11+22-2018

History of Phoenix Minor League Baseball 1958-1980

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1958-1959 and 1966-1980: Pacific Coast League:

1958-59 and 1966-1968

1969-1973

1974-1980

-----1958-----

Between 1950 and 1960, the population of Phoenix increased from 107,000 to 439,000. So, when the Pacific Coast League lost their San Francisco franchise (a Red Sox farm team) to the relocated New York Giants and Los Angeles to the Dodgers, the league wanted the vastly expanding city of Phoenix to fill one of the voids the circuit had for the 1958 season.

The PCL had been the preeminent minor league since 1903 with it's quality of baseball generally recognized as being lower then the majors but higher then class "AAA". However, with Los Angeles and San Francisco now major league cities, the league was grouped with the other two "AAA" level leagues for 1958.

The '58 Pacific Coast League was an eight-team circuit with long-time members teams San Diego (since 1936), Portland (1927), Seattle (1922) and Sacramento (1927), joined by new-comers Vancouver (1956), Phoenix (received the San Francisco franchise) and the other two rookie cities of Spokane (got the Los Angeles franchise) and Salt Lake City (purchased the Hollywood club).

Since the San Francisco Giants were interested in having their top farm team closer to their home then Minneapolis (who was their top farm club in 1957), they "traded" the farm team rights at Minneapolis for Phoenix. Thus the Millers of Minneapolis went to the Red Sox and Phoenix became a Giants affiliate. The Phoenix club adopted their parent team's nickname and played their games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium (I) located at South Central and Mohave where general admission tickets cost $1.25, hot dogs were 25 cents and beer 35 cents. Ten players from the '57 Millers (third place in the American Association) played on the '58 Phoenix club.

The Giants manager was John H. "Red" Davis who had played minor league ball since 1937 (excluding the war years of 1942-45) and had been at the helm of teams continuously since 1949 [please see longer bio below]. He also had a short stay with the New York Giants in 1941.

Davis

On Opening day, Valley Transit ran a shuttle bus to the park every 15 minutes from first and Monroe starting at 6:30. Attendance was 4,065 with pregame festivities starting at 7:15 as the Scottsdale High School's 65-piece band played until 7:45 when the flag was raised in center field assisted by a color guard. Then a group of former major leaguers, living in the Phoenix area were induced, including Dizzy Dean. The Giants' starter was Max Surkont and the home team scored two in the first and six in the second. However San Diego closed to trail only 9-7 after six and then tied it in the seventh and scored one more in the eighth to win the game 10-9.

Davis' club performed well getting into first place on July 30 and stayed there to win the PCL pennant by 4 ½ games with what turned out to be a franchise-high 89 wins. Some baseball historians claim it was the best minor league team ever in Phoenix. Attendance increased by about 47,000 from that drawn by the '57 class "C" team, but it was second worst in the league and far behind the other two new franchises of Spokane (145,000 less) and Salt Lake City (about 95,000 less). It was not a good sign for the future.

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The General Manager of the club was Rosie Ryan:

Ryan

Wilfred Patrick Dolan "Rosie" Ryan was born on March 15, 1898, in Worcester, Mass.

Rosie's first two MLB trials were brief. With the 1919 and 1920 New York Giants, he appeared in 4 and 3 games for 20 and 15 innings with ERAs of 3.10 and 1.76. Ryan, who threw a legal spitball before they were outlawed, was not given an exemption because he had not pitched enough games in 1919. He was then forced to develop a curveball.

From 1921-1924, he pitched full time for them in 36, 46, 45 (led the league in appearances) and 37 games completing 147, 192, 173 and 125 innings for 3.73, 3.01 (led league), 3.49 and 4.26 ERAs. He appeared in the 1922, 1923 and 1924 World Series in 1, 3 and 2 games in relief completing 2, 9 and 6 innings with ERAs of 0.00, 0.96 and 3.18. Manager John McGraw was one of the first to rely heavily on relief pitching and Ryan was one of his bullpen aces acting as the team's long man. He holds the record for most World Series relief wins with three as he had one each in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Also, in 1924, he became only the second pitcher to hit a Series home run.

On Apr. 17, 1925, Ryan was traded to the Boston Braves for Tim McNamera. With the Braves in 1925-1926, he was in 37 and 7 games for 123 and 19 innings compiling 6.31 and 7.58 ERAs. In 1928, he appeared in 3 games (16.50 ERA) for the Yankees and in 1933, the right hander ended his career with 30 games for the Dodgers (61 inn, 4.55 ERA). Rosy was the first National League pitcher to hit a home run in a World Series game.

In his career, he pitched in 248 games for 881 innings giving up 941 hits and 278 walks with 315 strike outs, a 4.14 ERA and .277 OAV. His record was 52-47. From 1930-1932 and 1934-1936 he pitched at class AAA including a 22-13 year at Minneapolis in 1932.

After his playing career he was a minor league manager, coach and executive. He died, due to cancer, at the Scottsdale Memorial Hospital in Scottsdale, AZ, on December 10, 1980. His burial was at the St. John's Cemetery in Worcester.

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The starting catcher for the '58 club was Tom Haller (.228), in his first pro year, and he was backed by Jake Jenkins (.201) who was in his next-to-last year. Also seeing action, behind the plate, was Roger McCardell (.298) who came up from the Eastern League.

First baseman, league All Star and future Hall of Fame big league star Willie McCovey (.319) led the team in at bats, triples (10, and was second in average. Jack Dittmer (.315) was the second baseman and another league All Star as he was nearing the end of his career. Third base was the domain of Bobby Prescott (.309) who finished second in team RBI with 96. At short was league batting champ and All Star, Andre Rodgers (.354), the team leader in doubles (43), homers (31), runs (104), slugging % (.691), OBP (.457) and he spent part of the year with the parent Giants. The utility guy, on the team, was Joey Amalfitano (.285) just a season away from the majors. Big league veteran, Jim Finigan (.284), was with San Francisco part of the year and filled in at third for Phoenix in 60 games. The shortstop back-up was Jose Valdivielso (.308) who was with the Minneapolis Millers part of the year and had MLB experience.

In the era of the late 50s, any major league team with an outfield of Felipe Alou, Willie Kirkland and Leon Wagner would have felt lucky. Those were the main outfield names for Phoenix in 1958. Alou (.319) spent his last minor league days with the AAA Giants getting into 55 games with 13 homers and 42 RBI before being called up and staying in the majors for the next 16 years. Kirkland (.270) was in only 12 games before getting the call from S.F. and Wagner (.318) was in 65 contests before becoming a MLB Giant. He would return to Phoenix as a player ten years later.

With the best outfielders going to the Big Club, Phoenix needed production from other sources such as Dusty Rhodes (.269), a six-year big leaguer, who led the league in RBI with 100 and had 25 home runs. Bill Wilson (.304), an outfielder with three major league trials, performed well and was joined by Don Taussig (.212) who didn't do well with the parent club that season either, Sal Taormina (.266) a veteran minor leaguer and part-time coach who had been playing since 1942 and Jim King (.200) playing 20 games for Phoenix and also appearing in line-ups, during the season, for Toronto and San Francisco.

The offense set a PCL record with 205 home runs beating the old mark of 199 set in 1923. The 320-foot left-field fence helped that record. Forty-three of the homers came in a 22-game stretch.

The top innings-eater on the pitching staff was Dom Zanni (14-11) who completed 201 innings and led the team in starts, wins, ERA (3.67), complete games (13) and strikeouts (156). Dom got his first taste of the majors during the season. Curt Barclay (12-8) was second in innings (161) and wins and also had some time with the San Francisco club. Pete Burnside (11-7) was third in innings and led the team with the best WHIP (1.20). Pete was brought up to the big leagues, during the year, and stayed through 1963.

The team-leader in appearances (42) was relief pitcher Joe Shipley (5-2). He led the league in hit batters (11) and had a taste of the National League during the season. Ernie Broglio (8-1) had a good W-L record, a decent ERA of 4.09 and WHIP (1.47) and was with Toronto for part of the year which would be his last season in the minors before an 8-year big league career. Gordon Jones (13-7) also was with the parent club during the year, but finished with a poor ERA/WHIP with Phoenix (5.42/1.39).

Tom Bowers (2-6) saw action in 19 games and 79 innings (4.67/1.49), Joe Margoneri (6-3) was a year away from the majors and didn't do too well with the AAA Giants (5.23/1.54) and Ralph Vold (1-0) was called into relief in 20 games with mixed results (5.75/1.53) as he ended his pro career. Three future major leaguers pitched some for Phoenix: Frank Funk (0-2), Dick LeMay (0-2) - brought up from the Eastern League - and Paul Giel (3-0) who had five good starts for a 2.77 ERA and 1.21 WHIP before going up to the S.F. Giants.

Three other pitchers saw much PCL action during the year, but only part of it was for Phoenix: Marion Fricano (10-15 for 2 teams) pitched in 34 games, Glen McMinn (4-4 for 2 teams) made appearances in 26 and Max Surkont (11-13 for 2 clubs), who had been in pro ball since 1938, got into 12.

There was no post-season playoffs in the PCL for 1958. However, each club member received a PCL Championship ring and $300. The payoff came from a one cent per admission fee which went into a pool of which the Giants players received a total of $15,000.

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In 1999, SABR member Charlie Vascellaro interviewed manager Davis and his comments were included in a piece entitled "The Phoenix Giants' First Campaign" which was published in SABR's "Mining Towns to Major Leagues":

"Davis [said]: 'We had a hell of an infield. Dittmer, McCovey, Rodgers and Prescott who also played in the outfield.'

'[Catcher] Haller was right out of college. He surprised me by hitting 16 homers. I almost got fired over Haller. We had a three-game lead with three to go and I put in Haller to pinch hit in a game we were down by 3-2 in the 9^th inning. He struck out and the next morning I got called into the front office. [GM Rosie Ryan] said 'Next time you use Haller as a pinch hitter you're fired.' [Haller only hit .228 for the season.] It happened again the next day, except he hit a grand slammer, I went to the office the next day, they never said a thing.' Davis remembered.

" ' Joe Shipley was my relief man,' remembers Davis. 'Boy he was a wild son of a bitch. I brought him with me from Mayfield [class D ball in Kentucky]. Rosie Ryan didn't like him one bit, he thought he was crazy, he was just a lot of fun, that's what he was, a side-armer who could throw it hard.' Davis said."

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Broadcaster Al McCoy recalled in 2014 that a game was called in 1958 (in the early innings) because a swarm of grasshoppers surrounded the lights and made it too dark to play. It had to be called.

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Tom Haller was born in Lockport, IL, on June 23, 1937.. He played for Phoenix in 1958 [after he was signed for $54,000 that year] and for other teams in the minors in 1959-61 with a composite minor league batting average of .246.

He came up with the S.F. Giants in Apr. 1961 hitting .145 in 30 games. Then from 1962-1967 he was their front line catcher appearing in 99, 98, 117, 134, 142 and 141 games batting .261, .255, .253, .251, .240 and .251. He was named to the N.L. All Star teams in 1966-67.

From 1968-1974, Haller played for the Giants arch-rival Dodgers in 144, 134, 112 and 84 contests with averages of .285, .263, .286 and .267. He played in the 1968 All Star game. His final MLB games were for the Tigers in 1972 for 59 games (.207).

Tom played in 1294 big league games and had 3,935 at bats compiling a .257 average, .342 OBP and .414 slugging %. He fielded .992 with 1199 games at catcher, 11 in the outfield and one at first base.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"After a career at quarterback for the U. of Illinois, the 6'4" Haller signed with the Giants in 1958. In their pennant-winning 1962 season, he hit 18 HR as a platoon catcher. He was San Francisco's first-string receiver in the years 1964-67 and hit 27 HR in 1966. He went to the Dodgers in a 1968 trade for Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver, the first trade between the two clubs since 1956. In a MLB first, on July 14, 1972, Tom was the Tiger catcher while his brother, Bill, umpired behind the plate. The durable Haller caught all 23 innings of a May 31, 1964 Mets-Giants game, and set the NL record for most double plays by a catcher in a season (23 in 1968). After serving as a Giant coach from 1977 to 1979, he was their vice president of baseball operations from mid-1981 until September 1986." - Rich Marazzi

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Haller was also a minor league manager in 1986 and later became the Giants GM. He died in Los Angeles on Nov. 26, 2004, after a long illness (viral infection). Cremation followed.

Jack Dittmer played for Phoenix in 1958 and was born in Elkader, IL on Jan. 10, 1928. He hit .317 in the minor leagues from 1950-52 and 1957-59. His batting averages his first three pro years were .373, .334 and .356.

Jack played on the Braves from 1952-1956 getting into 93, 138, 66, 38 and 44 games hitting .193, .266, .245, .125 and .245 as a generally back-up left-handed batting second baseman. He moved on to the Tigers for the 1957 season where he ended his career in 16 contests batting .227.

Dittmer got into 395 major league games and had 1,218 at bats for a career .232 average, .281 OBP and .333 slugging. With 354 games played at second and three at third, his fielding average was .974.

After baseball, he returned to Elkader where he operated a motor company. He still lives there to this day.

Joe Amalfitano had a career .286 average in the minors (1956-59, 1963 and 1966). He was born in San Pedro, CA, on Jan. 23, 1934.

His first two years in the majors [also as a pro] were "forced" because he was signed as a bonus baby. In 1954-55, for San Francisco, he played in 9 and 36 games batting .000 and .227. After he earned his way back, he was the Giants infield utility player, in 1960-61, getting into 106 and 109 games with averages of .277 and .255.

Houston took him in the expansion draft for the 1962 season and he hit .237 for them in 117 contests. He was back with the Giants in 1963 for 54 games (.175) and then moved on to the Cubs for his final four big league years of 1964-1967. During those years, he was used less-and-less appearing in 100, 67, 41 and 4 games batting .241, .271, .158 and .000.

In his 10-year and 643 games major league career, his average was .244 with a .322 OBP and .321 slugging. While playing 398 games at second, 90 at third and 15 at shortstop, he earned a .970 fielding percentage.

Joe was a major league coach for the Cubs (1967-71 and 1978-80), Giants (1972-75), Padres (1976-77), Reds (1982) and Dodgers (1983-98). He also managed the Cubs in 1979 (2-5); 1980 (26-46, 6^th) and 1981 (38-65, 5^th) for a 66-116 career mark. After retiring as a coach, he was a minor league infield coach for the Giants and now is a special advisor for player development for them. He lives in Sedona, AZ.

Jim Finigan was a minor league player in 1948-50, 1953, 1958-62 and 1964 with a career average of .287 [played for Phoenix in 1958]. He was born in Quincy, IL, on Aug. 19, 1928.

He was a starter for the A's in 1954-56 getting into 136, 150 and 91 games with averages of .302, .255 and .216 as a third and second baseman. Jim was named to the A.L. All Star teams of 1954-55. In 1957, he performed for the Tigers in 64 games hitting .270 and he played 23 games for San Francisco in 1958 (.200).

Finigan ended his big league stay with the Orioles in 1959 for 48 games hitting .252. During his 6 major league years he played in 512 games with 1600 at bats compiling a .264 average, .344 OBP and .367 slugging %. He was at third for 332 games, at second for 159 and at shortstop for 2 with a composite .948 fielding mark.

Jim was a minor league manager in 1964 and later coached college baseball. In addition, he sold life insurance. Finigan died on May 16, 1981, at his home in Quincy from a massive heart attack and burial was at St. Peter's Cemetery in Quincy.

Jose Valdivielso played for the Phoenix club in 1958 and in the minors in 1953-59 and 1962-64 with a career average of .264. He was born on May 22, 1934, in Matanzas, Cuba.

Jose appeared in games for the Senators/Twins in 1955-56 and 1959-61 seeing action in 94, 90, 24, 117 and 76 contests with averages of .221, .236, .286, .213 and .195. Over those 5 years, he was in 401 games with 971 at bats with a MLB career .219 average, .284 OBP and .290 slugging. He was at short for 363 games, and at second and third for 15 each with a fielding % of .955.

In the early 1980s, Valdivielso was a Spanish language broadcaster in New York City. He still does some sports commentary for Spanish-language television stations and donates his time to the Long Island-based group, Winning Beyond Winning. He lives in Mount Sinai, NY.

Felipe Alou played for the 1958 Phoenix team. He also was in the minors in 1956-57 and his career minor league batting average was .333. Alou was born on May 12, 1935, in Haina, DR.

From 1958-1963, he was with the Giants in 75, 95, 106, 132, 154 and 157 games with averages of .253, .275, .264, .289, .316 and .281. He played in the 1962 All Star game.

Felipe moved on the Braves for the 1964-69 seasons getting into 121, 143, 154, 140, 160 and 123 contests compiling averages of .253, .297, .327, .274, .317 and .282. In 1970, he was with the A's for the complete season (154 games/.271). The next year he got into 2 games with Oakland before being traded to the Yankees where he played 131 more (.289).

Alou was also with the Yanks in 1972 for 120 games hitting .278 and then, after 93 contests (.236) with them in 1973, he went to the Expos appearing in 19 games (.208). He ended his MLB tour of duty with 3 games for the Brewers in 1974.

He played MLB ball for 17 seasons and 2,082 games with 7339 at bats for an average of .286, OBP of .330 and a .433 slugging. His fielding percentage was .979 with 1531 games in the outfield, 468 at first and 5 at third.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The oldest and the only power hitter of the Alous [brother of Matty and Jesus], Felipe spoke out loudly and often for Latin American players, arguing that they were underpaid and overly criticized for being 'hot dogs'. A tall, solemn man, Felipe... finest year was 1966 with the Braves when he hit 31 homers and batted .327, his 218 hits and 122 runs leading the league. Felipe seldom struck out. Later he became a batting coach and minor league manager with the Montreal Expos. San Francisco fans still recall he scored the winning run in the Giants' come-from-behind victory over the Dodgers in the final game of the 1962 playoff." - John Devaney

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Alou was a minor league manager in 1978, 1981-83, 1985 and 1989. He coached for the Expos in 1979-80, 1984 and 1992. His MLB managerial record for the Expos: 1992 70-55, 4th/2nd; 1993 94-68, 2^nd; 1994 74-40, 1^st; 1995 66-78, 5^th; 1996 88-74, 2^nd; 1997 78-84, 4^th; 1998 65-97 (4^th); 1999 68-94, 4^th; 2000 67-95, 4^th; 2001 21-32, 5^th and the Giants: 2003 100-61, 1^st; 2004 91-71, 2^nd; 2005 75-87, 3^rd and 2006 (76-85, 3^rd). His composite MLB managing record over 14 years was 1,033-1,021 (.503). He is the father of former major leaguer Moises and now lives in Boynton Beach, FL.

Willie Kirkland was born in Siluria, AL, on February 17, 1934. In the minors from 1953-1956, 1958 [with Phoenix] and 1967, he played with 8 teams and hit over .300 in 3 seasons [had a .302 career minor league average] and over 20 home runs in 5 seasons including 40 for Sioux City in 1955, 37 for Minneapolis in 1956 and 34 for Hawaii in 1967. He won the league batting championship in the Northern League in 1954.

Willie was a starter in 8 of his 9 MLB seasons. For the Giants in 1958, he played in 122 games and hit .258 with a .338 OBP with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. That season he led the league in double plays by an outfielder. His average increased to .272 in 1959 with 22 homers and 68 RBI. In 1960, his last year with the Giants, he batted .252 with 21 home runs, 65 RBI and a .316 OBP. On Dec. 3, he was traded to Cleveland with Johnny Antonelli for Harvey Kuenn.

