This Pitcher Could Have Prevented The Phillies' 1964 Collapse
We look at an under-the-radar pitching move that might have made all the difference for the 1964 Phillies.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . Though 1964 is remembered for the Phillies’ historic downturn in late September, there were several notable high points that season. On Father’s Day, June 21, 1964, ace Jim Bunning threw the first perfect game in Phillies history against the Mets at Shea Stadium. It was the first regular-season perfect game since 1922, and it made Bunning the first pitcher to throw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues (he twirled a no-no with the Tigers in 1958). Since then, the Phillies have had just one additional perfect game: Roy Halladay on May 29, 2010, against the Marlins.
. . . Early on in his career while with Cincinnati, Johnny Klippstein was involved in a rather unusual game. On May 26, 1956, Klippstein held the Milwaukee Braves hitless for seven innings, though he was losing 1-0 thanks to walks and a sacrifice fly, before he was removed for a pinch-hitter. Two relievers preserved the no-no, and the Reds (then known as the Redlegs for a brief period) tied the game in the top of the ninth. The Braves did not record a hit until the 10th inning. This game was considered an official no-hitter until 1991, when Major League Baseball revised its definition of a no-hitter by saying that it did not count as one if the team’s first hit came in extra innings.
Leading Off
Gene Mauch, Johnny Klippstein And The Famous Phillies Flop Of 1964
By Russ Walsh
It is 60 years ago now, but if you are a Philadelphia Phillies fan of a certain age, the mention of the 1964 team can still send you into paroxysms of despair. After years of futility, the Phillies finally looked like pennant winners in those pre-playoff days when only one team from each league played in the postseason. On Sept. 20, 1964, after ace Jim Bunning beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, the Phillies led the National League by 6.5 games with 12 games to play. They lost the next 10 games in a row to lose the pennant to the St. Louis Cardinals.
This famous collapse has been attributed to many things. Injuries to several starting pitchers and to first baseman Frank Thomas certainly contributed. Some questionable decisions by manager Gene Mauch contributed. Some really bad luck contributed. Reliever Ed Roebuck thought the team had played over its head all year and simply was not good enough to win. One possible reason hasn’t been examined much, though. I am here to remedy that oversight.
On June 29, the Phillies sold relief pitcher Johnny Klippstein to the Minnesota Twins. The move made few waves at the time. Klippstein wasn’t being used much by Mauch and was having only mediocre success in his limited role. Klippstein was the kind of pitcher who needed regular work to be effective. The Twins were in a pennant fight of their own and wanted to shore up their bullpen with a veteran presence. Besides, Mauch’s longtime friend, veteran starting pitcher Cal McLish, was seemingly ready to come off the disabled list and help the Phillies. The Klippstein sale made room for McLish on the roster.
Johnny Klippstein was, by 1964, a journeyman pitcher. He began his Major League career with the Chicago Cubs in 1950. Along the way he made stops in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Washington D.C., and Cincinnati again, before the Phillies purchased him from the Reds in March of 1963. Klippstein, by now 35 years old, could still fire his fastball. He had a very good year for the Phillies in 1963, appearing in 49 games, working 112 innings, and compiling a superior 1.93 ERA.
It looked like Klippstein would join closer Jack Baldschun to anchor the Phillies’ bullpen in 1964. Klippstein held out briefly in the spring of 1964 but was signed and in camp by March 5. He pitched in two of the first three games of the season, working 4 1/3 innings in each, winning both.
But for whatever reason, Klippstein had fallen out of favor with Mauch. Maybe it was his reputation for being what Philadelphia Daily News columnist Larry Merchant said was “too meek.” Some said that Klippstein performed well in blowouts, but not in tight games. Responding to this criticism, Klippstein said, “I don’t care what anybody thinks, it’s what I think that counts.”
On April 21, the Phillies purchased the contract of veteran reliever Ed Roebuck from the Washington Senators and Klippstein did not appear in another game for two weeks. He was used sparingly over the next two months, as Roebuck became the setup man for Baldschun. When McLish was ready to come off the disabled list, Klippstein was deemed expendable. Mauch said, “We hated to part with Klippstein, but our problem was we needed a starting pitcher and had to find a place on the roster for Cal McLish.”
Welcomed with open arms in Minnesota by manager Sam Mele, Klippstein was an immediate and consistent success. Mele told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Klippstein is faster than I expected, he knows how to pitch, and he will help us.” Help he did. He worked in 33 games for the Twins, gave up no runs in 25 of those games, often worked multiple innings, and finished with a 1.97 ERA the rest of the season.
While Minnesota fell out of contention, eventually falling to sixth place with a 79-83-1 record, Klippstein had more than rewarded the team for taking a chance on him. He was a major contributor again the following year when this same Twins team won 102 games and the American League pennant, and Klippstein pitched in the 1965 World Series.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Cal McLish’s return to the starting rotation was short-lived. He pitched in only two games when his shoulder problems returned, and he was released on July 21. The Phillies’ quest for starting pitching continued unanswered and eventually caught up with them with the collapse at the end of the season, which was due, at least in part, to the overwork of their two ace starters, Bunning and Chris Short.
Could Klippstein have made the difference? Could holding on to the veteran reliever have prevented the precipitous September fall? Maybe. Maybe not. Klippstein was a reliever and could not really fill the gap left by injuries to starters Ray Culp and McLish. But the Phillies only needed to win one or two of those late September games to win the pennant. Their bullpen blew consecutive games on Sept. 25 and 26. Perhaps Johnny Klippstein could have helped in those contests. Perhaps.
The heartbroken Phillies fan can only continue to search for answers, wonder, and lament.
Russ Walsh is a retired teacher, diehard Phillies fan, and student of the history of baseball with a special interest in the odd, quirky, and once in a lifetime events that happen on the baseball field. He writes for both the SABR BioProject and the SABR Games Project and maintains his own blog The Faith of a Phillies Fan. You can reach Russ on Twitter @faithofaphilli1