Super fun card to post today!
From my recent "Missing
1963 Fleer-Second Edition" set, a missing card for Minor League legend
Steve Dalkowski, who could never quite reign in that incredible
fastball:
Looking at his Minor League numbers
between 1957 and 1965, you'd think you were seeing things, as Dalkowski
would post not only absurd strikeout numbers, but equally absurd
base-on-balls numbers.
For example, in 1960 while pitching for
Stockton, the 21-year-old tossed 170 innings, striking out 262 batters,
good for a 15.1 K/9 inning number, yet ALSO walked the same amount of
batters!
Yet he only allowed 105 hits, which came to a miniscule 5.6 hits-per-nine-innings, putting him in Nolan Ryan country!
In
1958, splitting the season between Knoxville, Wilson and Aberdeen, he
tossed 104 innings, striking out 203 batters, while walking 204!
That comes to about a 17 strikeout-per-nine-innings total, with a slightly HIGHER walk total!.
Sadly
Dalkowski could never get a handle on that lethal fastball, and by the
time 1965 rolled around, though still only 26 years of age, his career
came to an end.
Official totals for this nine-year Minor
League career came to a record of 46-80 over 236 games, throwing 956
innings and striking out 1324 batters, while walking 1236, giving up
only 664 hits.
Just mind-boggling stuff!
Just a
shame that not only did his career not work out, but he soon found
himself battling addictions, homelessness and a rough post-baseball
life.
Luckily with some help he did live to the age of 80, passing away in April of 2020.
A baseball folk-tale figure who lives on through the ages!