With the Cleveland Indians, he was an outfield starter from 1961-1963 hitting .259, .200 and .230 in 146, 137 and 127 games with 27, 21 and 15 home runs and 95, 72 and 47 RBI. On July 9, 1961, he hit three straight homers off Cal McLish (all on 2-strike counts), then walked and sacrificed in two more at bats. After the All Star break, he hit a home run in his first official at bat against the Twins, thus tying the major league mark with 4 consecutive home runs. Also in '61, he led the Indians in home runs and RBI (95) and the league in double plays by an outfielder. On Dec. 4, 1963, he was traded to Baltimore for Al Smith.

In 1964, for the Orioles, he played in 66 games (.200) before being sold to the Washington Senators on Aug. 12 with whom he batted .216 in 32 games. His batting average never recovered as he completed his career with the Senators in 1965 and 1966 hitting just .231 and .190 in 123 and 124 games. He was 6 for 35 and 12 for 51 as a pinch hitter in those last 2 years.

Lifetime, he was 36 for 168 as a pinch hitter and batted .240 overall. He played in 1,149 games and had 3,494 at bats with a .307 OBP and .422 slugging percentage. Willie hit 148 home runs and had 509 RBI in his career. His outfielder fielding % was a decent .974.

Willie also played in Japan in for Hanshin 1968-1973 compiling a .241 average with 126 home runs [Kirkland adjusted well to Japan as he learned to speak Japanese and married a Japanese woman].

He served in the military in 1957 and now lives in Detroit.

Don Taussig was a member of the 1958 Phoenix Giants and he hit .253 in his minor league seasons of 1950-53, 1955-60 and 1962-64. He was born in New York City on Feb. 19, 1932.

In 1958 he also saw action in 39 games for the San Francisco Giants hitting .200. In 1961, he was a semi-regular for 98 games (.287) and then for the expanision 45s in 1962, he got into 16 contests (.200).

All told he was in 153 MLB games and had 263 at bats batting .262 with a .317 OBP and .399 slugging. He was in the outfield during 127 games with a .994 fielding mark.

Taussig served in the military in 1954 and for twenty years after baseball he owned a squash complex and served as the teaching pro "giving thousands of lessons regarding the usage of the hands in the forehand and backhand strokes." Since 2000, he has served as hitting coach for high schools and colleges, and is currently a hitting instructor for ballplayers of all ages. Don has also written the book "Baseball: The Balanced Hand Method Of Hitting". He lives in Jupiter, FL.

James "Jim" H. King was an outfielder on the 1958 Phoenix club. In the minors from 1950-54 and 1957-60 compiling a .289 career average.

Jim's first stint in the majors was with the Cubs in 1955-56 appearing in 113 and 118 games with averages of .256 and .249 and 11 and 15 home runs. He was in 22 games for the Cardinals in 1957 (.314) and then 34 contests for the Giants in 1958 (.214).

King then settled in for 6+ years with the Washington Senators (1961-1966) when he got into 110, 132, 136, 134, 120 and 117 games with averages of .270, .243, .231, .241, .213 and .248. Jim hit 24 homers in 1963 and 18 in 1964. After 47 games with the Senators in 1967 (.210), he went to the White Sox for 23 more (.120) and then finished the season with the Indians for 19 contests (.143). That well-traveled season ended his pro career.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"A steady, strong-armed right fielder for a decade, the lefthanded-hitting King had home run power though he seldom topped .250 in batting average. He had personal highs of 24 HR and 62 RBI for the 1963 Senators." - Bob Carroll

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In the early 1980s, King worked for a telephone company and lived in Elkins, AR. Jim died on February 23, 2015, in Fayetteville, AR, and was buried at the Mt. Olive Cemetery in Elkins, AR.

Pete Burnside was born in Evanston, IL, on July 2, 1930, and he played for the Phoenix Giants in 1958. He was a Dartmouth graduate and played in the minors in 1949-52 and 1954-58 for a 60-57 record. In three of those seasons, his ERA was under 3.00.

It took about 10 years for Pete to get established as a major league pitcher. His first appearances came in September 1955 for the New York Giants. In 2 starts, he completed 12 2/3 innings allowing 10 hits and 9 walks with an ERA of 2.84. It took another two years before he had another audition. In 1957, again pitching for the Giants, he started 9 games and relieved in one for a 8.80 ERA in 30 2/3 innings where he allowed 47 hits and 13 walks. He struck out 18 and allowed 5 home runs.

The lefty had more chances in 1958 for the Giants appearing as a reliever in 5 games and starting another. This time his performance was better, but not great. In 10 2/3 innings, he gave up 20 hits and walked 5 while striking out 4. Three home runs were hit off of Pete.

He was sold to Detroit on Oct. 5, 1958, and got in the groove during the 1959 season. He relieved in 30 games for 62 innings giving up 55 hits and 25 walks. His ERA was 3.77 and he struck out 49 with a OAV of .237. In 1960, he played in the same number of games, but started 15. In 113 innings, he gave up 122 hits and 50 walks for a 4.28 ERA and .277 OAV.

In 1961, he moved to the expansion Washington Senators appearing in 33 games including 16 as a starter. His performance was much the same as the past year as he again totaled 113 innings and gave up 106 hits and 51 walks with a 4.53 ERA and 56 strikeouts. Opponents hit .251 off of him.

In 1962, he made more starts for the Senators (20) and appeared in more games (40). Finishing 149 innings, he allowed 152 hits and 51 walks. Pete struck out 74 and had an ERA of 4.45 with a .263 OAV. On Dec. 5, 1962, he was traded to Baltimore with Bob Johnson for Barry Shetrone, Marv Breeding and Art Quirk, but only appeared in 6 games for the Orioles in 1963 allowing 11 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings. He then returned to the Senators where he rapped up his pro career appearing in relief 37 times and making one start. In 67 innings, he gave up 84 hits and 24 walks while striking out 23 for a 6.15 ERA and .308 OAV.

In 8 MLB years, Pete pitched in 196 games and 567 innings allowing 607 hits and 230 walks while striking out 303. His career ERA was 4.81 and his OAV was .275.

Pete served in the military in 1953 and became a high school teacher and coach in Wilmette, IL. He still lives there..

Ernie Broglio pitched on the 1958 Phx Giants and was in the minors from 1953-58 and 1966-67 with a 93-64 record.

He was with the Cardinals in 1959-1963 as a starting pitcher for 35, 52, 29, 34 and 39 games with 181, 226, 175, 222 and 250 innings compiling records of 7-12, 21-9, 9-12, 12-9 and 18-8 with ERAs of 4.72, 2.74, 4.12, 3.00 and 2.99. His 21 wins in 1960 led the league [7 were in relief].

He began the 1964 season with the Cardinals (11 g, 3-5, 3.50) and then was traded to the Cubs [with two other players for Lou Brock and two players] where he was in 18 games and 100 innings for a 4.04 ERA and 4-7 record. His final two MLB years of 1965-66 were also with the Cubs as he got into 26 and 15 games with 6.93 and 6.35 pitching mostly in relief.

Broglio's MLB career record was 77-74 with an ERA of 3.74, OAV of .242, OOB of .322 and a 77-74 record. He was known for his very good curveball.

In the early 1980s, Ernie was a supervisor of a Pepsi plant in Sunnyvale, CA. He now lives in San Jose, CA.

Gordon Jones pitched for the 1958 Phoenix Giants and was born on Apr. 2, 1930, in Portland, OR. In the minors from 1949-50, 1954-57 and 1961-65 with a record of 98-86. Eight of those seasons were at the AAA level.

He began his big league career with 11, 15 and 5 games for the Cardinals in 1954-56 where he compiled ERAs of 2.00, 5.84 and 5.56. His '54 record included two shutouts. Jones was then traded to the Giants with Red Schoendienst in a 9-player deal by GM Frank Lane. For the Giants in 1957-59 he was in 10, 11 and 31 contests as a relief pitcher for 6.17, 2.37 and 4.33 ERAs.

In 1960-61, he was with the Orioles in 29 and 3 games for 4.42 and 5.40 ERAs and continued in 1962 for the A's (21 g, 6.34 ERA). Gordon completed his MLB years in 1964-65 for the Colt 45s seeing action in 34 and one game(s) getting ERAs of 4.14 and 0.00. In his major league career, he was called into 171 games with 21 starts finishing 379 innings allowing 405 hits and 120 walks while striking out 232. His ERA was 4.16 with a .275 OAV, .332 OOB and a 15-18 record.

Jones served in the military from 1951-53 and, after his playing days, scouted for the Yankees and lived in Pasadena, CA. Later he was a sales rep for a wholesale electrical dealer. He suffered from diabetes and died from a heart attack on Apr. 25, 1994, at Lodi Memorial Hospital in Lodi, CA. Burial was at East Lawn Sierra Hill Memorial Park in Sacramento.

Joe Margoneri was a pitcher on the 1958 Phoenix squad and was born in Jan. 13, 1930 in Somerset, PA. He pitched in the minors from 1950-51 and 1954-60 compiling an 88-52 record. Seven of those years were at the AAA level.

His only big league experiences were in 1956-57 for the Giants. He got into 23 and 13 games with 3.93 and 5.24 ERAs. In his 36 games and 126 innings he allowed 132 hits and 70 walks while striking out 67. His career ERA was 4.29 with a .271 OAV a .364 OOB and a 7-7 record.

In the early 1980s, Margoneri was a supervisor for the International Paper Co. and lived in Waltz Mill, PA. He now lives in West Newton, PA.

Frank Funk was born on August 30, 1935, in Washington, DC, and he played in 1958 with Phoenix. As a minor leaguer, he played from 1954-60, 1962 and 1964-67 for 19 teams. He had ERAs under 3.00 in 5 of those seasons. On July 27, 1955, and June 16, 1960, he pitched 7-inning perfect no-hit games for St. Cloud and Toronto.

Frank spend two complete years in the majors and parts of two others. In September 1960, he appeared with the Indians in 9 games with 32 innings allowing 27 hits and 9 walks. He had an ERA of 1.99. That good performance allowed a whole season with the Tribe in 1961 when he appeared in a career high 56 games and 92 innings as he gave up 79 hits and 31 walks for a 3.31 ERA. He was the Indians' ace reliever that year with a 11-11 record and 11 saves.

In 1962, he was with the Indians and their AAA ball club. In 47 MLB games, he walked 32 in 81 innings and allowed 62 hits and a 3.24 ERA. On Nov. 27, 1963, he was traded with Ty Cline and Don Dillard to Milwaukee for Joe Adcock and Jack Curtis. His last season, in 1963 with the Braves, was also good with 25 appearances and 44 innings with a 2.68 ERA.

In 4 seasons, he was in 137 MLB games finishing 248 innings allowing 210 hits and 85 walks while striking out 150. His career ERA was 3.01 and he had a OAV of .233.

Frank was a minor league manager from 1969-73 at the class A level. He was a minor league pitching instructor for the Giants in 1975 and 1977-78, major league coach with the Giants in 1976, minor league pitching instructor with the Phillies 1979-80 and major league coach with the Mariners (1980-81 and 1983-84), the Royals (1988-90) and the Rockies (1996- 1998.) Frank lives in Gold Canyon, AZ.

Paul Giel pitched for the '58 Phoenix team. He was born in Winona, MN, on Feb. 29, 1932, and pitched in the minors from 1958-60.

His first pro seasons of 1954-55 were spent with the Giants which indicates that he was "bonus baby" and was required to do so. In those years, he appeared in 6 and 34 games with ERAs of 8.31 and 3.39. Giel then served in the military in 1956-57.

He was in 29 games for the Giants in 1958 with a 4.70 ERA and then went to the Pirates in 1959-60 for ERAs of 14.09 and 5.73 in 4 and 16 games. Paul began his final pro year of 1961 with his home state Twins appearing in 12 games in relief (9.78) and then got into one game for the A's when he allowed 6 hits and 3 walks.

Giel was in 102 MLB games with 11 starts completing 240 innings allowing 249 hits and 148 walks while striking out 145 for a 5.39 ERA, .271 OAV, .374 OOB and an 11-9 record.

Before he played pro baseball, he attended the University of Minnesota where he was a quarterback twice named an All American, twice named MVP of the Big Ten, was the runner up to the Heisman Trophy in 1953 and was named to the College Hall of Fame in 1975. Giel was the U. of Minnesota Athletic Director from 1971-1989 and also did sports radio commentary for WCCO radio in the Twin Cities. On May 22, 2002, after attending a Twins game, he collapsed in his car and died from a heart attack. Burial was a Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Dick LeMay was a pitched on the Phoenix club of 1958. He was a pitcher in the minors from 1958-70 and 1972 with a record of 139-124. Eleven of those seasons were at level AAA. Dick attended the U. of Cincinnati.

LeMay only had two stints in the majors with the Giants in 1961-62 as he was in 27 and 9 games with ERAs of 3.56 and 7.71. The lefty completed 108 innings in his 45 games (6 starts) allowing 100 hits and 49 walks while striking out 69 for a 4.17 ERA, .250 OAV, .339 OOB and a 3-8 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Known for his weird, leg-kicking, arm flailing, hip-swiveling, shoulder-dipping windup, LeMay depended on his screwball. Recommended to the Giants by famed screwballer Carl Hubbell, LeMay enjoyed strong International and Pacific Coast league years after leaving the majors." - Bob Carroll

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Dick managed in the minors in 1971-72 and in the early 1980s was a scout for the Expos while living in Tulsa, OK. He now lives in Wichita, KS.

Max Surkont was a member of the 1958 Phoenix pitching staff and was born on June 16, 1922, in Central Falls, RI. He played in the minors in 1939-1942, 1946-48, 1950 and 1956-63 with a 171-148 record. Max was at the AAA level for 12 years.

His first MLB appearances were for the White Sox in 1949 for 44 games with a 4.78 ERA in 96 innings. He then was with the Braves from 1950-53 with 9, 37, 31 and 28 games compiling 3.23, 3.99, 3.77 and 4.18 ERAs in 56, 237, 215 and 170 innings. Max pitched for the Pirates in 1954-55 getting into 33 and 22 games (4.41, 5.57 ERA) and finishing 208 and 166 frames.

After one game for the Bucs in 1956, he was sent to the Cardinals where he pitched in 5 games and then wound up with the Giants for 8 more. His final big league games were for the Giants in 1957 (5 g, 9.95). He was a major leaguer in 9 seasons and 236 games (149 starts) for 1194 innings allowing 1209 hits and 481 walks while striking out 571. His record was 61-75 with a career 4.38 ERA, .262 OAV and .335 OOB.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Surkont was signed at age 15 by the Cardinals (his 'bonus' was a hotel meal of beans and frankfurters), but it took him 12 seasons to reach the majors. A regular starter with the Braves in the early 1950s, he had his only winning record for a complete MLB season in 1953, when he was 11-5. On the night of May 25, 1953, the burly fastballer set a MLB record (since broken) by striking out eight Cincinnati batters in a row, the last one after a 35-minute rain delay." - John Miller

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From 1943-45, Max was in the U.S. Navy and, operated "Surkont's Café" for 21 years in Pawtucket, RI, before moving to Florida in 1984. He died on Oct. 8, 1986, at his home in Largo, FL, and was buried at Notre Dame Cemetery in Pawtucket.

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The club spent $30,000 in lighting upgrades and security in the parking area of Phoenix Muni. In it's class C days, vandalism was common. In a poll of 17 fans, 16 did not like the location of the park (five miles from downtown). Sports writer Arnott Duncan wrote: “Maybe...in order to draw a crowd in Phoenix, you need parimutuel betting and at least 20 dancing girls.”

-----1959-----

From first place to last place to no pro team was the free fall of the franchise in the late 1950s. Red Davis returned as manager and attempted to win with a lack of great pitching and a sharp reduction in offense. Attendance dropped by 43,600 to within 3,000 of the 1957 mark when the city fielded a class "C" club.

Phoenix Municipal Stadium (I)

Eddie Fisher (10-4) led the team in wins, ERA (2.97) and WHIP (1.08) in 16 games (14 starts) and 118 innings and also had some experience with the big league Giants. Curt Barclay (8-16) came back to lead the team in IP with 196 in 31 starts, but his ERA increased to 5.51 with a 1.61 WHIP (he allowed the most runs in the PCL with 143). In his sixth pro year, Marshall Renfroe (8-8) performed well in 168 innings compiling a 3.54 ERA and 1.39 WHIP and led the team in strikeouts with 97. After 8 pro seasons, Marcelino Solis (7-11), arrived and pitched well in a team-leading 48 contests achieving a 4.45 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 164 frames.

The next most innings pitched was turned in by a short-time pro pitcher, Don Hyman (5-11), with 133 in 41 games. He had decent numbers (4.60 ERA/1.45 WHIP). Don Choate (4-7) was the other Phoenix pitcher who completed more then 100 innings for the club and, he too, performed acceptably (4.59 ERA/1.48 WHIP) with 22 appearances. Bud Watkins (11-14 for two teams) pitched in 19 games, and Glen McMinn (6-4 for two teams) also appeared in 19 contests for Phoenix. [They pitched in 37 and 51 league games respectively.]

Roy Wright (1-4) was in 15 games (4 starts) and Billy Muffett (3-2) a long-time pro and MLB pitcher got into 12 games and 54 innings but did not impress many with a 5.50 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in a season which saw him in the American Association and the National League [for a handful of games]. Future major leaguer, Julio Navarro (4-2) saw action in 39 games after coming up from the Eastern League. Joe Shipley (4-6) came back and appeared in 28 games with a poor record. Dom Zanni (1-2) was in 3 games for Phoenix and 9 major league games in a rather lost year for him.

Having seen Tom Haller advance to the majors, the Phoenix club pieced together the catcher spot in '59 with five men. Al Stieglitz (.279) saw the most action in 68 games [he only played five minor league seasons] and veteran Roger McCardell (.260) was next with 62 appearances. John Orsino (.282) came up from the Northwest League and was in 23 games performing well as he was only two years away from the majors. Sid Harvey (.240) got into 22 contests as he also played in the Northwest and Texas Leagues during the season. And finally, Charlie Barnes (.098), who had played on Phoenix teams in 1954-55 came in to see action in 19 games after being retired from pro ball for two years.

Willie McCovey (.372) returned for 95 games before being called up to San Francisco. While in Phoenix, he led the league in homers with 29 and RBI with 92, but, he didn't play long enough in the PCL to qualify for the batting crown. He also led the AAA Giants in triples with 11 and with a slugging percentage of .759. Second base belonged to Jim Brideweser (.251) who got into 135 games. Andre Rodgers (.260) was the starting shortstop until the MLB Giants called him up after 41 games and he was replaced by another future big leaguer, Jose Pagan (.312), who turned in a very good season to lead the team in hitting. After seeing some action for the Cardinals in '58, veteran Benny Valenzuela (.274), started at third base to lead the team in runs, tied for the team lead in doubles with 30 and hit 20 homers. The infield back-ups were Owen "Red" Friend (.237) who was nearly at the end of a playing career that had started in 1944, former big leaguers, Jay Van Noy (.242), a third baseman/outfielder and Bob Speake (.275) an outfielder who also played at first when McCovey was called up.

At the time Willie McCovey was summoned to the majors, Phoenix was only 1 ½ games out of first place. They lost 32 of final 37 games including 14 straight in mid-August.

The main outfielders were Bill Wilson (.267) who was in 146 games leading the team in at bats (540) and tied for the lead in doubles, returnee Bobby Prescott (.306) for 115 contests and veteran minor leaguer, Sal Taormina (.288) who got into 117 contests. Not actually a baseball murder's row.

