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http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2014/07/19/Bob-Smizik-The-day-The-Deacon-went-18/stories/201407190127
Today marks the 59th anniversary of one of the greatest individual feats in the more than 100-year history of Pirates baseball. If it were not for 12 perfect innings pitched by Harvey Haddix in 1959, it could well be the greatest pitching performance in team history, although it is little remembered.
On July 19, 1955, Vernon Law was the starting pitcher in the Pirates’ 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Braves. Law, nicknamed The Deacon, was not the winning pitcher and didn’t even get a complete game on that Tuesday night at Forbes Field. But the absence of those barometers of success does not diminish his stunning accomplishment.
In this era of pitch counts, side sessions and all-around babying of pitchers, what Law did in 1955 is breathtaking in its magnitude.
The game went 19 innings. Law started and pitched the first 18 innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter.
In those 18 innings, he allowed nine hits, two runs -- only one of which was earned -- two walks and 12 strikeouts.
ElRoy Face, the great reliever who was a teammate of Law’s, recalled the performance with awe. “He threw over 200 pitches,” he said.
It’s not like Law was well-rested going in to his 18-inning stint. In his three previous starts, July 6, 10 and 15, he had pitched nine, nine and eight innings.
I’ve read about that game. It had to be a great one to attend. I think television with its commercials and “chatter” have ruined the flow of the game. And not just baseball - television has prolonged football and basketball too.
I remember reading about a World Series game in 1914 that Babe Ruth was the starting pitcher. He gave up one run in the first inning, and no more. His team (the Red Sox) won when they scored a run in the 14th with the score at 1-1. The starting pitchers for both teams pitched all 14 innings. Ruth was quite the pitcher. When he moved to full time position playing in 1919 Tris Speaker said something along the lines of, “Ruth is a pretty good pitcher. He would have a future in the game if he gave up playing in the field.”
Madison Bumgarner could pitch 200 innings today.
But he’s probably the only one in MLB that could.
Thursday night he went 8 inning on only 100 pitches. And only about a dozen of those were fast balls.
I swear he never broke a sweat.