Podres last pitched in the Big Leagues during the Padres’ initial season of 1969, going 5-6 over 17 appearances, then stuck around to coach.
Those early Padres seasons were tough ones, in this case a 58-95 finish for the team led by Don Zimmer after Preston Gomez was let go of his managerial duties just eleven games into the campaign of 1972.
For Podres, he’d go on to coach for some 23 seasons between 1973 and 1996 with the Padres, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies.
Of course, all will remember him for his World Series performance in 1955 as the Dodgers finally topped their rivals, the New York Yankees, as he went 2-0 in the series with two complete games, including a 2-0 masterpiece in Game 7 to clinch the championship, making him an instant hero in the borough of Brooklyn.
Over his 15-year playing career, Podres finished with a record of 148-116 over 440 appearances, tossing 24 shutouts and being a part of three championship teams: 1955, 1959 and 1963.