Also seeing outfield action was future long-time big leaguer, Manny Mota (.250), who came up from the Eastern League for 21 games; Dusty Rhodes (.325) was only in 23 games in Phoenix and 48 for San Francisco; Speake (.275), in his final pro year was in 101 contests as an outfielder/first baseman and Van Noy, who got into 82 games with, it is a assumed, a fair number as an outfielder.

After the season, the San Francisco Giants announced that they would move their AAA affiliate to Tacoma, WA, because of poor attendance and lack of civic support. It would take six years and a new ball park before pro baseball would return to Phoenix.

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Al McCoy had other memories of the original Phoenix Municipal: [He would wear shorts, sandals and a t-shirt for work in the dusty concrete bunker-like press box] “You never really thought about the heat. You just drank a lot of water. The real problem was the dust storms. I was doing the play by play one night and this drive was hit out to right field. I was saying 'There's a drive, it's going out,' and all of sudden this dust storm blew in and took over the whole ballpark. I couldn't see where the ball went. But as far as the heat, it really wasn't that bad.”

[quote from the July 13, 2014, Arizona Republic ]

Willie McCovey played on the 1958-59 Phoenix Giants. He was born on Jan. 10, 1938, in Mobile, AL, and was a minor league player from1955-60 with a career batting average of

From 1959-1973, McCovey played on the Giants in 52, 101, 106, 91, 152, 130, 160, 150, 135, 148, 149, 152, 105, 81 and 130 games with averages of .354, .238, .271, .293, .280, .220, .276, .295, .276, .293, .320, .289, .277, .213 and .266 and home run totals of 13, 13, 18, 20, 44, 18, 39, 36, 31, 36, 45, 39, 18, 14 and 29. Willie played in the outfield in 1962-64 and during the other seasons, was a first baseman. He led the N.L. in homers in 1963, 1968 and 1969 and in RBI in 1968-69. Willie was on the All Star teams of 1963, 1966 and 1968-1971.

In 1974-75, he played on the Padres in 128 and 122 contests compiling averages of .253 and .252 with 22 and 23 home runs. After 71 games with the Pads in1976 (.203, 7) he was then sent to Oakland for 11 games (.208, 0).

McCovey returned to the Giants for his final big league seasons of 1977-1980 getting into 141, 108, 117 and 48 contests batting .280, .228, .249 and .204. After 22 seasons, 2588 games and 8197 at bats he retired with a career .270 average, .377 OBP and .515 slugging %. He hit 521 homers and had a fielding % of .987 with 2045 games at first and 275 in the outfield [he also was a DH in 9 games.]

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"On Oct. 16, 1962, at Candlestick Park, McCovey came within inches of being a World Series hero. The Giants trailed the perennially powerful Yankees 1-0 with runners at second and third and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning of th seventy game. McCovey hit a line drive toward right field that second baseman Bobby Richardson speared to end the Series. The play has been discussed by fans ever since. It even became a running element of Charles Schultz' 'Peanuts' comic strip, a moment in life the Charles Brown could relate to with complete empathy.

"After belting 29 homers in three months in the PCL in 1959, McCovey joined the Giants in the middle of the season and debuted by going 4-for-4 with two singles and two triples against Robin Roberts. He hit .354 that year, and, despite playing only 52 games, won NL Rookie of the Year honors. McCovey slumped badly in 1960 and spent time in the minor leagues at Tacoma. The stay was a short one, for the Giants, headed toward a fifth-place finish, sorely needed his bats in their lineup. McCovey was a first baseman by trade, but he spent three seasons in the early 1960s primarily in the outfield in deference to smoother-fielding Orlando Cepeda. When Cepeda was felled by a knee injury in 1965, first base became McCovey's.

"Since he was a soft-spoken man playing on a star-studded Giants team, McCovey's talents were not as often heralded by the media and fans as those of teammates Mays, Cepeda and Marichal. However, his opponents respected the devastating dead-pull power that was his majestic personal trademark and made him one of the most feared home run hitters of his time...For four consecutive seasons, 1967-70, he led the NL in home run percentage...

"McCovey had his banner year in 1969 and won the MVP award. In addition to leading NL with 45 homers, 126 RBI and a .656 slugging percentage, he drew a [then] record 45 intention walks and finished fifth with a .320 batting average...McCovey was an integral part of an ever-changing Giants team that contended for a decade, reaching the World Series in 1962 and the NL playoffs in 1971. Giants owners devastated Bay Area fans by sending McCovey, their favorite player, to the upstart San Diego Padres prior to the 1974 season. Tagged Big Mac in deference to Padres and McDonald's owner Ray Kroc, McCovey had two two good seasons and one poor one before the Pads sold him to the Oakland A's...who released him at the end of the season.

"McCovey was invited by new Giants ownership to San Francisco's spring training camp in 1977 and he responded with a 28-homer, 86-RBI comeback at the age of 39. The final hurrah of McCovey's career came in 1980 when he hit his only home run of the season and the 512^th one of his career, which then tied him with Eddie Mathews for tenth place all-time in home runs. Having played during four decades, he retired during the season and joined the Giants' public and community relations staff. McCovey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986." - Alan Asnen and Chris Renino

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McCovey was remained a Senior Advisor to the Giants. In later years, McCovey lived in Woodside, CA, and in Sept. 2007, opened "McCovey's Restaurant" in Walnut Creek, CA, with a partner.

[In 1995, Willie ran into income tax problems when he under-reported his income from 1988-90. He plead guilty to tax evasion and was fined and placed on probation.] Willie died on October 31, 2018, at Stanford University Hospital after a long illness.

.

Owen Friend ("Red") was born in Granite City, IL, on March 21, 1927. He was a minor league player from 1944-1949 and 1954-1960; a minor league manager from 1960, 1962-1965, 1967, 1970-1971 and 1973-1975; and a major league player and coach. He played for Phoenix in 1959.

Owen was a middle infielder who had a good power years in 1948 and 1949 with Muskegon (21 home runs) and Elmira (20 HR's). He also hit 21 home runs in the Pacific Coast League in 1957 and 16 in 1959, but did not hit .300 as a pro. That early power ability prompted comparison to Rogers Hornsby. He also was compared to Eddie Stanky in the field. Personally, he modeled himself after Joe Gordon.

Friend first reached the majors in October 1949 with the Browns in 2 games going 3 for 8. In 119 games for them in 1950 he batted .237 with 8 home runs. With Detroit for 31 games in 1953, he hit .177 and in 34 games and, that same year, with the Indians he averaged .235. In 1955, he played 14 games for the Red Sox (.262) and 6 games for the Cubs (.100). His MLB career came to a close in 1956 after 2 games with the Cubs (.000).

Probably less then major league caliber, Owen averaged .227 in 208 big league games with a .295 OBP and .339 slugging %. His fielding % was .963 with 141 games at second, 27 at third and 26 at short.

He was a minor league manager for 11 years and was a major league coach in 1969 for the Kansas City Royals.

"(Owen) Friend always stood up for the old-timers and was adamant that today's players, or many of them, couldn't have made it back then. 'You couldn't name a ballplayer from the 1950s or 1960s that Owen hadn't played with, played against, coached, scouted,' (Daryl) Sanders said. 'We would always name a player we figured he'd never heard of and then he would say, 'Oh, yeah, I played with him in the (Pacific) Coast League in 1958.'" - Columnist Bob Lutz in "The Wichita Eagle" (10/16/2007)

Owen was in the military in 1951 and 1952. He died on October 14, 2007, in Wichita, KS, and was cremated with his ashes scattered on the Scheffler farm in Newton, KS.

Jose Pagan played on the 1959 Phoenix club and was born in Barceloneta, PR, on May 5, 1935. In the minors, he played from 1955-60 and 1965 with a composite batting average of .287.

He was with the Giants from 1959-1964 seeing action in 31, 18, 134, 164, 148 and 134 games hitting .174, .286, .253, .259, .234 and .223 as a shortstop. In 1962, he led NL shortstops in fielding. After playing in 26 games for S.F. in 1965 (.205) he was traded to the Pirates where he played in 42 contests (.237). Then, as a third baseman, he was with the Bucs for the 1966-1972 seasons for 109, 81, 80, 108, 95, 57 and 53 games batting .264, .289, .221, .285, .265, .241 and .252. His last MLB season of 1973 was with the Phillies as he appeared in 46 games with a .205 average.

During his 15 big league years, he played in 1326 games and had 3689 at bats with a career average of .250, a .300 OBP and a .344 slugging. As a fielder, he had a .963 % in 662 games at short, 358 at third and also, at one time or another, played all the other positions except pitcher.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The flashy Puerto Rican was the Giants' regular shortstop in the early 1960s. He had his best season in 1962, when he played in every game, led NL shortstops in fielding and batted .259 with 77 RBI. The Giants won the pennant and in the WS loss to the Yankees, he hit .368.

"Traded to the Pirates for shortstop Dick Schofield in 1965, he began a new career as a utility man and pinch hitter. In 1969 he led all NL pinch hitters with 19 hits, only one short of the league record. In the 1971 WS, he drove in the deciding runs in the Pirates' 2-1, seventh game win over the Orioles." - Fred Stein

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Pagan was a major league coach for the Pirates from 1974-78 and a minor league manager in 1979-80. He was also a successful manager in the Puerto Rico League where he won championships with three teams. Jose now lives in Sebring, FL.

Manuel "Manny" Mota was born on Feb. 18, 1938, in Santo Domingo, DR. He performed on the 1959 Phoenix team and played in the minors in 1957-63 hitting a career .304.

He played 47 games for the big league Giants in 1962 with a .176 average as an outfielder, third and second baseman. He then was with the Pirates from 1963-1968 for 59, 115, 121. 116, 120 and 111 games with averages of .270, .277, .279, .332, .321 and .281. During the 1969 season, Manny played 31 games for the Expos (.315) and 85 for the Dodgers (.323).

Mota then stayed with the Dodgers for the remainder of his career (1970-1980, 1982) appearing in 124, 91, 118, 89, 66, 52, 50, 49, 37, 47, 7 and 1 game(s) batting.305, .312, .323, .314, .281, .265, .288, .395, .303, .357, .429 and .000. He played in the 1973 NL All Star game. For his 20-year, 1536 games, 3779 at bats career, he hit .304 with a .358 OBP and .389 slugging. He was in the outfield for 1021 games, at third for 15, at second for 6 and also saw action at catcher. His career fielding % was .979.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Baseball's all-time pinch-hit leader [as of 1991], with 150, it was said Mota could wake up on Christmas marning, step into the box, and rip a single to right. Pittsburgh's fourth outfielder from 1963 to 1968, the Dominican blossomed under manager Harry Walker's tutelage to hit .332 in 1966, his first of seven .300 seasons in eight years. Hindered by a lack of power and fielding ability, Mota's only season of more then 400 at bats came with the 1970 Dodgers. Amid a 1974 youth movement, he emerged as a pinch hitter extraordinaire. He had ten or more pinch hits six straight seasons; 250 of his last 309 at bats came off the bench.

"One of his greastest moments came in the ninth inning of Game Three of the 1977 LCS at Philadelphia. Down to two strikes, he hit a RBI double and the Dodgers rallied for three runs and a 6-5 victory. Near the end of his career, he often began the season as a coach, only to be activated each year for the stretch drive. He finally retired with a .297 pinch-hitting average. His .315 batting average is the best (1800 or more at bats) in Los Angeles Dodger history [as of 1991]." - Morris Eckhouse

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Mota was a Dodgers "on-the-field" coach from 1980-89, but has been "listed" as a coach through the 2009 season. He runs a humanitarian organization, "Manny Mota International Foundation", with his wife. One source lists his current address in Glendora, CA. Another shows him living in the Dominion Republic.

George "Bobby" Prescott was born in Colon, Panama, on March 27, 1931. He played on the Phoenix clubs of 1958-59 and in the minors from 1952-70 [after playing in some "outlaw" leagues] with a career .293 average in 2,268 games and 7,482 at bats. Bobby was in the Mexican League from 1963-1970. He is listed as number six in minor league all time homers with 398. Some suggest that, during his playing years, he was older then his listed age.

His only major league appearances came in 10 games for the A's in 1961 when was 1-for-12 at the plate. He walked twice and struck out five times. Prescott played in the outfield in two games and was the second Panana-born player to make the majors.

In the early 1980s, Bobby was a Pirates scout in Panama. His last reported resistence was in Panama City.

Jim Brideweser was born on Feb. 13, 1927, in Lancaster, OH. He was a minor league ballplayer from 1950-51, 1953 and 1958-61 with a career .272 average. All but 1950 was at the AAA level with the 1959 at Phoenix. He was signed by the Yankees off the USC campus.

Jim played in games for the Yankees in 1951-53 with averages of .375 (3-for-8), .263 and 1.000 (3-for-3) in 2, 42 and 7 games. In 1954, he was with Baltimore as an utility infielder for 73 contests batting .265 and in 1955-56, Brideweser was on the White Sox roster for 34 and 10 games (.207, .182). Later in the '56 campaign, Jim was in 70 games with the Tigers (.218).

He ended his big league stay back with the Orioles in 1957 performing in 91 games hitting .268. In his MLB career, he played in 329 games and had 620 at bats for a .252 average, .323 OBP and .311 slugging (he hit one home run). His fielding average was .946 with 217 games at shortstop, 57 at second and 11 at third.

Brideweser was a WWII veteran and, in the early 1980s, he was a high school teacher in Hermosa Beach, CA. Later he taught at Saddleback College in Irvine, CA. He died on Aug. 24, 1989, in El Toro, CA, due to respiratory failure and was cremated. His ashes were scattered off the coast near Dana Point, CA.

Roger McCardell was born on Aug. 29, 1932, in Gorsuch Mills, MD. He played for the 1958-59 Phoenix clubs and in the minors from 1950-52 and 1955-62 for a life-time .271 average.

His only major league chances came in 1959 for San Francisco as he was in 4 games (3 as catcher) and went to the plate 4 times without a hit. He fielded perfectly.

McCardell served in the military in 1953-54 and, in the early 1980s, he was a carpenter. He died on Nov. 13, 1996, in Perry Point, MD, and is buried at the Brookview Cemetery in Rising Sun, MD.

John Orsino ("Horse") was born in Teaneck, NY, on April 22, 1938. He played on the Phoenix Giants in 1959. In the minors from 1957-1962 and 1966-1969, he played on 13 teams compiling an average of .273. He played 5 years at the class AAA level.

John was a highly touted rookie with the Giants in 1961 catching 25 games and batting .277 while hitting 4 home runs in 83 at bats. In 1962, he was in 18 games with a .271 average in 48 games. He had one at bat in the 1962 World Series (0 for 1). On Dec. 15, 1962, he was traded to Baltimore with Mike McCormick and Stu Miller for Jack Fisher, Jim Coker and Billy Hoeft.

In 1963, he had his career year with the Orioles as their starting catcher. In 116 games and 379 at bats, he hit 19 home runs and batted .272 with a .990 fielding %. He stayed with the Orioles as a semi-regular in 1964 and 1965 playing in 81 and 77 games with batting averages of .222 and .233 and 8 and 9 home runs. A hand injury in 1964 caused his reduction in playing time. On Oct. 12, 1965, he was traded to Washington for Woodie Held.

In 1966, he split the year between the Senators and the minor leagues. For D.C. he made 14 appearances batting .174 (1 for 7 as a pinch hitter). He finished his MLB career with one pinch hitting attempt in 1967 (0 for 1). In his career, he was 13 for 45 as a pinch hitter and batted .249 in 332 games and 1,014 at bats. His OBP was .321, his slugging % was .420 and his fielding % was .982.

John was a minor league manager in 1977-78 and later became the baseball coach and director of the intramural program at Fairleigh Dickinson University and the Deputy Director of the Bergen County Community Action program in Hackensack, NJ. He also lived for a time in Stuart, FL, and now resides in Boynton Beach, FL.

Dusty Rhodes was born in Mathews, AL, on May 13, 1927, and played for the Phoenix team in 1958-59 and in the minors from 1947-52 and 1958-61. He batted a career .293 and played his final five years at AAA.

Dusty played on the New York Giants in 1952-1957 for 67, 76, 82, 94, 111 and 92 games with averages of .250, .233, .341, .305, .217 and .205. He finished his big league stay with the San Francisco Giants in 1959 for 54 contests (.188).

Rhodes got into 576 games and had 1172 at bats with a .253 average, .329 OBP and .445 slugging. In 297 games as an outfielder, he fielded at a .963 clip.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"An indifferent outfielder who never was a regular in seven seasons with the Giants, Rhodes was a streaky, lefthanded pull hitter and a home run threat in the Polo Grounds, with it's short right-field fence. He twice hit three home runs in a game.

"Rhodes became a minor legend in 1954. He cracked 15 homers that year and batted .333 as a pinch hitter. In the WS, he almost single-handedly led the Giants sweep of the Indians. His pinch homer off Bob Lemon with two out in the 10^thinning won Game One, 5-2. In Game Two, he tied the game with a pinch single off Early Winn in the fifth and then homered off Wynn in the seventh for the final run in a 3-1 win. And his pinch single in the third inning of Game Three drove in two runs. All told, he was 4-for-6 with two homers and seven RBI." - Fred Stein

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In the early 1980s, Rhodes was an oil barge transportation worker in New York City [He worked for a friend for 25 years on a tug boat]. He lived in Henderson, NV, and died on June 17, 2009, of a cardiopulmonary arrest at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas. Dusty was known as a guy who liked to have a good time and, in later years, had heart problems. Burial was at Davis Memorial Park in Las Vegas.

Robert Charles "Bob" Speake ("Spook") was born on August 22, 1930, in Springfield, MO. He played for the Phoenix club in 1959. As a minor leaguer from 1949-1951, 1954, 1956 and 1959, he played for 7 clubs hitting .300 for one of them and collecting a career .265 average. He had two class AAA seasons.

Bob played 95 games as a rookie for the 1955 Cubs batting .218 including 5 for 24 as a pinch hitter. He hit 10 homers by June, but cooled off after that. He spent a complete season with the Cubs in 1957 playing outfield and first base while hitting .232 and having a 9-for-23 PH mark. On Apr. 3, 1958, he was sent with cash to San Francisco for Bobby Thomson.

In 1958, for the Giants he was in 66 games (.211) with only 10 coming as an outfielder and the remainder as a pinch hitter (7 for 41). The left hander ended his MLB career with 15 games as a pinch hitter (1 for 15) for the Giants in 1959.

In 305 games and 761 at bats, Bob batted .223 with a .302 OBP and .406 slugging %. He was 22 for 99 as a pinch hitter, d had a .966 fielding % and hit 21 home runs.

Bob was in the military from 1952-1953 and was an Executive Vice President of American Investors Life in Topeka, KS. He still resides in Topeka.

Benny Valenzuela was born in Los Mochis, Mexico, on June 2, 1933. He played on the Phoenix team of 1959 and in the minors from 1951-1971 with a career average of .312. His last ten years was spent in Mexico. He managed minor league ball in 1967-68, 1971-79 and 1981-85.

His major league experiences came in 1958 for the Cardinals when he was in 10 games and had 14 at bats with 3 hits and one walk. He was stationed at third base for three of those games.

He lives in his home town of Los Mochis.

Jay Van Noy was born on Nov. 4, 1928, in Garland, UT. He played on the AAA Giants in 1959 and was a minor leaguer in 1946 and 1950-60 for a .258 batting average. [He played in two football bowl games while attending Utah State University and he also was a basketball and baseball player in high school and college.]

Jay was in six games and had seven at bats for the Cardinals in 1951 with no hits and one walk. He was in the outfield for one game.

