This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind
Sports:Baseball
When he posed for his 1959 Topps baseball card, Lew Burdette grabbed teammate Warren Spahn’s glove and pretended to be a lefty. Topps missed the joke and printed the card with the error.
Burdette would sign his name “Lewis” on his contracts, and would alternate between “Lou” and “Lew” for autograph-seekers. He said he really didn’t care how his first name (which was actually his middle name) was spelled.
Years before Mark Fidrych became famous for talking to the baseball, Lew Burdette used the same antics to psych himself up on the mound. Often accused of throwing a spitball, Burdette never bothered to refute that charge, and used the paranoia to his advantage. In the 1957 World Series, he shut out the New York Yankees twice in four days to give the Milwaukee Braves their only World Championship.
Lew Burdette
On October 10, 1957, Burdette shut out the Yankees for the second time in four days. He was the first pitcher in 37 years to win three complete games in a single WS and the first since Christy Mathewson (1905) to throw two shutouts in a single Series. The win gave Milwaukee the world championship and earned Burdette Series MVP honors.
Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn and righthander Burdette gave the Braves a formidable one-two punch, with 443 victories between them in 13 seasons. A slider and sinkerball pitcher, Burdette was widely accused of throwing a spitball as well. His constant fidgeting on the mound fed that suspicion; it didn’t indicate nervousness. Teammate Gene Conley said, “Lew had ice water in his veins. Nothing bothered him, on or off the mound. He was a chatterbox out there … He would talk to himself, to the batter, the umpire, and sometimes even to the ball.”
Besides winning 20 games in 1958 and 21 in ’59, Burdette won 19 twice and 18 once. His 2.70 ERA topped the NL in 1956. In two All-Star Games, he allowed only one run in seven innings. He no-hit the Phillies on August 18, 1960.
On May 26, 1959, he was the winning pitcher when Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix hurled 12 perfect innings against the Braves, only to lose in the 13th. That winter, the puckish Burdette asked for a $10,000 raise, explaining: “I’m the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn’t good enough to beat me, so I’ve got to be the greatest!”
“My best pitches were a sinker and slider,” Burdette said. “I’d move the ball in and out. I always tried to keep it down. I was always being accused of throwing at the hitters. Early Wynn always said that he was the meanest pitcher in the American League, and I was the meanest in the National League.” — Sports Collectors Digest, September 4, 1998
"I'm the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn't good enough to beat me, so I've got to be the greatest!" - Lew Burdette, 1959
""There should be 3 pitching statistics for Burdette: Wins, Losses, and Relative Humidity." - Red Smith, The New York Times
October 11 - George Brett steals the show in Game 3 of the 1985 ALCS
October 10 - Tom Seaver hurls the Mets into the World Series for the second time
Jackie Robinson's last hit - a walk off vs the New York Yankees
October 9 - Jeter gets help from a fan
October 8 - Henderson leads Oakland over Blue Jays
October 7 - Curt Flood Traded
October 6 - Ruth goes yard 3 times
October 5 - Billy Martin leads NY to 5th straight title
October 4 - Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series
October 3 - Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager
October 2 - Gibson fans 17 to set World Series Record
October 1 - managerial career of Roberto Clemente began and ended on this day
September 22 Cesar Tovar plays all 9 positions
September 21 Vida Blue no-hits the Twins
September 20 Thurman Munson, has his plaque placed in Monument Park
September 19 - Davey Johnson ties Hornsby
September 18 - Roger Clemens fans 20 Detroit Tigers
September 17 Dwight Gooden leads Mets to 108th victory
September 16 - Dave Winfield collects 3000th hit
September 15 - Yankees set HR mark
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Halos in the infield ( an angels baseball podcast )
The 3 Old Reds Fans Podcast
Talkin’ Baseball (MLB Podcast)
MLB Morning Lineup Podcast
Talkin’ Yanks (Yankees Podcast)