Thursday, November 11, 2010

#434 Dave Morehead

#434 Dave Morehead
Dave Morehead's chest hair is desperately trying to escape over the collar of his jersey. That's impressive and a little unsettling.

Fun facts about Dave Morehead:

-A native of San Diego, Dave signed with the Red Sox as a teenager in 1961.

-He made Boston's Opening Day roster in 1963, just his third pro season. He started his career with a bang by shutting out the Senators on five hits in his debut on April 13, 1963. He struck out ten in that game as well.

-His fourth career game was also memorable; on May 12, 1963, again facing the Senators, the only hit he allowed was a Chuck Hinton solo home run. Despite walking six and striking out three, he earned a 4-1 win.

-Overall, he was 10-13 with a 3.81 ERA in his rookie season.

-Morehead struggled greatly over the next two seasons, combining to win 18 games and lose 33. In 1965, he led the American League with 18 losses; on the plus side, he was also eighth in the league with 163 strikeouts.

-On September 16, 1965, he no-hit the Indians, allowing only a second-inning walk to Rocky Colavito. It was the only Boston no-no from 1963 through 2000.

-Arm injuries limited Dave to 33 major league games from 1966 through 1968. He did throw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief in two games in the 1967 World Series.

-After being drafted by the Royals, he was with the club for their first two seasons, pitching in 49 games (19 starts) with a 4.07 ERA. He was released in the spring of 1971, bringing his career to an early end.

-In eight seasons, Morehead was 40-64 with a 4.15 ERA.

-When he retired, Dave was probably glad that he didn't have to face Brooks Robinson any more. The Hall of Fame third baseman batted .467 (21-for-45) with 7 doubles, 2 home runs, and 12 RBI in their meetings.
#434 Dave Morehead (back)

3 comments:

  1. It's interestng how many of these young pitchers pitched shutouts or complete games in their debuts. Today, if a guy goes 5 or 6 innings in their debut, it's a great start.

    And a lot of them had arm troubles, which suggests that they were worked too hard.

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  2. It would be interesting to know if the average pitching career is any longer today than it was back in that era...

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  3. Marc - Sports medicine has also come a long way in the last 50 years.

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