Van Noy was a Brigham Young University assistant football coach in 1958 and, in the early 1980s, owned an automobile agency "Jay's Quality Care" in Logan, UT. Later he was the baseball coach at BYU winning two conference championships during his tenure and, still later, was the superintendent of Parks and Recreation in Logan. Jay was named by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame as the best all-around athlete in Utah history.

Jay died on Nov. 6, 2010, at his home in Logan, UT, after battling Bacterial Endocarditis.

In a recent interview, Van Noy talked about playing during the 1950's: "It was the greatest time to come up in baseball. You came up because you loved baseball. It wasn't commercialized like it is. And the money. When they started paying money and they had money invested in you, it all went down the tubes. We had players that played both sides, offense and defense. It made a great big difference."

Bill Wilson was born in Central City, NE, on Nov. 6, 1928. He played for the Phoenix clubs of 1958-59 and in the minors from 1947-50, 1953 and 1956-61 with a .283 average. Nine of those years were at the AAA level.

His first big league opportunity came in Sept. 1950 for the White Sox when he was 0-for-6 in 3 games. In 1953-54, he returned to the Sox for 9 and 20 games hitting .059 and .171. After those 20 games, he went to the A's where hit hit .238 in 94 games with 15 homers. He stayed with the A's their first year in Kansas City in 1955 and batted .223 in 96 contests.

Wilson performed in 224 MLB games with a career .222 average, .308 OBP and .407 slugging %. As an outfielder in 197 games, he had a fielding % of .979.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Wilson was signed for a reported $75,000 by the White Sox but spent all of 1951 and 1952 in the military. Traded to the A's in June 1954 after a slow start, he was their regular centerfielder and finished the year with 17 HR in 358 at bats, but struck out too much (64 times) and hit only .232." - Warner Rockford

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Bill lives in Desert Hot Springs, CA.

Curt Barclay was born in Chicago on Aug. 22, 1931, and pitched for Phoenix in 1958-59. In the minors, he was 76-65 during the years of 1952, 1954-56 and 1958-60. He was in the military in 1953.

Curt spent the complete 1957 season with the New York Giants appearing in 37 games with 28 starts compiling a 3.44 ERA in 183 innings with a .274 OAV, .321 OOB and a 9-9 record. He then had two shorts stints with them in 1958-59 for 6 and 1 game(s).

Barclay pitched in 44 MLB games completing 199 innings allowing 55 walks and striking out 73. His career record was 10-9.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"After turning down a basketball contract with the Boston Celtics, the 6'3" Barclay joined the sixth-place Giants in their final year in New York. He posted a 9-9 rookie record, but the next season a shoulder injury ended his career." -Jack Kavanagh

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Curt was the plywood division superintendent for Evans Company for 22 years in Missoula, MT, and also had the same job for Champion International. He died from cancer on March 25, 1985, at St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula. Cremation followed.

Don Choate was born on July 2, 1938, in Potosi, MO. He pitched on the 1959 Phoenix Giants and was in the minors from 1956-61 with a 55-54 record.

During the 1959 pre-season, he was traded with pitcher Sam Jones from the Cardinals for Bill White.

He was in four MLB games for San Francisco in Sept. 1960 (all in relief) completing 8 innings allowing 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 7. His ERA was 2.25 with a .233 OAV and .324 OOB.

In the early 1980s, Choate was a firefighter in East St. Louis, IL. He now lives in Fairview Heights, IL.

Eddie Fisher was born in Shreveport, LA, on July 16, 1936. He pitched for the 1959 Phoenix team and in the minors from 1958-61 with a 47-21 record.

Fisher appeared in 17, 3 and 15 games for San Francisco in 1959-61 with ERAs of 7.87, 3.55 and 5.35. He moved on to the White Sox for the 1962-1965 years seeing action in 57, 33, 59 and 82 games compiling 3.10, 3.95, 3.02 and 2.40 ERAs.

After 23 contests for the Sox in 1966 (2.29), he was sent to the Orioles where he appeared in 44 more (2.64). He also was a hurler on the 1967 O's team getting into 46 games for a 3.61 ERA. His 1968 season was with the Indians (54 g, 2.85) and then was with the Angels in 1969-71 for 52, 67 and 57 games with ERAs of 3.63, 3.04 and 2.72.

Eddie returned to the Angels in 1972 for 43 games (3.76) and then returned to the White Sox for 6 games (4.43). His final big league campaign was 1973 when he was in 26 games for the White Sox (4.88) and 6 with the Cardinals (1.29). Fischer pitched in 690 games (63 starts) and finished 1539 innings allowing 1398 hits and 438 walks while striking out 812. His career ERA was 3.41 with a .243 OAV, .299 OOB and a 85-70 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The 6'2" 200-lb University of Oklahoma graduate learned the knuckleball from Hoyt Wilhelm and in 1965 the two teamed in the Chicago bullpen that set a record with 53 saves. That year Fisher led AL pitchers with 82 relief appearances and 15 relief wins and saved 24, all career highs. He also pitched two shutout innings in the All Star Game. Fisher again led the AL with 67 appearances in 1966, but he split the season between Chicago and Baltimore. Fisher had come to the White Sox in a 1961 trade that sent Billy Pierce and Don Larsen to San Francisco. Fisher was known for his great Donald Duck impersonation." - Tom Jozwik

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In the early 1980s, Fisher was a bank manager in Altus, OK. He still resides in Altus.

John F. Fitzgerald was born in Brooklyn on September 15, 1933. He played for the Phoenix club in 1959 and in the minors in 1953-56 and 1959-60 with 11 teams. His ERA was at or below 3.00 in 2 of those seasons and he played in AAA for 2 years.

On September 28, 1958, only two weeks out of the Army, John made his only appearance in a major league uniform. He was matched against the St. Louis Cardinals on the final day of the 1958 season. It was his first appearance in organized baseball since 1956 and it was against 13-game winner Sam Jones. Fitzgerald struck out the side in the second inning and allowed only one run on one hit - a home run by St. Louis RF Joe Cunningham - in three innings, before he is relieved by Dom Zanni (who got the victory). John walked one and struck out three. His ERA was 3.00 and he had an OAV of .111.

In minor league baseball from 1953-56 and 1959-60 he pitched with 11 teams. His ERA was at or below 3.00 in 2 of those seasons and he played in AAA for 2 years. He finished 38-41 in 123 appearances. Fitzgerald's best season was as a 21-year-old in 1955, when he was 14-7 with a 2.87 ERA and a league-high 233 strikeouts for the Danville Leafs and is named to the 1955 Carolina (D) League All-Star team. However, he also set a league record with 164 walks. Following his single major league appearance, Fitzgerald is hindered by various injuries including a sore arm, and pitched only two more seasons in the minor leagues (1959-60) before leaving organized baseball at the age of 26.

[The Sporting News reported on March 11, 1959: "In San Francisco's 10-5 exhibition game victory over the Chicago Cubs, Fitzgerald, after no-hitting the Cubs in the fifth inning, felt "a shock to his elbow on a fast ball and retires (for the game)." and on Aug. 21: "Now with the Corpus Christi Giants (AA Texas League), Fitzgerald is on the team's injured list. The big lefthander has been bothered by a sore arm for several weeks." and finally on June 3, 1960: "In the final decision of his professional baseball career, a sore-armed Fitzgerald is knocked out of the box in the third inning as Lancaster narrows Springfield's Eastern League lead to three games when the visiting Red Roses post a 6-1 victory …… Fitzgerald lasts only 2 1/3 innings."

Fitzgerald has lived in Patchogue, NY, and now resides in Spring Lake, NJ.

[It was incorrectly reported as having died in the book "Aaron to Zuverink".]

Marion Fricano was born in Brant, NY, on July 15, 1923, and he pitched for Phoenix in 1958-59. As a minor leaguer, he performed from 1947-1961 including ten years in AAA (six in the American Association). His career record was 131-91.

He pitched on the 1952-1955 A's appearing in 2, 39, 37 and 10 games with 5, 211, 152 and 20 innings for ERAs of 1.80, 3.88, 5.16 and 3.15.

His MLB career was 88 games with 43 starts as he finished 388 innings allowing 393 hits and 164 walks with 115 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.32 and he had a .264 OAV, .341 OOB and 15-23 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Fricano made a promising 9-12, 3.88 ERA start as a 30-year-old rookie...in 1953. The next year, erratic control dropped him to 5-11 and 5.16. - Merritt Clifton

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He became a school teacher in upstate New York and was town supervisor in North Collins from 1961-1973. He had cancer and was visiting family in California when he died at age 52, in a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico, on May 16, 1978. Burial was at Holy Spirit Cemetery in North Collins, NY.

Billy Muffett was born on Sept. 21, 1930, Hammond, IN. He was a pitcher on the 1959 Phoenix team and played in the minors from 1949-51, 1954-60 and 1962-65 with a record of 127-114. Billy pitched a no-hitter in the 1955 Texas League playoffs.

He appeared in 23 and 35 games for the Cardinals in 1957-58 scoring ERAs of 2.25 and 4.93. In '59, he was in 5 games for San Francisco and then completed his major league stay with the Red Sox in 1960-62 for 23, 38 and 1 game(s) compiling 3.24, 5.67 and 9.00 ERAs.

Muffett pitched in 125 MLB games (32 starts) completed 376 innings allowing 407 hits and 132 walks with 188 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.33 with a .277 OAV, .342 OOB and a 16-23 record.

He was in the Military in 1952-53 and served as a major league coach for the Cardinals (1967-70), Angels (1974-77) and the Tigers (1985-94). In 1987 he survived a bout with cancer. He died at this home in Monroe, LA, on June 15, 2008, and was buried at Mulhearn Memorial Park in Monroe. .

Julio Navarro was born in Vieques, PR, on Jan. 9, 1936, he pitched for Phoenix in 1959. In the minors he was 146-124 during the 1955-62 and 1964-74 seasons.

Julio pitched for the expansion Angels in 1962-64 as a reliever in 9, 57 and 5 games with 4.70, 2.89 and 1.93 ERAs. The remainder of the 1964 season he was with the Tigers for 26 appearances (3.95). He was also with Detroit for 15 and 1 game(s) in 1965-66 with an ERA of 4.20 and <infinity>.

He competed his big league stay with the Braves in 1970 getting into 17 contests for a 4.10 ERA. Over his 6 major league seasons and 130 games, he finished 212 innings allowing 191 hits and 70 walks while striking out 151. His career ERA was 3.65 with a .241 OAV, .309 OOB and a 7-9 record.

In the early 1980s, he was a Braves Latin America scout. His son, Jamie Navarro, was a major league pitcher for a number of years. Julio lives in Bayamon, PR.

Marshall Renfroe was born on May 25, 1936, in Century, FL. He pitched for the 1959 Phoenix Giants and in the minors from 1954-62 for a 60-88 record.

On Sept. 27, 1959, he made his only major league appearance as a starter. He went 2 innings allowing 3 hits (1 home run) and 3 walks while striking out 3. His ERA was 27.00 with a .333 OAV, .500 OOB and no record.

In late November 1970, he was driving a pickup truck on the Pensacola (FL) Bay Bridge and was hit by a gasoline truck. He died from the resulting burns on Dec. 10, 1970, in Pensacola and was buried there at Bayview Memorial Park.

Joe Shipley was born in Morristown, TN, on May 9, 1935. Joe pitched for the 1958-59 Phoenix clubs and in the minors from 1953-65 with a 76-97 record. Nine of those seasons were at the AAA level.

Joe was a reliever in 1, 10 and 15 game(s) for the Giants in 1958-60 compiling ERAs of 33.75, 4.50 and 5.40. His last big league games were in 1963 for the White Sox (3 g, 5.79). In his 29 MLB games, he completed 44 innings allowing 48 hits and 35 walks while striking out 23. His ERA was 5.93 with a .284 OAV, .424 OOB and an 0-1 record.

In the early 1980s, Shipley was working for General Motors in St. Louis. He now lives in St. Charles, MO.

Marcelino Solis was born on July 19, 1930, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and pitched in Phoenix during the 1959 season. He was a minor leaguer from 1951-63 with a 37-43 mark.

The extent of him big league experiences came for the Cubs in 1958 when he was in 15 games (4 starts) completing 52 innings allowing 74 hits and 20 walks while striking out 15. His ERA was 6.06 with a .339 OAV, .405 OOB and a 3-3 record.

In the early 1980s, Solis was living in Monterey, Mexico, and he died there on June 15, 2001. Burial was at Panteon del Carmen in Monterey.

Roy Wright was born in Buchtel, OH, on Sept. 26, 1933. He was a hurler on the 1959 Phoenix squad and pitched in the minors in 1953 and 1956-59.

On Sept. 30, 1956, Wright started a game for the New York Giants which was his only MLB experience. He lasted 2 2/3 innings allowing 8 hits (1 homer), 2 walks and 5 runs for a 16.88 ERA and 0-1 record.

In the early 1980s, he was employed by the North Carolina Electric Power Board and lived in Fort Ogelthorpe, GA. He now lives in Chickamauga, GA.

Dom Zanni was born in the Bronx on March 1, 1932. He pitched for Phoenix in 1958-59 and in the minors from 1951-61 and 1964-67 with a 140-122 record.

He pitched occasionally for the Giants in 1958-59 and 1961 in 1, 9 and 8 game(s) with 2.25, 6.55 and 3.95 ERAs. He then was with the White Sox in 1962-63 for 44 (3.75) and 5 (8.31) games before moving on to the Reds for the rest of the '63 season (31 g, 4.19). Dom ended his big league stay with the Reds in 8 and 5 games during the 1965-66 years.

Zanni appeared in 111 big league games (3 starts) finishing 183 innings allowing 155 hits and 85 walks while striking out 148. His ERA was 3.79 with a .233 OAV, .326 OOB and a 9-6 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Tecnically, Zanni never pitched a complete game in the majors, but he did pitch all nine innings of a victory. On June 22, 1962, he relieved injured Joel Horlen of the White Sox with two on and none out. He continued the rest of the way, scattering seven hits in a 5-1 win. Moreover, in the seventh inning, he was knocked unconscious in a collision while covering first base. After clearing his head, he went back to the mound and finished the game." - Bob Carroll

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He became an insurance agent in Massapequa, NY, and he still resides there.

John H. "Red" Davis managed Phoenix in 1958-59. He managed the 1958-59 Phoenix clubs and, in total, managed for 21 years (from 1949-76) compiling a 1993-1927 record which included 12 years at the AAA level. Red played in the minors from 1937-41 and 1946-53.

His only call to the big leagues came in 1941 when he played 21 games for the New York Giants as a third baseman. He batted .214 with 70 at bats and had a .295 OAV and .257 slugging. He fielded .970 in his 21 games at third.

Davis died on April 26, 2002 in Laurel, MS, and was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery there.

-----1966-----

In 1961, the San Francisco Giants began holding their spring training games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. For the next three years [for PR purposes, they would place a trolley car in front of the park] the Giants kept a presence, at least during the spring, in Phoenix.

Starting in 1963, the city started to build a new approximately 8,000 -seat ballpark on the east side of town at 5999 East Van Buren St. The park's manager, Tommy Gonzales, supervised the opening in 1964 and continued to provide a superb playing surface for many years. The park's dimensions were considered huge even for it's time - 365 feet down each line, 412 feet to the power alleys and 430 to the center field fence. It's light poles were formerly located at the Polo Grounds in New York City and were a gift from then Giants' owner Horace Stoneham. It continued to host the San Francisco Giants in the spring and the home games of the nearby Arizona State University. The park had a modern cement canopy for shade and according to a report to the mayor: “Each riser will be of thin section, ventilated to cool rapidly. Water flushing of stands prior (to a game) will both clean and cool the stands.”

"New" Phoenix Municipal Stadium

At the time of the stadium's construction, it was recommended that the structure and foundation be designed to provide for the future addition of an upper deck along the foul lines and bleachers for a total capacity of 30,000. The opening game was spoiled by a dust storm and on-again-off-again rain from 7:25 to 8:01. There were only 2,326 paid customers to watch the Giants comback win over Tulsa 6-3.

In the meantime, Phoenix's replacement in the Pacific Coast League - Tacoma - had it''s attendance fall from 270,024 in 1960 to 119,762 in 1965 and the population of Phoenix was in the process of increasing from 439,170 in 1960 to 581,600 in 1970 with no end in sight. Therefore, the San Francisco Giants moved their AAA affiliate back to Phoenix beginning with the 1966 season.

Unfortunately, while the franchise played in Tacoma, Phoenix fans missed seeing Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Jose Cardenal and two no-hiters by lefty Dick Estelle.

Phoenix rejoined a Pacific Coast League that looked nothing like it had in 1959. It expanded to ten teams in 1963 and to 12 in 1964 as the American Association folded and the league was now divided into two divisions. Old coast standbys like San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver were joined by Hawaii and definitely-not coast teams from the old Association - Tulsa, Indianapolis, Denver and Oklahoma City. Tacoma also returned as a Cubs farm team getting the former Salt Lake City franchise. MIA was Sacramento which moved to Hawaii.

Phoenix's manager was Bill Werle who had pitched in the PCL as early as 1943. He had played in the majors for six years and managed in the minors for seven years. Rosy Ryan returned as the GM.

Werle

Werle directed a low-powered club with average-to-good starting and relief pitching to second place in the eastern division, 14 games above .500 and only 4 ½ games out of first. Attendance was acceptable by the league standards of 1966. However, the mark of 152,508 held up as the most in Phoenix history until 1974.

World Series hero Don Larsen (8-5), who was nearing the end of his career, spent the complete year with Phoenix and performed well in 35 games (12 starts) with a team-leading 2.50 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Gerry Mertz (8-8), in his fifth year of pro play, got into 41 games and also performed well with a 3.00 ERA and was third in team WHIP at 1.28. Swingman Rich Robertson (13-6) had 41 appearances with 18 starts, but led the team in victories and strikeouts (148) and was second in ERA at 2.80 and had a good WHIP of 1.33. Robertson, in his first pro year, also made his MLB debut during the season.

Bob Garibadi (12-7) made the most starts (32) of anyone on the staff with a WHIP of 1.42 and ERA of 4.20 in 197 innings He led the team in innings and complete games (11). Next in number of starting assignments was Joe Overton (7-10) with 28 in his fourth pro year. He finished with a good 3.37 ERA and was second in WHIP at 1.20 with 187 frames. Frank Kasheta (10-8) never made the majors but, in 19 starts and 141 innings, had a good 2.81 ERA and the led the team with the best WHIP (1.13) in 141 innings.

The other pitcher to log at least 100 innings was Dick Estelle (5-4) who started 16 of his 27 games for a 4.32 ERA and 1.58 WHIP. Three pitchers also saw action, during the season, in the Eastern League - Nestor Chavez (7-5) was in 30 games with 7 starts, with a rather high 4.56 ERA, but good WHIP of 1.30; Archie Dawson (3-1) was strictly a reliever for 18 games (4.66/1.66) in his second pro year; and Bill Wade (2-2) appeared in 13 games (6 starts) with a heightened ERA of 4.78 and good 1.39 WHIP as he completed his final pro season.

Two pitchers who had seen big league action played for two PCL teams during the year, including Phoenix. Jack Warner (6-7 for two teams) appeared in 51 games and 83 innings with a 3.25 ERA The season was his last as a pro. Morrie Steevens (44 games/15 starts for two teams) finished at 4-11, 4.29, 1.44) one year removed from the majors and one season left in his baseball career.

The infield produced most of the hitting for average with third-year pro shortstop and All Star Bob Schroder (.317) leading the team in batting average, in doubles with 31 (although he failed hit a homer) and in shortstop fielding. Veteran Marv Breeding (.313), led the club in triples (12) and had his last good pro year starting at third base (at least more then any other player) and first baseman and sometimes catcher Jack Hiatt (.270) had another good minor league year leading the team in OBP at .421 and was second in RBI at 68. George Williams (.270) was the starter at second base.

