought to be the heir apparent to Cox. Of course, Bobby's still plugging along! Corrales is now in his second stint as bench coach of the Washington Nationals.

Fun facts about Costen Shockley:

-A Georgetown, DE native, Costen signed with the Phils in 1960.

-Hit at every level of the minor leagues in four seasons (.313 AVG and .512 SLG), culminating with a club-record 36 home runs to go along with 112 RBI for the AAA Arkansas Travelers in 1964.

-Had a brief trial in Philadelphia in July of 1964, hitting a home run in his second game and collecting hits in five of his first six games.

-Returned to the Phils in September; hit .229 in 35 big-league at-bats that year.

-Was traded to the Angels in the offseason along with Rudy May; in return, the Phillies received pitcher Bo Belinsky.

-Hit the first grand slam in Dodger Stadium history on May 4, 1965.

-Struggled with the Halos, hitting .187 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 40 games. When they optioned him to the minors in June, he refused to report and walked away from baseball.

-Costen returned home to Delaware and worked in construction.

-Was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

-His brother Joe played shortstop at the University of Delaware; Joe's son Scott was an outfielder for the Blue Hens.
#107 Phillies Rookie Stars: Pat Corrales and Costen Shockley (back)

2 comments:

  1. Pat Corrales: When he managed the Indians the sportswriters jeeringly referred to him as "Perpetual Pat" due to a clause in his contract that automatically renewed itself.

    Costen Shockley: Dang, no grand slams were hit in the first 3 years of Dodger Stadium, even though two teams called it home? Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I remember Costen Shockley as a 1B for the '64 Phils but never knew about the slam he hit at Dodger Stadium. Great facts to know. Thanks

    ReplyDelete