#539 Herm Starrette

Okay, Herm's out of order because I wrote up the last post before checking my list. He's been patiently waiting with his asymmetrical undersleeves. Seriously, was the sleeve on his pitching arm longer than the one on his glove arm, or is there just slippage on the latter? You tell me.

Fun facts about Herm Starrette:

-A native of Statesville, NC, Herm pitched at Lenoir-Rhyne College before signing with the Orioles in 1958.

-Won 58 games in five full minor league seasons before making the jump from A to AAA in 1963.

-Made his major league debut on July 1, 1963 and pitched well in relief for the O's, compiling a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings.

-He was the first man born in Statesville to pitch in the majors.

-Entered in a mop-up role on August 15, 1963 with the Twins leading Baltimore 13-1. He loaded the bases and then stranded all three runners by striking out the side.

-Earned his only major league win on June 28, 1964 with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief at Washington.

-Appeared in only nine games for the Orioles in 1964-1965, despite allowing just three earned runs in 20 innings.

-In the midst of his fourth season at AAA Rochester in 1966, the 27-year-old Starrette retired, leaving him with a 1-1 record and a 2.54 ERA in 27 MLB games spanning three seasons.

-Surrendered only one home run in 46 innings in the bigs. The batter was Yankee catcher Elston Howard.

-Spent another 35 years in pro baseball as a major league coach, minor league instructor, instruction coordinator, and farm system director. He worked with the Orioles, Giants, Phillies (he was the pitching coach for the 1980 World Champions), Brewers, Cubs, Expos, and Red Sox.