Another veteran, Jim McKight (.282), was a valuable utility guy, after coming over from San Diego, seeing action at first, third in the outfield in 117 league games. Breeding also played at first and second, Bobby Etheridge (.291) got into 49 contests as a back-up third baseman and Bob Burda (.308) was a first baseman in addition to playing in the outfield. Another old pro, Ozzie Virgil Sr. (.288), was a utility player.

The other Phoenix All Star, Frank Johnson (.308), was a starting outfielder as he led the team in at bats (549), runs (96), home runs (15), RBI (77) and slugging average (.479). Johnson also played third base. Ken Henderson (.272) was a regular outfielder compiling 66 RBI which was third on the team as he also had his second taste of MLB play during the season. Rex Johnston (.286) was another regular as he ended his 8-year pro career in 1966. Minor league lifer, Paul Jernigan (.204), got into 88 games as a back-up. Frank Johnson also saw action in the outfield as did Bob Burda and Jim McKnight.

Others to get into games for Phoenix as outfielders were: the impressive Ollie Brown who batted .343 in 27 games and played for the MLB Giants during the season; twelve-year veteran Don Landrum (.256) saw action in 29 games as he ended his big league and pro career; and Jesus Alou (.293) was in 10 games between major league assignments.

The catcher position was shared between four men - five if you include Jack Hiatt. Denny Sommers (.228) got into 52 games playing in his ninth pro year of ten. Dick Dietz (.347) played his final 50 minor league games before staying in the majors through 1973. Bob Barton (.296) saw action in 46 contests as he was also used by the San Francisco Giants during the season and veteran Dick Bertell (.245), who was near the end of his career, caught in 37 games.

Bob Barton played on the 1966 Phoenix Giants and was born on July 30, 1941, in Norwood, OH. He was a minor league player from 1959-1967 with a .271 average. Barton was an outstanding basketball player for a Kentucky high school and choose baseball over hoop play with Adolph Rupp's U. of Kentucky. [Thereafter, Rupp barred all San Francisco Giants scouts from the Kentucky campus.]

He was a catcher for San Francisco off-and-on from 1965-1969 in 4, 43, 7, 46 and 49 games with averages of .571, .176, .211, .261 and .170. He moved on to the Padres for the 1970-72 years batting .218, .250 and .193 in 61, 121 and 29 games. .

In 1973 he got into 3 games for the Reds and to close out his big league career, he was back with San Diego for 1974, in 30 contests, hitting .235. In Bob's 393 games and 1,049 MLB at bats, he batted .226 with a .288 OBP and .267 slugging. His fielding average in 380 games at catcher was .987. He was known for his strong arm.

In the early 1980s, Barton was an insurance broker specializing in commercial property casualty insurance and he lived in San Diego. Bob now lives in Murietta, CA.

Bill Werle was born in Oakland on December 21, 1920. He was a minor league player from 1943-1944, 1946-1948, 1953-1961 and 1963; a minor league manager from 1963-1964 and 1966-1970 (including 1966-67 with Phoenix); and a major league player and coach. In his college career, at the University of California, he was 25-2.

Bill started his pro career in AAA San Francisco in 1943-1944 with 4.84 and 4.05 ERAs. He was in the military service in 1945 and then played three more years with the Seals (2.26, 3.29 and 2.74 ERAs).

Those years earned him a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster for 1949-1951 when he appeared in 35, 48 and 59 games with ERAs of 4.24, 4.60 and 5.65. Werle displayed outstanding control and durability as the NLs top rookie lefthander in 1949 when his record was 12-13. However, arm trouble in 1950 forced his move to the bullpen and his control faltered. In 1951, he set a Pirates since-broken record with 59 appearances.

He started the 1952 season with the Pirates (5 g, 9.00 ERA), but then went to the Cardinals for 19 games and a 4.85 ERA. Werle split the 1953-1954 seasons between AAA and the Boston Red Sox with 5 and 14 games in the majors for 1.54 and 4.38 ERAs.

In his 6-year, 185-game, 665-inning MLB career, he gave up 770 hits and 194 walks while striking out 283 for a 4.69 ERA and .291 OAV. From 1955-1961, he closed out his pro career with seasons in the Pacific Coast League.

Werle was a major league coach for the Giants in 1966 and later an Orioles' scout who became their "pitcher specialist" as he followed only pitchers the three months preceding an amateur draft. He currently lives in San Mateo, CA.

Dick Bertell was a catcher on the 1966 Phoenix club [a year he was hampered by a knee injury] and was born in Oak Park, IL, on Nov. 21, 1935. As a minor leaguer from 1957-60 and 1966-67, he batted .266. He attended Iowa State University.

Bertell was a Cubs catcher from 1960-1964 for 5, 92, 77, 100 and 112 games batting .133, .273, .302, .233 and .238. After 34 games for the Northsiders in 1965 (.214) he was sent to the Giants where he appeared in 22 contests (.188). He returned to the Cubs in 1967 for his big league swan song getting into 2 games.

Dick played in 444 major league games and had 1310 at bats for a .250 average, .307 OBP and .312 slugging. He fielded .985 in 438 games behind the plate.

By the early 1980s, Bertell had become a salesman for Willamette Industries and lived in Mission Viejo, CA. He died there on Dec. 20, 1999, and was buried at El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest, CA. .

Dick Dietz was born in Crawfordsville, IN, on Sept. 18, 1941, and caught for the '66 Phoenix team. He was in the minors in 1960-66 with a career average of .297. He was the 1963 Texas League Player of the Year and led the league in hitting.

He was generally San Francisco's main catcher from 1966-1971 for 13, 56, 98, 79, 148 and 142 games hitting .043, .225, .272, .230, .300 and .252. Dick played in the 1970 All Star game.

In 1972, he was in 27 contests for the Dodgers (.161) and 83 games [used more often as a first baseman] for the Braves in 1973 (.295). All told, Dietz played in 646 big league games and had 1,829 at bats with a .261 batting average, .392 OBP and a .425 slugging. He fielded .980 in 528 games at catcher and 36 at first base. It has been written that his involvement with the Baseball Players Association probably hurt his chances to play longer.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Signing for $90,000 in 1963, Dietz and his roommate, fellow bonus catcher Randy Hundley, became known as 'The Gold Dust Twins.' Called up in late 1966, he hit a 410-foot homer off Sandy Koufax. Playing just 56 games in 1967, he was named the Topps all-star rookie catcher, but he did not become a regular until 1970. That year, he peaked in every offensive category (.300, 22 HR, 107 RBI), and homered in the ninth inning of the All Star game. Beaned in mid-1971, Dietz played down the stretch in a tight race with L.A. with his head heavily bandaged. When the Giants clinched, Dietz grabbed a radio microphone to shout, '[I feel great and] The Dodgers can go to hell!' Because of a clerical error, the Giants lost Dietz to the Dodgers in 1972, but he broke his finger in his first start [on June 30] for Los Angeles." - Merritt Clifton

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In the early 1980s, Dick was president of Sports Clinics Unlimited [a firm that conducted sports clinics throughout Georgia]. During the 1993-94 seasons, he managed in the minors and, in his later years, lived in Snow Hill, NC. Dietz died on June 27, 2005, in Clayton, GA, from a heart attack and was buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, SC.

Jack Hiatt was born in Bakersfield, CA, on July 27, 1942. He played for the 1966 Phoenix club and in the minors from 1961-66 and 1973-75 compiling a .270 average.

He came up for 9 games for the Dodgers in Sept. 1964 and then moved on to the Giants for the 1965-69 seasons as a catcher/first baseman in 40, 18, 73, 90 and 69 games batting .284, .304, .275, .232 and .196. Jack started the 1970 year with the Expos for 17 games (.326) and then finished the seasson with 66 contests with the Cubs (.242).

In 1971, Hiatt was in 69 games for the Astros hitting .276 and continued with them in 10 games in '72 before ending his MLB journey in 22 games for the Angels that season (.289). Dick performed in 483 big league games and had 1142 at bats with a .251 average, .376 OBP and .363 slugging. He had a fielding % of .990 in 312 games at catcher, 70 at first and 2 in the outfield.

At times during the 1980s, Hiatt was the Astros minor league catching instructor. He managed in the minors in 1977, 1979-80, 1982-83 and 1988 with an all time record of 501-599. Jack was a major league coach for the Cubs in 1981 and was the Giants director of player development for 16 years. He retired in Oct. 2007 and now lives in Coquille, OR.

Marv Breeding was born in Decatur, AL, on March 8, 1934, and played for Phoenix in 1966. He was in the minors in 1955-57, 1959 and 1964-68 hitting a career .280. Marv was in the military in 1957-58 and attended Samford University.

Marv was a starting second baseman in his first MLB year of 1960 for the Orioles hitting .267 in 152 games. In 1961-62, he was in 90 and 95 contests with BAs of .209 and .246. His final big league year was 1963 when he got into 58 games for the Senators (.274) and 20 for the Dodgers (.167).

Breeding was in 415 major league games and had 1,268 at bats for a .250 average, .289 OBP and .314 slugging average. He fielded .975 in 344 games at second, 31 at third and 4 at short.

Marv became a manufacturer's rep in Decatur. Later he operated Marve Breeding Enterprises and MLB Industries [a machine shop] there. He died at his home in Decatur on Dec. 31, 2006, and was buried at Roselawn Cemetery in Decatur.

Rex Johnston was born in Colton, CA, on November 8, 1937. He played for Phoenix in 1966 and in the minors from 1959-1966, for 10 teams with 5 years in AAA. He hit 18 home runs in the Southern Atlantic League in 1961. He left baseball after the '66 season because he refused to accept only a $200 a month pay raise.

Rex had only one short stay in the majors. In 1964 he played in 14 games for the Pirates getting no hits in 7 at bats. He did walk 3 times for a .300 OBP. In 8 games in the outfield, he handled 2 chances without error and as a pinch hitter, he was 0 for 3.

Rex also was a running back and special teams player with the 1959 Pittsburgh Steelers. After leaving baseball, he joined his family's painting business, in Paramount, CA, and put his USC business administration degree to good use. By the mid-80's, he helped build AA-1 Painting Services' sales, in industrial and commercial painting, to $3 million. He now lives in Los Alamitos, CA.

Don Landrum was an outfielder on the 1966 Phoenix team. He was born on Feb. 16, 1936, in Santa Rosa, CA, and performed in the minor leagues from 1954-61, 1964 and 1966 with an average of .283.

Don saw action in 2 games for the Phillies in 1957 and then did not see MLB action until 1960-62 with the Cardinals in 13, 28 and 32 games batting .245, .167 and .314. The rest of the '62 season he was with the Cubs for 83 games (.282).

He stayed with the Cubs threw the 1963-65 years getting into 84, 11 and 131 games hitting .242, .000 (0-for-11) and .226. His big league career ended in 1966 with 72 games for San Francisco as he hit .186. In his 456 games and 1,160 at bats, he hit .234 with a .308 OBP and .310 slugging. As an outfielder in 352 games, he fielded .982. Don was known for his outstanding speed.

After baseball, Landrum returned to his home country of Conta Casta County, CA, and worked in various businesses. He died on Jan. 9, 2003, in Pittsburg, CA, and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Antioch, CA. .

Jesus "Jay" Alou was born on March 24,1942, in Haina, DR, and he played a few games with the 1966 Phoenix team. As a minor leaguer, he batted .293 during the 1959-63, 1966 and 1976 seasons.

Alou was nearly a full-time outfielder for San Francisco from 1963-68 getting into 16, 115, 143, 110, 129 and 120 games hitting .250, .274, .298, .259, .292 and .263. He then went to the Astros for the 1969-1972 campaigns with averages of .248, .306, .279 and .312 in 115, 117, 122 and 52 games.

After 28 games with the Astros in '73 (.236), Jay was traded to the A's where he appeared in 36 contests (.306). He stayed with Oakland for 96 games in 1974 batting .268. Alou's 1975 year was with the Mets as he batted .265 in 62 games. He then returned to the majors with the Astros for 1978-79 hitting .324 and .256 in 77 and 42 games.

Jay was a major leaguer over 15 years, 1,380 games and had 4,345 at bats. His career average was .280 with a .307 OBP and .353 slugging. He attained a .968 fielding average with 1050 games in the outfield and one at first [47 games were at DH].

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Jesus, the biggest but slowest of the three Alou brothers, was usually called "Jay" by broadcasters...When he joined Felipe and Matty on the Giants in late 1963, they appeared as the only MLB all-brother outfield. The next season, when Felipe was traded, Jesus replaced him as the Giants' rightfielder. A competent contact hitter, he lacked Felipe's home run power and Matty's speed. He later played on Oakland's 1973-74 World Champions, mostly as a DH or pinch hitter." - John Devaney

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Alou became a Montreal Expos scout in the Dominican Republic and he currently lives in Santo Domingo.

Al Gallagher was in a few games with the 1966 Phoenix Giants and he was born on Oct. 19, 1945, in San Francisco. He played in the minors in 1965-69, 1974-75, 1977 and 1980. His average was .275 during those years. As a minor league manager, he was employed from 1976-84, 1995-2000 and 2002-2009 for a record of 1,085-1,190 (through 2007).

His big league experiences came in 1970-73 for San Francisco as he got into 109, 136, 82 and 5 games hitting .266, .277, .223 and .222. The rest of his 1973 year and MLB career was 110 games for the Angels (.273).

Al was in 442 big league games and had 1264 at bats with a .263 average, .338 OBP and .337 slugging. As an outfielder in 391 contests, he fielded .961.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Gallagher's mother wanted many sons, but having just one, gave him all their names. Alan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry Gallagher, a self-proclaimed marginal player, lasted four seasons in the majors on sheer hustle. "Dirty" Al never looked good in a uniform. He was once the subject of a "New York Times Magazine" article on journeymen players." - David Quentin Voigt

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Gallagher is still managing in independent baseball - now in the American Association. While managing in the Northern League, he lived in Duluth MN.

Gil Garrido was an infielder on the '66 Phoenix team. He was born in Panama City, Panama, on June 26, 1941, and was a minor league player in 1960-68 and 1973 with a .263 average.

Gil first appeared in the majors for San Francisco in 1964 batting .080 in 14 games as a shortstop. He then was with the Braves from 1968-1972 as an utility guy getting into 18, 82, 101, 79 and 40 contests with .208, .220, .264, .216 and .267 averages.

As a major leaguer, he was in 334 games and had 872 at bats

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The Panamanian was first called to the majors in 1961 at age 20, but, knowing no English, couldn't find Candlestick Park and was returned to the minors without getting to play. In the PCL he set records at shortstop for fielding percentage and errorless games [63 for Tacoma in 1964]. He appeared briefly with the Giants and eventually won a platoon job with the Braves. Garrido never did master English and finished in the Mexican League." - Merritt Clifton

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After his playing career, he was associated with the professional baseball program in Panama City. He now has a post office address in Miami.

Al Stanek pitched for the 1966 Phoenix Giants and was born on Dec. 24, 1943, in Springfield, MA. He was in the minors from 1962 and 1964-67 with a record of 29-37. He led the PCL in strikeouts with 220 in 1964.

His only big league games were 11 relief appearances for San Francisco in 1963 when he completed 13 innings allowing 10 hits and 12 walks while striking out 5. Al's ERA was 4.73 with a .217 OAV, .379 OOB and no W/L record. When Stanek was a youth, his baseball hero was Billy Pierce with whom he was a teammate in '63.

Stanek became a senior buyer for Hamilton Standard and has lived in Holyoke, MA, for many years. .

Morris "Morrie" Steevens was born in Salem, IL, on October 7, 1940. He pitched for the 1966 Phoenix club and, in the minors, he played from 1958-1967 for 11 clubs including 4 years at class AAA. On September 9, 1964, he pitched his second no-hitter for the Arkansas Travelers of in the Pacific Coast League. The only base runner reached on an error [his first no-hitter was in the Northern League in 1960].

Steevens was signed from the Illinois American Legion baseball program by Hershel Martin of the Cubs for $2,500.

Morrie pitched for the Cubs in 1962 for 12 games completing 15 innings for a 2.40 ERA. During the winter of 1963-64, Philadelphia got him in a trade with Salt Lake City. In 1964 and 1965, the left hander appeared in 4 and 6 games for the Phillies finishing 3 innings each year with ERAs of 3.38 and 16.88. His career spanned 22 games (one start) and 20 innings as he gave up 20 hits and 16 walks while striking out 11 for a 4.43 ERA and .263 OAV.

and was it was the Eastern Division pennant clincher for the team. The game also happened to be the team's Fan Appreciation Night when each member received a $100 check, but Morrie also got $300 when the fans passed the hat after the game. After the game, Travelers' manager Frank Lucchesi said: "I liked Steevens' arm after watching him throw early in the season, but I couldn't get him in the game as often as I wanted because I had all those other pitchers." Steevens said: "What a night! I never did think I had a chance to get a no-hitter. Good defensive work did it. " His control was very good. "The fast ball was sinking. It was my best pitch. I could throw it where I wanted to, in and out, down or tight. The slider was working good, too."

Morrie was a deputy sheriff and tax appraiser during the off-seasons of his playing days. After retirement from baseball, Steevens became a tax consultant for Klein and Barenblat in San Antonio, TX, where he still lives.

Jack D. Warner pitched for Phoenix in 1966 and was born in July 12, 1940, in Branywine, WV. He was a hurler in the minors from 1958-66 with a 51-30 record on 10 teams. Warner was groomed as a reliever from the time he was in the lower minors. Early in the 1963 season, he struck out 41 batters in 35 innings for Salt Lake City (PCL).

Jack was up-and-down between the Cubs and AAA from 1962-1965. As a major leaguer he appeared in 7, 8, 7 and 11 games with 7, 23, 9 and 16 innings for ERAs of 7.71, 2.78, 2.89 and 8.62. In total, he was in 33 big league games and finished 55 innings allowing 64 hits and 21 walks with 23 strikeouts. His career ERA was 5.10 with a .308 OAV, .371 OOB and a 0-2 record.

In the early 1980s, Warner was the general foreman for Arizona Public Service (APS) [a utility company] and lived in Phoenix. He now lives in Glendale, AZ.

-----1967-----

Manager Bill Werle returned with nine position players and six pitchers from '66. In sum, the team had less talent and little power as it finished third with six less wins and was 9 ½ games out of first. The club's attendance was second worst in the league dropping by about 30,000 from the previous season. The team won the PCL team hitting title with a .276 mark and had the most triples (75).

Cesar Gutierrez (.322) replaced Bob Schroder [who moved up to the big league Giants] at short, won the league batting championship and was named to the league's All Star team. He also led the team in at bats (494) and doubles (26). Bob Burda (.265) returned as a starter at first base and led the team in runs (76), George Williams (.240) was the club's main second baseman and Bobby Etheridge (.325) had his career "higher minors" year as a third baseman. Etheridge did not have enough at bats to win the league hitting crown but did outpoint teammate Gutierrez slightly and had the club-best OBP of .384. He also made his first venture into the majors.

Utilitymen Ozzie Virgil (.319) and Jim McKnight (.288) played all of the infield positions and newcomer, George (C.) Smith (.200), played at second and third. McKnight led the team in RBI with 65.

The other All Star on the team was catcher Don Bryant (.292) who was backed up by Virgil.

The outfield starters were led by the returning Paul Jernigan (.303) who was the team-leader in home runs with 10 and in slugging percentage (.495). Frank Johnson (.265) also returned playing in 134 games and newbie, Dave Marshall (.294), completed the starting outfield. Marshall led the team with 12 triples. Both Johnson and Marshall played a few games in the majors during the season.

