Fun facts about Vic Roznovsky:
-Born in Shiner, TX, where they make a fine beer, Vic signed with the Pirates in 1958.
-He had gradual climb through the minor leagues, passing through the Pittsburgh and San Francisco organizations before finding a home with the Cubs.
-Made his major league debut with Chicago in 1964, his seventh pro season. He was 25 at the time.
-Hit .197 in 35 games as a rookie, but caught nine of 15 would-be base stealers (60%).
-Played in a career-high 71 games in 1965, hitting .221 with three homers and 15 RBI.
-Hit only four career home runs, but one came against Hall-of-Famer Don Drysdale on May 21, 1965 and provided the eventual margin of victory.
-Drove in four runs on May 26, 1965, with a bases-loaded walk and a three-run homer in an 8-6 win over the Mets.
-Was traded to the Orioles in March of 1966, and was the club's primary backup catcher in their World Championship season.
-Together with Boog Powell, hit back-to-back pinch homers in the ninth inning to tie the August 26, 1966 game with Boston at two apiece. It was the fourth time in history that this had occurred; Baltimore won the game in the 12th inning.
-Spent all of the 1968 season at AAA Rochester and then was traded to the Phillies, where he ended his career in 1969. In parts of five big league seasons, Vic hit .218 with four homers and 38 RBI.
One in a long line of seldom used, quickly replaced but sometimes invaluable back-up catchers for the Orioles (see Tatum for the current version)
ReplyDeleteI was in bed with my little radio on listening when Vic and Boog hit those back to back homers to tie the Red Sox.
The 65 series was great and this is a nice photo of Vic Roz.
Anon - Glad I could rekindle some memories for you. Many of the recent backup catchers have been horrid (Guillermo Quiroz, anyone?), but I do like the Tater.
ReplyDeleteSure seems like he played more than the parts of five seasons. Goes to show how memory can degrade with age. :-(
ReplyDeleteDo they sell Shiner up that way, Kevin. I'm not much of a beer drinker but I do like a cold Shiner Bock from time to time.
Bob - They do indeed sell Shiner up this way. I don't know if you're a Tarantino buff, but it was also featured in his film "Death Proof".
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