Outfield back-ups included: Ken Henderson (.266) who came back but only got into 41 games while sharing his season with the MLB Giants; Bob Taylor (.229) came up from the Eastern Lee [not to be confused with Bob "Hawk" Taylor] for 28 contests; Bob Burda; Frank Johnson; Dave Marshall and Jim McKnight.

The club had the ninth-best team ERA but compiled the most complete games (18), innings pitched and strikeouts. Rich Robertson (8-9, 3.93) led the league with 184 strikeouts and the team in starts (29) and innings pitched (190). Bob Garibaldi (11-8, 4.42) was another first-line starter leading the team in victories and was second in strikeouts and innings pitched. Newcomer, Dave Dowling (7-10), had the third most starts and innings with a good 3.51 ERA. The fourth starter was newbie, Dick Sparks (7-10), who also finished with an ERA under 4.00 (3.87) and had some time, during the season, in the Eastern League. Robertson was the only one, of the four, to see action in the majors in '67. Dowling and Sparks were tied for the club league in complete games with six.

The relief corps was led by the returning Gerry Merz (7-7, 3.60) who led the team with 49 appearances. Newcomer Joe Pollack (4-5, 3.75) wasn't far behind with 47 games. Left-hander Larry Miller (3-7, 3.49) arrived from the International League to lead the team in WHIP at 1.33 in 37 contests. Joe Costello (6-6) had 30 appearances including 12 starts to finish as having the second-best team ERA with a 3.38 mark. Pepe Leyva (0-0, 5.34) was another lefty reliever (25 games), but he didn't have the record that Miller accomplished. Hal Haydel (10-3) was the other pitcher to see action in more then 20 games and he finished with a fine 2.52 ERA which led the team.

Rob Gardner (4-1, 2.81) pitched well in 7 starts and also saw some action with the Cubs in '67. Nestor Chavez (6-3, 5.46) returned for 10 games for the AAA Giants and also had time, during the year, in the Eastern League and with San Francisco. Veteran major leaguer and native Arizonan, Don Lee (1-1, 5.73), relieved in 7 league games as he also played for Tacoma in his last pro season. Don Larsen (0-0, 6.00) returned for 6 games before going up to the Cubs and then down to the Texas League. The returning, Frank Kasheta (1-1, 7.36), had his performance reduced significantly from '66 which led to his seeing action with two teams in the International League, during the year, which turned out to be his last as a pro.

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General Manager Rosy Ryan was definitely old school. As an employee of the San Francisco Giants, he was all business it did not appreciate promotions to bring crowds. In an article in the 1997 Firebirds Yearbook, Craig Pletenik interviewed long-time PA announcer Bob Baker: "Rosy was the only GM I know who hated crowds", recalled Baker. "People made him nervous. He would cry 'who let all these people into the ball park!' Pony Night was a big promotion and he would be pacing and puffing on his cigar. He was a wreak with a big crowd. And he was a total purist and it killed him to have Pony Night. He figured you opened the gates and people came in and if they didn't want to, they didn't."

It was well known that when someone won a pony and soon after figured out they had no place to house it, Ryan would buy it back and run the pony promotion a month later. Baker remembered: "They had three of those a year and it would be the same pony each night."

Ryan ran the Phoenix club with a tight fist and pocketbook. His response to a writer who had been invited to Ryan's annual dinner of local writers and had the audacity to order an expensive item off the menu was "dammit...if I'd have known you going to order oxen on the half shell, I wouldn't have invited you."

There was a player who asked Ryan for a raise because his wife was no longer working as she was caring for a new- born at home. Rosy's answer was "Dammit...this ball club pays off on batting averages, not pregnancies."

In the spring of 1966 or 1967, the team had pitcher Lee Meyers in spring camp. He was dating starlet Mami Van Doran who liked baseball and suggested that she would be happy to make special appearances in Phoenix if he made the team. It probably would have brought out a fair number of fans, but as soon as the idea was publicized, Ryan released Meyers. He thought having Mami as an attraction at the ball park would make a travesty of the game.

However, it was not well known that, in most situations, Ryan had a big heart. Once a former player was having financial problems because his child had a brain tumor. Rosy and his wife, behind the scenes, paid the resulting expenses.

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Dave Marshall played on the 1967 Phoenix Giants and was born in Artesia, CA, on Jan. 14, 1943. He was a minor league player from 1963-67 and 1973-75 with a .264 career average.

Marshall played on the San Francisco Giants in 1967-69 for 1, 76 and 110 game(s) batting <no average>, .264 and .232. Dave was on the Topps 1968 All Star rookie team. He then went to the Mets for the 1970-72 seasons performing in 92, 100 and 72 contests hitting .243, .238 and .250. His final year of major league action was 1973 when he batted .286 in 39 games for the Padres.

In his 490 games and 1,049 at bats-MLB career, his average was .246 with a .336 OBP and .338 slugging. Dave played in the outfield in 294 games with a fielding average of .966. His scouting report stated that he was a singles hitter who was not a very good defense player.

In the early 1980s, he lived in Long Beach, CA, and was a businessman. He still resides there.

George Cornelius Smith was born on July 7, 1937, in St. Petersburg and played on the 1967 Phoenix club. .George played baseball for two years with the Negro League's Indianapolis Clowns before his minor league playing days. The right hander played in the minor leagues from 1958-1965 and 1967-1968 for 11 teams with averages over .300 for 2 of them [had a .252 career average]. He was at class AAA for 6 seasons.

George had only one complete major league season. In 1963-1965, he was up and down between the Tigers and their AAA affiliate for 52, 5 and 32 games as a utility infielder batting .216, .286 and .094 in 171, 7 and 53 at bats. On October 4, 1965, he was traded with George Thomas to Boston for Bill Monbouquette. He had his career year in 1966 with the Red Sox as their starting second baseman and occasional shortstop in 128 games with a batting average of .213 and a fielding average of .969. In his spring training of 1967, he tore cartilage in a knee which hastened the end of his career.

Life-time he played in 128 MLB games hitting .205 with a .278 OBP and .309 slugging % in 217 at bats. His fielding average was .974 and he was 1 for 10 as a pinch hitter.

He became a physical education teacher at Bay Point Middle School in St. Petersburg and a recreation aide to the community center. He was also a maintenance supervisor at a local bank. His death, caused by cancer, came at the Bayfront Medical Center, in St. Petersburg, on June 15, 1987. His burial was at the Lincoln Cemetery in Gulfport, FL.

Dave Dowling pitched on the 1967 Phoenix team and was born on Aug. 23, 1942, in Baton Rouge, LA. He was a pro pitcher in the minors from 1964-68 finishing with a career ERA of 3.30 and a 42-30 record.

On Oct. 3, 1964, Dave relieved in a game for the Cardinals going one inning, allowing 2 hits, but no runs. His only other major league appearance was in 1966 for the Cubs when he pitched a complete game giving up 10 hits, no walks and two runs. His career OAV and OOB were both .270 and he had a 1-0 record.

As an amateur, he was named 1963 "Sandlotter of the Year" by the National Baseball Congress after averaging 18 strikeouts per game in the National Tournament while pitching for the Alaska Goldpanners. Dowling has a BS in Chemistry from the University of California and a masters in orthodontics from Northwestern. He then became a dentist and lived in Longview, WA, for 20 years. Dowling now lives in Glendale, AZ, and practices dental surgery in the Phoenix area.

Richard "Rob" Gardner pitched for Phoenix in 1967 and was born in Binghamton, NY, on Dec. 19, 1944. Rob pitched in the minors in 1963-65, 1967-75 for a 3.21 ERA and a 88-52 record on 11 teams.

He came up to the Mets for the 1965-66 seasons getting into 5 and 41 games with ERAs of 3.21 and 5.12. On Oct. 2, 1965, he started and pitched scoreless baseball for the first 15 innings in a second game of a doubleheader which was eventually stopped by curfew as a tied game [Chris Short of the Phillies was the opposing pitcher]. After his time with Phoenix in '67, he pitched in 18 games for the Cubs with a 3.98 ERA.

In 1968, Rob was in 5 games for the Indians (6.75) and then, in 1970, he appeared in one game for the Yankees. His 1970 season started with the A's for 4 games (2.35) and he returned to the Yankees for 2 contests. Gardner stayed with the Yankees for 20 games in 1972 with a decent 3.06 ERA.

He finished his big league career with 3 games, back with the A's, in 1973 and then 10 appearances for the Brewers (9.95). Gardner got into 109 games over 8 major league seasons completing 331 innings allowing 345 hits and 133 walks while striking out 193. His ERA was 4.35 with a .269 OAV, .339 OOB and a 14-18 record.

Rob became a teacher in Binghamton, NY, school system. His last known address was in Binghamton.

Don Larsen was born in Michigan City, IN, on August 7, 1929. He played for the Phoenix clubs of 1966-67 and in the minors from 1947-1950, 1955, 1960 and 1966-1968, for 13 teams. Five of those seasons were spent in AAA and his career minor league record was 60-44.

The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":

"Don Larsen never won more then 11 games in any one season and his career statistics are very ordinary. But, on October 8, 1956, Larsen had perhaps the most famous pitching day in the history of baseball, when he threw a 2-0 perfect game in the World Series. The Brooklyn Dodgers had knocked him out in the second inning of Game 2, but Game 5 was Larsen's from the start. Pitching at Yankee Stadium, the righthander used a no-windup delivery that made pitching look like a game of catch. He needed only 97 pitches that day and only once threw as many as three balls to a hitter.

"Two excellent plays preserved the perfect game. In the second inning Jackie Robinson hit a grounder in the hole, which third baseman Andy Carey touched with his glove and deflected to shortstop Gil McDougald, who threw Robinson out. In the fifth inning Gil Hodges hit a line drive into left-center field. Mickey Mantle made a fine running catch on the warning track. The Yankees followed tradition and said nothing to Larsen. But the pitcher cornered Mantle in the runway late in the game and asked him, 'Do you think I'll make it?' Mantle ignored him. In the ninth inning Larsen retired Carl Furillo and Roy Campanella before facing pinch hitter Dale Mitchell. The pitcher threw a ball, a called strike and a foul ball before painting the outside corner with a fastball. Umpire Babe Pimelli, officiating in his last game at home plate before retirement, called strike three. In what is now a legendary moment, catcher Yogi Berra jumped into his pitcher's arms and the 6-foot-4-inch Larsen carried him off the field as if he were a small child.

"Larsen started in the minors with Aberdeen in the Northern League in 1947 and 1948 and then played in Springfield, Globe-Miami, Wichita and Wichita Falls. He spent 1951 and 1952 in the military and was brought up to the St. Louis Browns in 1953. The next year he moved with the club to Baltimore where he had a 3-21 record. Larsen was traded to the Yankees in an 18-player deal in December 1954 and spent part of 1955 in Denver, where he went 9-1 and earned another chance in the majors. After joining the Yankees midway through 1955, he turned around his previous year's record by going 9-2.

"The fun-loving Larsen fit in well on a team with such other carousers as Mantle, Billy Martin and Whitey Ford. One spring training after he ran his car into a mailbox at 5:30 in the morning, manager Casey Stengel responded, 'The man was either out too early or too late.' In 1956 Larsen was 11-5 and the next year he went 10-4, the only two times he would win as many as 10 games. In the 1957 World Series he won Game 2 but then lost Game 7. Overall he pitched in four World Series for the Yankees with a 4-2 record. He pitched another two years with the Yankees before going to Kansas City in December 1959 in the deal that sent Roger Maris to New York.

"After a 1-10 season in Kansas City - in which he pitched so poorly that the Athletics sent him back to the minor leagues - Larsen was changed to a relief pitcher. He reached the World Series again in 1962 with the Giants and, at Yankee Stadium on October 8, 1962, on the sixth anniversary of this perfect game he defeated the Yankees in relief. Larsen hit well for a pitcher with a lifetime .242 average and 14 career home runs. In fact, he was used as a pinch hitter 66 times and collected 12 hits. He retired in 1967, after a brief stint with the Chicago Cubs."

In his first season of 1953 with the Browns, he compiled a 4.16 ERA in 193 innings over 38 games including 22 starts. For the Orioles in 1954, he made 29 appearances (28 starts) for 202 innings and a 4.37 ERA.

During his 5 Yankees years from 1955-1959, he pitched in 19, 38, 27, 19 and 25 games with 97, 180, 140, 114 and 125 innings for 3.06, 3.26, 3.74, 3.07 and 4.33 ERAs with 13, 20, 20, 19 and 18 starts. In 1958, he suffered from an elbow injury. On Dec. 11, 1959, he was traded to Kansas City in a 7-player deal.

With the A's in 1960, he made 15 starts and was a reliever in 7 more for 84 innings allowing 97 hits and 42 walks with 43 strikeouts and an ERA of 5.38. In 8 games for K.C. before his trade on June 10, 1961, he was in 8 games, 15 innings with a 4.20 ERA. The rest of 1961, Don was with the White Sox for 25 games, 74 innings compiling a 4.12 ERA. On Nov 30, he was sent to San Francisco with Billy Pierce for Eddie Fisher, Dom Zanni, Verle Tiefenthaler and Bob Farley.

In his 1962 and 1963 seasons with the Giants, he made 49 and 46 appearances for 86 and 62 innings and 4.38 and 3.05 ERAs. After 6 games with them in 1964 (4.35), Don was sold to the Houston Colt 45s [on May 20] where he made 30 appearances for 103 innings for an excellent 2.26 ERA. He started the '65 campaign with Houston, but was traded after 1 game back to his franchise [Apr. 24 for Bob Saverine and cash] - the Orioles - where he pitched 27 games with 54 innings and a another good ERA of 2.67.

Don finished with the Cubs in 1967 with 3 games and 4 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 walks for a 9.00 ERA. In his 14-year MLB career, he pitched in 412 games including 171 starts for 1,548 innings allowing 1,442 hits, 725 walks with 849 strikeouts and a 3.78 ERA/.247 OAV. In 10 World Series games including 6 starts, he pitched 36 innings with a 2.75 ERA. Larsen was the last active former St. Louis Brown

Don became a salesman for the Blake, Moffet and Towne Paper Company in San Jose. He is now retired and living in Hayden Lake, ID, but still makes appearances at card shows, banquets, etc. Don ends his book "The Perfect Yankee" (with Mark Shaw, pub: Sagamore) with the following: "All I can say is that I'm very thankful to have done one thing while I was on this earth that is considered perfect. I may have had an up and down baseball career, but no one can ever take away that October afternoon in 1956 when I threw the only perfect game in World Series history."

Don Lee pitched a few games for Phoenix in 1967 and was born in Globe AZ [his father, Thornton Lee, was a minor league manager there] on Feb. 26, 1934. Lee pitched in the minors from 1956-59 and 1965-67 with a 3.20 ERA and 42-24 record. Don had attended the University of Arizona.

Don was with the Tigers in 1957-58 for 11 and 1 game(s) and then pitched in 44 games and 165 innings for Washington in 1960 (3.44). With the Twins in 1961-62, he appeared in 37 and 9 contests compiling 3.52 and 4.50 ERAs. The remainder of his '62 year was with the Angels (3.11).

Lee stayed with the Angels for the 1963-64 seasons for 40 and 33 games finishing with 3.68 and 2.72 ERAs. He had 10 games with the Angels in 1965 (6.43) before being sent to the Colt 45s for 8 games (3.38). His final big league year of 1966 was with Houston (9g, 2.50) and the Cubs (19g, 7.11).

He pitched in 244 major league games (97 starts) with 828 innings allowing 827 hits and 281 walks while striking out 467. His ERA was 3.61 with a .260 OAV, .326 OOB and a 40-44 record.

Lee became a Red Sox scout. He currently lives in Tucson, AZ.

-----1968-----

The two-year tenure of Bill Werle ended and Clyde King took over. King was a pitcher in the majors in 1944-48 and 1951-53 and had been a minor league manager in a career which had much more future then past in 1968.

King

King's Giants threaded water from the previous year getting one more victory and ending five games over .500 in third place albeit by only one-half game. Attendance dropped by 9,200. Again, the '68 edition had little power and much the same roster as the previous year. It would be the last year in a Phoenix uniform for such veterans as Don Bryant, Ozzie Virgil, Bob Burda, George Williams, Bobby Etheridge, Ollie Brown, Ken Henderson, Nestor Chavez and Dick Estelle.

Rich Robertson (18-9) was the only club's league All Star as he led Phoenix pitchers in everything - wins [tied for league lead], starts (33), complete games (18 - led league), ERA (2.36), innings (256 - led league), strikeouts (216 - led league), and WHIP (1.15). It was his third year with the club and not his last - thankfully as he was the only Phoenix pitcher to spend any time with the Big League Giants during the season. He also won ten straight games. Bob Garibaldi (10-9) returned with 29 starts and 182 innings obtaining a good ERA (3.21) and WHIP (1.25). Dick Estelle (5-8) also came back for 37 games and 17 starts finishing 143 innings and also had a decent ERA of 3.27 and was second on the team with a 1.20 WHIP. Number four starter was Hal Haydel (4-9), a returnee with 33 games and 134 innings (4.10, 1.44).

Swingman Dick Sparks (5-5) got into 28 contests and completed 117 innings with quite good results (3.69, 1.39), but it was his last as a pro. Joe Costello (12-8) was second in wins and ERA (3.10) as a reliever in 46 games. Lefty relief hurler Larry Miller (9-8) appeared in more games (61) then any other man and was third in WHIP (1.21) and he also had a rather good ERA of 3.30.

Nestor Chavez (5-5) improved in his third pro year with Phoenix to end with a 3.92 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 17 games. Bill Frost (5-5) pitched acceptably in 22 appearances (4.33, 1.52) spitting the season between the PCL and the Texas League and newcomer Bob Bishop (3-5, 4.75, 1.51) completed 72 innings. And finally, Joe Pollack, came back for 5 games (3.60, 1.30) as he also pitched in the Texas League during his final pro season.

Veteran Ozzie Virgil (.258) saw more time behind the plate then any other player in his final minor league games as Don Bryant (.235) only got into 46 games. Newcomer John Stephenson(.227) saw action there after a short time with the Cubs. Bruce Nichols (.213) was a backup in 22 games as he ended his six-year pro career at the highest minor level that he had played.

Bob Burda (.301) led the team in batting [of those who played enough games] and runs and was second in triples as he again manned first base in his last minor league stop. Newbie second base starter Don Mason (.290) also played part of his fourth pro year with San Francisco. Bobby Etheridge (.278) came back to take control of third base as he led the team with 12 triples and shortstop Cesar Guteirrez (.298) also returned to end up second in team hitting and was first in at bats (531) and doubles (23). Other performers in the infield were Ozzie Virgil, Jim McKnight, George Williams (.236) who ended his career and Tito Fuentes (.329) a long-time major leaguer who only played 21 games in 1968 due to a broken leg.

Utilityman Jim McKnight (.272) could be considered an outfield starter in '68 and again led the team in RBI (75) and also had the most homers (14). Ken Henderson (.254) was another regular finishing second in team doubles (21), home runs (11) and RBI (60). He spent part of the year with San Francisco and stayed in the majors through 1980. Paul Jernigan (.267) came back to appear in the outfield in 89 contests.

The biggest future star on the 1968 team was Bobby Bonds who was in his fourth and final year in the minors. After 60 games with a .370 average, 8 homers and 47 RBI, Bobby was up to the majors where he would be through 1981. After 55 games with the AAA Giants, Jimmy Rosario (.220) was sent to the Texas League. Ollie Brown (.250) returned after spending 1967 in the majors and returned there after 25 games. Bob (Lee) Taylor (.222) was back in Phoenix for 11 contests after spending the rest of the season in the Texas League.

Clyde King managed the 1968 Phoenix Giants and he was born on May 23, 1925, in Goldsboro, NC. He played minor league ball in 1944, 1946, 1948-50 and 1954-55 with a 3.84 ERA and a 59-42 record. Clyde attended the University of North Carolina.

King pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944-45, 1947-48 and 1951-52 in 14, 42, 29, 9, 48 and 23 games and 44, 112, 88, 12, 121 and 42 innings with ERAs of 3.09, 4.09, 2.77, 8.03, 4.15 and 5.06. He ended his big league career with 35 games for the Reds in 1953 (76 inn., 5.21).

In 200 MLB games (21 starts) and 496 innings, he allowed 524 hits and 189 walks while striking out 150. His ERA was 4.14 with a .275 OAV, .343 OOB and a 32-25 record.

Clyde managed at least four minor league teams, was a major league coach for the Reds (1959), Pirates (1965-67) and Yankees (1978, 1981 and 1988). He managed in the majors for the Giants - 1969 (90-72, 2^nd) and 1970 (19-23, 4^th); Braves - 1974 (38-25, 4^th) and 1975 (58-76, 5^th); and Yankees - 1982 (29-33, 5^th). His major league totals are 234-229 (.505). For thirty years he remained a part of the Yankees front office as a scout, GM and special advisor.

King lived in his hometown of Goldsboro, NC, and died there on Nov. 2, 2010, from congestive heart failure and other contributing causes. He was buried at Willow Dale Cemetery in Goldsboro.

Don Bryant was a catcher on the 1967 and 1968 Phoenix teams and was born on July 13, 1941, in Jasper, FL. He attended the University of Alabama and was a minor league player from 1960-1973 with an average of .250. Don was at the AAA level for 11 years.

Bryant was in 13 games for the Cubs in 1966 hitting .308 and did not get back to the big leagues until 1969-70 with the Astros for 31 and 15 contests with averages of .186 and .208. He got into 59 MLB games and had 109 at bats for a .220 average, .274 OAV and .275 slugging. His fielding % was .983 after 51 games as a catcher.

Don was a major league coach for the Red Sox (1974-76) and the Mariners (1977-80). Later he became a barber while living in Jacksonville, FL. He still resides there.

Osvaldo (Pichardo) "Ozzie" Virgil was born in Monte Cristi, D.R., on May 17, 1933. He played for the Phoenix Giants from 1966-68. He is the father of Ossie Virgil Jr. who was a catcher in the majors from 1980-1990.

As the first Dominican to play in the majors, Ozzie played every position except pitcher during his career. At age 23, in 1956, he made his MLB debut for the Giants with 3 games batting 5 for 12 as a third baseman. He stayed with the team all of 1957 appearing in 96 games at third, in the outfield and at short with a .235 average. On Jan. 28, 1958, he was traded to Detroit with Gail Harris for Jim Finigan and $25,000.

In 1958 and 1960 with the Tigers, he played 49 and 62 games with averages of .244 and .227 and was used defensively at third, second, short and catcher. Virgil went 5-for-5 in his first game with them in '58. After 20 games for them in 1961 (.133), the right hander was traded to the Kansas City A's [obtained on Aug 2 in a 4-player deal] where he played in 11 games with a .143 average.

He only played one game in 1962, for the Orioles, walking as a pinch hitter. Virgil did not return to the majors until 1965 when was in 39 games with the Pirates hitting .265 and used more often as a catcher. On Oct. 1, 1965, he was sent to San Francisco with Joe Gibbon for Matty Alou. In 1966, he played 42 games for the Giants batting .213. His MLB career ended in 1969 with 1 game for the Giants going 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ozzie played in 324 major league games and had 753 official at bats for a .231 average, .264 OBP and .331 slugging %. He was 14 for 60 as a PH and had a fielding % of .951 in 189 games played at third, 35 at catcher, 26 in the outfield, 16 at second, 7 at short and 5 at first.

As a minor leaguer, he played from 1953-1956, 1958-1960, 1962-1964 and 1966-1968, for 13 teams. He had 3 years with averages over .300 and was at the class AAA level for 10 seasons.

Ozzie was a major league coach for the Giants (1969-1972 and 1974-1975), Expos (1976-1981), Padres (1982-1985) and Mariners (1986-1988). He lives in Glendale, AZ.

George Williams was born in Detroit on Oct. 23, 1939, and played for Phoenix from 1966-68. He was a minor leaguer during the 1958-1968 seasons with a career average of .277 including 8 years at the AAA level.

George was in 17 games as a second baseman for the Phillies in 1961 hitting .250 and then performed in 5 games for the Colt 45s in 1962 (3-for-8). His last call to the majors was in 1964 when he was an infield utility man for the A's in 37 contests (.209).

Williams appeared in 59 major league games and had 135 at bats for a .230 BA, .288 OAV and .281 slugging. He fielded .970 with 38 games at second, 2 in the outfield, 2 at third and 2 at shortstop.

In the mid-1980s, George was working for General Motors in Detroit as an assistant foreman in the Cadillac division. He died in Detroit on May 14, 2009. .

Don Mason played for the Phoenix club of 1968 and was born on Dec. 20, 1944, in Boston. He performed as a pro in the minor leagues in 1965-68 and 1972-74 with a career average of .263. Don was a hockey goalie in high school and then attended Parsons College in Iowa.

Mason was in games for the Giants from 1966-1970 appearing in 42, 4, 10, 104 and 46 games with averages of .120, .000, .158, .228 and .139. He finished his big league stay with the Padres during the 1971-73 seasons getting into 113, 9 and 8 contests batting .212, .182 and .000.

Don made 336 major league appearances and had 696 at bats with a .205 average, .278 OAV and .250 slugging. His fielding average was .955 with 175 contests at second base, 26 at third and 11 at short.

In the mid-1980s, he was living in Chatham, MA, and he now lives in Yarmouth, MA.

Bob Etheridge was born on Nov. 25, 1942, in Greenville, MS. He attended Mississippi State, played on the Phoenix teams of 1966-68 and in the minors from 1964-68 and 1970-73.

He was in 40 games for San Francisco in 1967 (.226) and 56 for them in 1969 (.260) when he stayed the whole season in the majors. Bob was on the 1967 Topps All Star Rookie Team.

Etheridge was in 96 major league games and had 246 at bats for a .244 average, .331 OAV and .350 slugging. He was a .911 fielder with 76 games at third and one at short.

In the mid-1980s, Bob was a recreation director in Greenville. He now lives in Eudora, AR.

Bobby Bonds played for Phoenix in 1968 and was born in Riverside, CA, on March 15, 1946. He was a minor leaguer from 1965-68 and 1981-82 with an average of .283.

Bonds played on the San Francisco Giants from 1968-1974 in 81, 158, 157, 155, 153, 160 and 150 with averages of .254, .259, .302, .288, .259, .283 and .256 and home run totals of 9, 32, 26, 33, 26, 39 and 21. He led the league in runs scored in 1969 and 1973 and in outfielder fielding average in 1971. He played in the All Star games of 1971 and 1973.

He had a one-year stop with the Yankees in 1975 hitting .270 with 32 home runs and he played in that season's All Star game. Bobby played on the Angels in 1976-77 for 99 and 158 batting .265 and .264 with 10 and 37 homers.

Bob played 26 games (.278, 2) for the White Sox in 1978 and then was traded to the Rangers where he appeared in 130 games with an average of .265 and 29 home runs. His 1979 season was spent with the Indians as he hit .275 with 25 round trippers. He played on the Cardinals in 1980 (86 g, .203, 5) and finished in 1981 with the Cubs in 45 contests batting .215 with 6 home runs.

Bonds played in 1,849 MLB games over 14 seasons and had 7,043 at bats. His average was .268 with a OBP of.356 and a slugging % of .471. He homered 332 times and had 1,024 RBIs with a .977 fielding average with 1,736 games in the outfield and he Dhed in 81 games.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The enigmatic Bonds, the quintessential 30-30 player, never quite lived up to his predicted protential and could never find a permanent home. After spending seven productive seasons with the Giants, most under the shadow of Willie Mays, he spent the final seven years of his career playing for seven different teams. He hit 30 homers for five different teams, a major league record [at the time]...In his first full season in 1969, he reached the 30-30 club with 45 stolen bases and 32 homers and led the league in runs, but also led the league in strikeouts, setting a major league record with 185. He repeated that feat the following year, setting a new strikeout record of 189. After Mays was dealt to the Mets, Bond's career took off.

"He had his best year in 1973, narrowly missing the first 40-homer, 40-stolen base season with 39 dingers and 43 steals, but again leading the league in strikeouts. Bonds insists that he had five homers rained out, including two in a game against Atlanta...He ended the 1973 season in a slump that carried into 1974 when he was benched and fined by Charlie Fox. He regained his batting eye, but was traded after the season to the Yankees for Bobby Murcer, starting his nomadic period. The Yankees made him their number three hitter, and Bonds responded with another 30-30 effort with 85 RBIs and became the last NL outfielder to have an unassisted double play in a game against the Mets on May 31. But after the season, the Yankees traded him to California, where he played just 99 games because of an injured hand.

"He rebounded in 1977 for the Angels with his third30-30 year, with 37 homers and 41 stolen bases and driving in a career high of 115 runs. In a nine-game span from August 2 to11, he smacked eight homers. Despite his fine season, he was traded in the off season to the White Sox, but played only 26 games before being shipped to the Rangers. His combined totals for the season gave him his second straight and fifth 30-30 season, yet he was agin traded in the off season to the Indians. He had his last effective season, hitting 25 homers in spacious Municipal Stadium and wanted his contract renegotiated. The Indians responded by trading him to the Cardinals and but he didn't hit well and was platooned. He was then sold to the Cubs, but appeared in just 45 games...In his career, he set a major league record of 35 leadoff homers, a mark eclipsed by Rickey Henderson in 1988..." - Stewart Wolpin

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Bobby was a major league coach for the Indians (1984-87) and the Giants (1993-96). Thereafter, he was a special assistant to the Giants' GM. All told, Bonds was employed by the Giants for 23 years as a player, scout, coach and front office employee. In 2003, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and a brain tumor and died on Aug. 23, 2003, in San Carlos, CA. Burial was at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo, CA.

Ollie Brown played on the Phoenix clubs of 1966 and 1968. He was born on Feb. 11, 1944, in Tuscaloosa, AL, and was in the minor leagues in 1962-66 and 1968 with a .296 career average.

Brown played with San Francisco from 1965-68 in 6, 115, 120 and 40 games compiling averages of .200, .233, .267 and .232. He was a regular the Padres during the 1969-71 seasons appearing in 151, 139 and 145 contests with .264, .292 and .273 averages. Ollie hit 20 and 23 homers in 1969-70.

After 23 games with the Pads in 1972 (.171), he was with the A's for 20 games (.241) and Brewers for 66 more (.279). Ollie was with the Brewers for the complete '73 year seeing action in 97 games with a .280 average. His 1974 season was with two teams - the Astros for 27 games (.217) and the Phillies for 43 (.242).

He ended his big league years with three years for the Phillies (1975-77) when he got into 84, 92 and 53 contests with averages of .303, .254 and .243. Over his 13 MLB years, he played in 1221 games and had 3642 at bats for a .265 average, .326 OBP and .394 slugging. His fielding average was .977 with 992 outfield games. He also Dhed 82 times.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Brown earned the nickname 'Downtown' by hitting 40 homers for Fresno in 1964, but he was disappointing in San Francisco. San Diego's first choice in the 1968 expansion draft, he hit 20 homers for the Padres in 1969 and had career highs of 23 homers and 89 RBI in 1970. Originally signed as a pitcher, his strong arm was an asset in the outfield. His older brother, Oscar, was a Braves outfielder and another brother, Willie, played in the NFL." - Jane Charnin-Aker

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He became a Yankee scout and lived in Buena Park, CA, in the mid-1980s. He still resides there.

Ken Henderson was born in Carroll, IA, on June 15, 1946. He played on the Phoenix clubs of 1966-69 and in the minors in 1964 and 1966-68 with a career average of .253.

Henderson stayed with San Francisco from 1965-1972 playing in 63, 11, 65, 3, 113, 148, 141 and 130 games hitting .192, .310, .190, .333, .225, .294, .264 and .257. He went to the White Sox for the 1973-75 years batting .260, .292 and .251 in 73 (injured part of the year), 162 and 140 games. His 1976 season was with the Braves when he was in 133 games hitting .262.

In 1977, Ken played with the Rangers in 75 contests (.258) and in 1978 he was on the Mets for 7 games and the Reds for 64 more (.167). His 1979 was also spent on two teams starting with the Reds for 10 games and then on to the Cubs for 72 (.234). His final big league appearances were 44 for the Cubs in 1980 (.195).

Henderson played for 16 MLB seasons in 1444 games and had 4553 at bats compiling a .257 average, .346 OBP and .396 slugging.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Touted at 19 as Willie Mays's successor, Henderson was a regular in only four of his eight years with the Giants. He hit a career-high .294 with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases as San Francisco's left fielder in 1970, but his average dropped the next two years and he was traded to the White Sox. Henderson was shocked by the trade, but recovered to hit .292 with 20 HR and 95 RBI for Chicago in 1974." - Fred Stein

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In the mid-1980s, Henderson was employed in the office furniture business and lived in Saratoga, CA. He now lives in Los Gatos, CA.

Nestor Chavez was born on July 6, 1947, in Chacao, Venezuela. He pitched on the 1966-68 Phoenix teams and in the minors in 1964-68 with a 51-34 record.

Chavez appeared in two games in relief for San Francisco in 1967 going 5 innings allowing 4 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts. His ERA was 0.00 with a .211 OAV, .318 OOB and a 1-0 record.

Nestor died in a crash of a Venezuelan jetliner in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on March 16, 1969. Burial was at Cementerio General del Sur in Caracus, Venezuela.

Richard "Dick" Estelle was born in Lakewood, NJ, on Jan. 18, 1942. He was a pitcher on the staff of the 1966 and 1968 Phoenix teams and in the minors from 1960-1972 with a 102-123 record including eight years at the AAA level. Estelle had three no-hitters - one in the Northwest League and two for Tacoma in the PCL.

Dick was in 6 games in each of the 1964 and 1965 seasons for San Francisco with ERAs of 3.02 and 3.97. He had 7 starts in his 12 games and completed 53 innings allowing 51 hits and 31 walks with 29 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.23 with a .250 OAV, .352 OOB and a 1-2 record.

In the mid-1980s, he owned and operated a carpet business while living in Point Pleasant, NJ. He still resides there.

-----1969-----

It was an off-season of big changes for the Pacific Coast League as Seattle and San Diego found homes in the major leagues and the American Association was resurrected. The Association took back the franchise cities of Tulsa, Denver, Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. To compensate, the league was pared to eight teams, still with two divisions, and the Seattle and San Diego franchises were shifted to Tucson and Eugene, OR. Tucson had not had a professional team since 1958 (in the Arizona-Texas League) and Eugene had supported pro ball since 1955 albeit in the class "B" and then class "A" Northwest League.

For the third straight year, the Phoenix Giants were a .500 team ending the season in second place in the Southern Division, four games over .500 and 13 games back. Attendance rose almost 4,000 and the '69 edition was led by Charlie Fox who only played in three major league games, but he had been working his way up-the-latter as a manager in the Giants organization since shortly after WWII.

Fox

The club received some new blood - new to Phoenix, that is. In an attempt to add power, they brought in veteran first baseman, Dick Stuart (.244), who hit 12 home runs in 74 games and had a slugging percentage of .434. Both stats led the team as he ended his career during the season. Chuck Vinson (.271 for 2 teams) also played at first, but it is not known how many games he played for Phoenix. Another newcomer, Julio Linares (.308) started at third to lead the team in triples with 8 and in RBI with 65. Cesar Gutierrez (.299) returned to be the main shortstop and led the team in doubles (24) [he also played in the majors for the Giants and Tigers that year] and another AAA Giants returnee - Bob Schroder (.268) - was the regular second baseman as he led the team in at bats (467). Frank Johnson also backed-up at first and third, Bobby Fenwick (.258) saw action at second and short, Gutierrez was one of four to play at second, Linares also saw playing time at second, Schroder filled in at third and short, Tito Fuentes (.340) performed very well at third and short in 42 games before being called up to the MLB Giants and Al Gallagher hit .188 in 9 games as a third baseman, but spent the rest of the year in the Texas League.

John Stephenson (.292) returned to be the starter at catcher and he was backed by John Harrell (.213) and veteran Jesse Gonder (.233). Stephenson and Harrell were each with San Francisco for part of the year and Gonder ended his 15-year career with Phoenix.

The most-used outfielder was the returning Jimmy Rosario (.249) who got into 142 games to lead the club in runs and Bob (Lee) Taylor (.331) saw his first major action for the AAA Giants after two short stints with the club in 1967-68. Taylor led the team in batting average and on-base percentage (.406). Paul Jernigan (.234) also was a starter for the second straight year which ended his 10-year pro career. Veteran Leon Wagner (.295) came back after an 11-year absence and a few games, during the season, with the MLB Giants. Frank Johnson (.255) also returned playing some games in the outfield and was in a few MLB games. Jim McKnight (.255) , the mainstay utility guy, was only in 51 games after leading the team in RBI the past two years. Lastly, John Marsden (.224) was in outfield action for 29 games after trying his hand at pitching in the NY-Penn League that season.

The league ranking of the mound corp was dead last: In his fourth year with the club, Bob Garibaldi (13-10), became the mound corps stud leading them in everything - game starts (tied at 26), innings pitched (199), ERA (2.85), wins, complete games (17), strikeouts (187) and WHIP (1.14). He had another trial with the big league Giants in 1969. Newcomer Jim Moyer (4-12) also started 26 times, but had so-so results with a 4.50 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. The returning, Hal Haydel (12-8), was the number three starter with 24 and had another good season with a 3.19 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Too bad it was his last with Phoenix. The other main starter was another new guy (in his third pro year), Don Carrithers (3-12), who had 21 starts in 30 games and not good ERA/WHIPs of 6.14 and 1.90.

Joe Costello (10-9, 3.38, 1.47) was back to lead the team in appearances with 57 and from the left-side again was Larry Miller (6-2, 3.68, 1.41) who saw seeing action in 47 games as a reliever in his final year as a pro. Minor league-lifer, Leslie "Wes" Scott (6-7, 5.21, 1.55), was another heavily used pitcher in 46 games and Floyd Weaver (2-1, 6.10, 2.13) was in 19 contests with poor results having split his year with Columbus of the Southern League.

Former Phoenix big-man-on-the-mound, Rich Robertson (3-2), only made six starts in '69 while spending most of his year with the major league Giants. A name former big leaguer, Bill Stafford (3-2, 6.43, 1.93 - for two teams), ended his career with Phoenix and Tucson during the season. Jim (B.) Johnson (1-3, 3.56, 1.40), a third-year pro, pitched quite well in 12 games, Jim Dickson (1-0, 8.59, 1.91) would rather forget his 15 games with the club as he was within one year of retirement; Ron Bryant (6-2) did well in 13 games, including 10 starts, finishing with a 3.45 ERA and 1.26 WHIP and getting into a fair number of games with the parent Giants; third-year pro Jesse Huggins (6-3, 3.91, 1.58) had decent luck in 12 contests including 10 starts and, lastly, Hal Jeffcoat got into 3 games as a reliever and was bombed - 10.29 ERA/2.14 WHIP and, unlike his namesake father, never pitched beyond the minors.

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Phoenix Municipal Stadium (II) was the site for the best fireworks on the Fourth of July. During one display the fireworks went off course and started a fire in the Phoenix Zoo. During one night's game a light plane crashed on final approach in the dry wash south of the park.

In addition, sometimes things didn't smell good. When the nearby stockyards were still active in the late 1960s, monsoons came from the southeast and would blow powdered manure into the ballpark. Then when it would get calm, the stuff would hang in the air and settle over the park falling into every sweaty body.

Jesse Gonder was born in Monticello, AR, on January 20, 1936. He played for the Phoenix Giants in 1969 and in the minors from 1955-62 and 1967-69 for 17 teams with a career .290 average.. He hit very near or better then .300 for 8 seasons and played 9 years in AAA. In 1962, he won the Pacific Coast batting and RBI crowns.

Jesse first arrived on the major league baseball scene in September 1960 with the New York Yankees. Used mainly as a pinch hitter (1 for 5) in 7 games he had 7 at bats and got 2 hits. In 1961 the left handed swinger had another short stay with the Yankees as he was used exclusively as a pinch hitter going 4 for 12 with 3 walks.

In 1962 he moved to the Reds' organization, but only got into 4 MLB games - again as a pinch hitter going 0 for 4. In 1963, he finally got some extended time in the majors and behind the plate. With the Reds, for 7 games, he was 10 for 32 as a batter and then, on July 1, Gonder was traded to the Mets for Charlie Neal and Sammy Taylor. With New York he was used as a catcher in 31 games and batted .302 in 126 plate appearances. He was 10 for 34 as a PH that year.
In 1964, Jesse spent his only year as a semi-starter with 97 games on defense for the Mets as a catcher. He batted .270 with 43 games and he had official at bats as a pinch hitter (8 for 43). He hit 7 home runs and had 35 RBI with a .331 OBP and .979 fielding %. He only played in 53 games for the Mets in 1965 (31 behind the plate) with an average of .238. On July 21, he was sent to Milwaukee for Gary Kolb for whom he played in 31 games (.151). His pinch hitting record that year was 13 for 52 as he led the league in PH appearances.

Jesse moved to the Pirates for his last two MLB years. In 1966, he was used as a catcher in 52 games and batted .225 while going 2 for 12 as a pinch hitter. He closed out his MLB experiences in 1967 played in 22 games batting .139.

Jesse played 8 seasons and hit .251 in 395 games. His OBP was .312 and he had a slugging % of .377 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI. He was 39 for 167 as a pinch hitter (20% of his big league at bats) and appeared in 250 games as a catcher. His career fielding percentage was .981. The rap on Gonder was his defensive deficiencies and lack of speed.

Jesse became a transit driver for Golden Gate Transit in Oakland, CA. After a brief illness, he died in Oakland on November 14, 2004.

Richard "Dick" Stuart was born in San Francisco on Nov. 7, 1932. He played for Phoenix in 1969 and was a minor leaguer in 1951-52, 1955-58 and 1969 compiling a career .284 BA. He hit 66 home runs at Lincoln in 1956. Dick was in the military in 1953-54,

Stuart played with the Pirates during the 1958-62 seasons in 67, 118, 122, 138 and 114 games batting .268, .297, .260, .301 and .228 with 16, 27, 23, 35 and 16 home runs as their starting first baseman. He played in the 1961 All Star game.

Dick was with the Red Sox in 1963-64 appearing in 157 and 156 games homering 42 and 33 times and hitting .261 and .279. He led the AL in RBI in 1963. His 1965 season was spent playing for the Phillies getting into 149 games, hitting 28 homers with a .234 average.

In 1966, Stuart was with the Mets for 31 games (.218, 4) and the Dodgers for 38 contests (.264, 3). He played in Japan in 1967-68 and attempted a comeback with the Angels in 1969, but batted only .157 with one home run. In his 1112 MLB games and 3997 at bats, he batted .264 with 228 homers, 743 RBI, a .319 OAV and .489 slugging. Dick fielded .982 in 1,024 games at first base.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Unfortunately for the slugging Dick Stuart, he played before the advent of the DH. Known as Dr. Strangeglove and The Ancient Mariner ('He stoppeth one in three'), he was perennially the league's worst-fielding first baseman. After the immodest, lead-footed 6'4" strongman hit 66 homers at Lincoln (Western) in 1956, he plastered '66' on his belongings and included the number in his autograph. From 1959 through 1961, he hit 85 homers for Pittsburgh, including three in one game on June 30, 1960.

"Colorful and controversial, he sold plenty of tickets for Boston in 1963, where they cheered the Comeback Player of the Year's 42 HR and league-high 118 RBI and booed his 29 errors. Stuart was outraged when Boston traded him to Philadelphia for little-known pitcher Dennis Bennett in Nov. 1964. In 1965, for the first time in eight years, Stuart managed not to lead or tie for the league lead in errors at first base. By 1967 he was playing for Taiyo in Japan. Unhappy there, he recrossed the Pacific and played briefly with California in 1969." - Jane Charnin-Aker

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He became a securities analyst in New York City. Stuart died from cancer in Redwood City, CA, on Dec 15, 2002. Cremation followed.

Charlies "Chuck" or "Charlie" Vinson was born on Jan. 5, 1944, in Washington, DC. He played part of the 1969 season with Phoenix and in the minors from 1963-73 hitting a career .274. He had the game winning hits in two games against Baltimore as he doubled home a game winner with his first big league hit and then, a couple of days later, hit his only MLB homer for another contest decider.

Chuck was in 13 games and had 22 at bats for the 1966 Angels. His average was .182 with a .357 OBP and a .409 slugging %. He fielded perfectly at first base in 11 MLB games.

In the mid-1980s, Vinson worked in a Giant Food Company warehouse and lived in Jessup, MD. He now lives in Forestville, MD.

Cesar D. Gutierrez was born in Coro, Venez. on Jan. 26, 1943. He performed on Phoenix teams in 1967-69 and in the minors in 1960-69 and in 1972 with a .299 average. Gutierrez won the PCL batting crown in 1967.

Cesar played in 18 games for the Giants in 1967 (.143) and in 15 for them in 1969 before they traded him to Detroit where he was in 17 games with a .245 mark. He was their starting shortstop in 1970 for 135 games batting .243 and finished his major league career with them for 35 games in 1971 (.189) as an infield utility player. In 223 MLB games and 545 at bats, he batted .235 with a .279 OBP and .281 slugging. He fielded .955 in 184 games at short, 12 at third and 3 at second base.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The quintessential 'good field, no hit' shortstop, Gutierrez nevertheless made baseball history with his bat. In the second game of a June 1, 1970, doubleheader, he had six singles and a double in seven at-bats in a 12-inning game to set the AL record (and tie the MLB mark) for hits in one game without making an out. [His seventh hit was a hard grounder off pitcher Phil Hennigan's glove which he beat out.] But 1970 was...[his] only season as a regular; he hit a career-high .243 and led AL shortstops in errors." - Stephen Holtje

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Gutierrez managed in the minors in 1978-79 and 1983-84. He was also a scout in Mexico for the Rangers. Cesar died from a heart attack on Jan 22, 2005, in Maracibo, Venz.

Rigoberto "Tito" Fuentes was born in Havana, Cuba, on Jan. 4, 1944. He played for Phoenix teams in 1968 and 1969 and in the minors from 1963-69 and 1979 with a .297 average. Tito became a switch hitter while playing at Phoenix.

He played on the Giants for the nine-season period of 1965-67 and 1969-1974 in 26, 133, 133, 67, 123, 152, 152, 160 and 108 games with averages of .208, .261, .209, .295, .267, .273, .264, .277 and .249. He then was the starting second baseman for the Padres in 1975-76 for 146 and 135 contest batting .280 and .263.

Tito was with Detroit in 1977 as a starter in 151 games (.309) and ended his career with the A's in 1978 (13g, .140). Fuentes played in 1,499 games over 13 seasons and had 5,566 at bats with a .268 average, .309 OBP and .347 slugging. He fielded .974 in 1,275 games at second base and 165 at shortstop.

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From the book "The Ballplayers":

"The nimble Cuban was a flamboyant fielder who was often called a hot dog. Fuentes was San Francisco's regular shortstop in the early 1970s and set a NL record by committing just six errors in 1973 after leading NL second basemen in errors the previous two seasons. A productive, punch-type switch hitter, he drove in 78 runs for the Giants in 1973 and 83 for the Tigers in 1977 when he batted a career-high .309. On Sept. 13, 1973, he was hit by three pitches in one game, a [then] MLB record." - Jane Charnin-Aker

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Fuentes was a Spanish language announcer for the Giants from 1981-1992 while living in Foster City, CA. He returned as a Giants' analyst in 2004. In 2007, he and his son started the "Tito Fuentes Baseball Academy" in Chandler, AZ. He now lives in Reno, NV.

James "Jim" Dickson was born on April 20, 1938, in Portland, OR. He played with the Phoenix Giants in 1969 and in the minors with 16 minor league teams from 1958-64 and 1966-1970. Jim had 3 years with ERAs near or below 3.00 and he pitched in AAA for 9 years. He had the lowest ERA in the Three-I League in 1961 (3.02). His career minor league ERA was 4.03 and had a 72-57 record.

Jim reached the majors with the Houston Colt 45's in 1963 appearing in relief 13 times for a 6.14 ERA. On Jan. 20, 1964, he was traded to the Reds with Wally Wolf for Eddie Kasko. Most of the next year (1964) was spent at AAA, but he did pitch in 4 games for Cincinnati with a 7.20 ERA.

The 1965 season was his only complete year in the majors. For the Kansas City A's he made 68 relief appearances throwing 85 innings and allowing 68 hits and 47 walks. He struck out 54 and had a 3.47 ERA with a .220 OAV in his career year. His games pitched total set a record for AL rookies. Back with the A's part time in 1966, the hard throwing right hander got into 24 games including his only MLB start. His ERA was 5.35 with a .264 OAV.

Over his 4 MLB seasons, Jim pitched in 109 games and 142 innings and gave up 135 hits and 77 walks with 86 strikeouts for a 4.36 ERA and .254 OAV.

Jim became a driver's education instructor in Astoria, OR, and now lives in Warrenton, OR.

John Harold "Hal" Haydel was born in Houma, LA, on July 9, 1944. He became Cubs property in 1963 after being obtained by them from the Houston Colt 45s on March 28 with Merritt Ranew.and Dick LeMay for Dave Gerard and Danny Murphy. As a minor leaguer from 1962-1972, he played for 12 clubs including 6 years in AAA (for Phoenix from 1967-69). His ERA was a composite 3.65 with a 91-95 record.

Hal came up with the Minnesota Twins in September 1970 for 4 relief appearances for 9 innings with a 3.00 ERA. In 1971, the right hander was in 31 games for the Twins for a 4.27 ERA in 40 innings. He gave up 33 hits and 20 walks while getting 29 strikeouts and a OAV of .243. They were his last MLB games.

Hal lives in his home town of Houma.

Larry Miller was born in Topeka, KS, on June 19, 1937, and pitched for Phoenix from 1967-69. He was in the minors in 1959-61 and 1964-69 with a career 3.42 ERA and 58-51 record. He was in the military in 1963-64 and graduated from the University on Kansas. Larry pitched a no hitter for Atlanta in 1961.

Miller was in 16 games (14 starts) for the Dodgers in 1964 completing 80 innings for a 4.18 ERA. For the Mets in 1965, he appeared in 28 games (5 starts) with a 5.02 ERA and for them in 1966, he got into 4 games (7.56). In 48 MLB games, including 20 starts, he finished 145 innings allowing 162 hits and 57 walks while striking out 93. His ERA was 4.71 with a .281 OAV, .349 OOB and a 5-14 record.

In 1977, his daughter Kathy, an athlete and honor student, was critically injured when she was hit by a car. In 1981, a TV movie, "The Miracle of Kathy Miller", was made depicting her struggle to recover. Larry became a marketing consultant while living in Scottsdale, AZ He now lives in Phoenix.

William "Bill" Stafford was born on Aug. 13, 1939, in Catskill, NY, and pitched for Phoenix in 1969. He was a minor league hurler in 1957-60 and 1966-69 with a 2.96 ERA and 44-33 record..

Bill was generally a front line starter for the Yankees from 1960-65 appearing in 11, 36, 35, 28, 31 and 22 games with ERAs of 2.25, 2.68, 3.67, 6.02, 2.67 and 2.56. He finished with the A's in 1966-67 in 9 and 14 games (4.99, 1.69).

Stafford pitched in 186 MLB games and completed 786 innings allowing 707 hits and 270 walks with 449 strike outs. His ERA was 3.52 with a .240 OAV, .308 OOB and 43-40 record.

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From the book "The Ballplayers:

"Swaybacked Bill Stafford had an erect strut that ecuded confidence. In 1961, the poised, determined 22-year-old wnet 14-9 for the Yankees, with a 2.68 ERA that was second best in the league. He was 14-9 again in 1962 and was shutting out the Giants in the eighth inning of the World Series Game Three when he was nailed in the shin by a Felipe Alou line drive. He courageously continued, allowed two runs in the ninth, but limped off with a 3-2, four-hit victory. In his first start of 1963, on a particularly cold night, he injured his arm and struggled through the remainder of his career." - George Wolf

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Stafford became a vice president at Wendy's (the fast food restaurant chain) while living in Plymouth, MI. He died from a heart attack on Sept. 19, 2001, in Canton Twp, MI. [Another source stated that he died at his home in Wayne, MI.] Cremation followed.

David Floyd Weaver was born in Ben Franklin, TX, on May 12, 1941, and pitched for the 1969 Phoenix team. He was a player in the minor leagues in 1961-73 with ERAs below 3.00 for four teams of the 14 he played for. On May 21, 1961, he struck out 21 for the Paris (TX) Junior College in a game at Grand Junction, CO. The mark is still a NJCAA record.

Floyd was with the Indians in 1962 and 1965 getting into 1 and 32 game(s) with ERAs of 1.80 and 5.43. In 1970 he appeared in a career-high 31 games with a 4.38 ERA and in 1971, for the Brewers, was in 21 games (7.24).

Weaver was in 85 MLB games (5 starts) finishing 155 innings allowing 149 hits and 73 walks with 108 strikeouts. His ERA was 5.21 with a .260 OAV, .351 OOB and 4-5 record.

In the mid-1980s, Floyd was working for Babcock and Wilcox (a boiler manufacturer) and lived in Paris, TX. On Nov. 17, 2008, he died in Powderly, TX, where he lived for many years. [Another source says he died in Paris, TX.] Burial was at Long Cemetery in Powderly.

-----1970-----

The league had one franchise move in the off-season with Vancouver dropping out because of low attendance and the resulting red ink in their ledger books. They were replaced by Salt Lake City who had been out of the league since 1965, but they had continued their pro baseball tradition in the Pioneer League (rookie).

Charlie Fox returned to manager, but in May (after 42 games into the season), the parent Giants fired Clyde King and hired Fox. The interim Phoenix manager was taken from the current roster - veteran pitcher Bob Garibaldi - and the permanent choice was old major league vet Hank Sauer. He had played pro ball since 1937 and had 15 years in the majors with the last being for the Giants in 1960.

Sauer

Once manager Sauer got settled, he led them to their best finish since the pennant winners of 1958. They finished 24 games over .500, but in second place (of the South Div.) behind Hawaii who ended at 50 games over .500. Attendance increased, but only by about 5,000.

A good solid rotation and relief staff appeared to be the main reasons for the team's success. All Star, Bob Garibaldi (15-10), led the club in wins, innings (254), ERA (2.87), complete games (20 – set franchise record) and WHIP (1.18) in 32 starts. Jim Moyer (12-14) started 30 times and completed 206 innings with a 3.23 ERA and 1.32 WHIP and he led the team with 149 strikeouts. The other member of the Terrific Three starters was newcomer Jim Willoughby (11-9) who also had good numbers (3.27, 1.32).

New hurlers Skip Pitlock (10-3) had 13 starts and 106 innings with a low 2.46 ERA and 1.14 WHIP and also saw action with the MLB Giants, as did Migel Puente who got the ball as a AAA starter in 12 games with a good ERA/WHIP of 3.72/1.35 and future Cy Young winner Steve Stone (5-3) was excellent in 8 turns (1.71, 1.19) after arriving from the Texas League. Jim Johnson (6-5) did not repeat last year's good numbers as he had a high 5.10 ERA and 1.69 WHIP and pitched less well for the parent Giants and ended his pro career at the end of the season.

Don Carrithers (9-1) returned and had a much better season then in '69 as he appeared in 24 games with a very good 2.15 ERA, but had a rough time with the big league Giants and veteran Bill Faul (4-2) relieved in 36 games with the same equally great ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Bill led the team in saves with 12. Joe Costello (6-2) came back to lead to team with 45 appearances and finished with a 2.96 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Lefty Mike Davison (2-1) joined the club from San Francisco for 15 games with an amazing 0.90 ERA in 20 innings and Bill Frost (1-3) returned from the '68 roster but did not have good numbers in 42 innings (5.36, 1.60).

John Cumberland (0-3) arrived after seeing action with the Yankees and the major league Giants, during the season, and had 7 starts for 42 innings (4.71, 1.55) and Ron Bryant (1-2) returned pitching in 7 games and 29 innings, but had rather poor results (5.90, 1.59) but did pitch better that season for the parent Giants.

Phoenix's offensive abilities were spread throughout the roster, but were centered in their outfield. Future long-time major leaguer, George Foster (.308 - led team), was a starter in his second pro year and had 66 RBI in 114 games. Another newcomer, Bernie Williams (.309), was second in average and had 47 RBI with 9 homers as he split the season between the PCL, Texas League and the NL Giants. The other starter was returnee Jimmy Rosario (.301) who led the team with a .404 OBP and in runs scored (94). Veteran Steve Whitaker (.232) came aboard from the majors to add some power leading the team with 16 home runs and a .496 slugging %. Dick Simpson (.352) played great in 45 contests with a .400 OBP and .511 slugging and the aging Leon Wagner (.189) was in 45 games and only one year from retirement. Infielders Jim McKnight and Julio Linares also saw some outfield action.

Utility guy McKnight (.277) made first base his main position in '70 and led the team in RBI (76) for the third time in four years and was the team leader in doubles with 29. Bob Schroder (.287) also returned as the starter at second in his last year in Phoenix. Julio Linares (.273) was again the starter at third leading the team with 12 triples. The new shortstop was Damaso Blanco (.238) who led the club in at bats (499) and stolen bases (20). Frank Johnson (.353) hit very well in his 29 games as a first baseman before he was called up, Bobby Fenwick (.311) led the team in average playing at second, short and third in 94 games. Veteran Jim Ray Hart (.317) got into 67 contests as a third baseman [he split the season with the MLB Giants], major leaguer Jim Gosger [played with the Expos and in the IL during the year] was in 8 games at first and Chris Arnold made 4 appearances at third and short after arriving from the Texas League.

The main catcher was newcomer from the Texas League, Mike Sadek, who appeared in 74 games and fellow-Twin Citian Jake "Gary" Jacobsen (.228) got into 45 games and played part of the year in the California League. John Stephenson (.313) came back and was in 44 games as did John Harrell (.070) who saw action in 18 [he also was in the California League during the season].

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Reliever Bill Faul never seemed to have roommates. There was a good reason for that as, during the first road trip of a season, he would pull out his 45mm pistol and put it to the head of his assigned roommate. The frightened player would run to the manager and say: "That guy's crazy, I can't room with him." Faul would then have a single room the rest of the season.

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