Posted on 07/20/2026 8:08:25 AM PDT by DFG
A version of this story was originally published in 2019.
On July 20, 1969, most Americans were consumed by the event of a lifetime: the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The Giants were no different.
San Francisco groundskeeper Matty Schwab found space in his work area underneath the right-field grandstand at Candlestick Park to plug in a black-and-white television set. Schwab’s hidden headquarters was close to the double doors adjacent to the Giants’ bullpen. So, thanks to Schwab, Giants relievers could sneak peeks at history during the early innings of San Francisco’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Right-hander Bob Bolin was among the Giants with divided attention. As he recently recalled, he was watching televised images of the lunar module when he heard the Candlestick audience of 32,560 erupt with a sudden ovation. “I was thinking the crowd was clapping because of the moon landing. I opened the door, and Gaylord [Perry] had hit a home run,” said Bolin, punctuating his reminiscence with laughter.
A version of this story was originally published in 2019.
On July 20, 1969, most Americans were consumed by the event of a lifetime: the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The Giants were no different.
San Francisco groundskeeper Matty Schwab found space in his work area underneath the right-field grandstand at Candlestick Park to plug in a black-and-white television set. Schwab’s hidden headquarters was close to the double doors adjacent to the Giants’ bullpen. So, thanks to Schwab, Giants relievers could sneak peeks at history during the early innings of San Francisco’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Right-hander Bob Bolin was among the Giants with divided attention. As he recently recalled, he was watching televised images of the lunar module when he heard the Candlestick audience of 32,560 erupt with a sudden ovation. “I was thinking the crowd was clapping because of the moon landing. I opened the door, and Gaylord [Perry] had hit a home run,” said Bolin, punctuating his reminiscence with laughter.
This requires some explanation amid the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s exploits.
Giants right-hander Gaylord Perry, a future Hall of Famer (inducted in 1991) who passed away on Thursday, homered off Dodgers left-hander Claude Osteen in the third inning of San Francisco’s 7-3 victory the same day the Apollo 11 mission achieved glory. That the two happened nearly simultaneously drew Bolin back to something he had heard years prior.
During his tenure as Giants manager from 1961-64, Alvin Dark declared that a man would land on the moon before Perry, with his flawed swing, could hit a home run.
Here’s what Bolin, 80, had to say:
“We were just sitting around the (batting) cage. It was pitchers’ batting practice, and Gaylord was trying to hit one out. Somebody was talking about Gaylord hitting home runs, and Alvin just said, 'There’ll be a man on the moon before he hits a home run.'”
Bolin recalled Perry’s offensive shortcomings: “He just didn’t have the snap of the bat to where (a batted ball) would jump out of the ballpark.”
The initial exception occurred after Perry’s first 547 plate appearances.
Though Neil Armstrong didn’t set foot on the lunar surface until 7:56 p.m. PT, he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin touched down in their module at 1:17 p.m. Because the game began at 1 p.m., the landing preceded Perry’s third-inning at-bat.
Perry declined to comment for this story, but he told MLB.com in 2009 that “over the loudspeaker, they were telling everybody to stand and give a moment of silent thanks for the astronauts who landed on the moon. And I'd say 30 minutes later, Claude Osteen grooved me a fastball, and I hit it out of the park."
Perry batted .131 during his 22-year career, which he spent mostly in the National League. So he relied less on designated hitters than he did on himself. Perry was probably a more proficient hitter than his batting average suggests; otherwise, he might not have amassed his impressive total of 303 complete games.
A version of this story was originally published in 2019.
On July 20, 1969, most Americans were consumed by the event of a lifetime: the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The Giants were no different.
San Francisco groundskeeper Matty Schwab found space in his work area underneath the right-field grandstand at Candlestick Park to plug in a black-and-white television set. Schwab’s hidden headquarters was close to the double doors adjacent to the Giants’ bullpen. So, thanks to Schwab, Giants relievers could sneak peeks at history during the early innings of San Francisco’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Right-hander Bob Bolin was among the Giants with divided attention. As he recently recalled, he was watching televised images of the lunar module when he heard the Candlestick audience of 32,560 erupt with a sudden ovation. “I was thinking the crowd was clapping because of the moon landing. I opened the door, and Gaylord [Perry] had hit a home run,” said Bolin, punctuating his reminiscence with laughter.
This requires some explanation amid the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s exploits.
Giants right-hander Gaylord Perry, a future Hall of Famer (inducted in 1991) who passed away on Thursday, homered off Dodgers left-hander Claude Osteen in the third inning of San Francisco’s 7-3 victory the same day the Apollo 11 mission achieved glory. That the two happened nearly simultaneously drew Bolin back to something he had heard years prior.
During his tenure as Giants manager from 1961-64, Alvin Dark declared that a man would land on the moon before Perry, with his flawed swing, could hit a home run.
Here’s what Bolin, 80, had to say:
“We were just sitting around the (batting) cage. It was pitchers’ batting practice, and Gaylord was trying to hit one out. Somebody was talking about Gaylord hitting home runs, and Alvin just said, 'There’ll be a man on the moon before he hits a home run.'”
Bolin recalled Perry’s offensive shortcomings: “He just didn’t have the snap of the bat to where (a batted ball) would jump out of the ballpark.”
The initial exception occurred after Perry’s first 547 plate appearances.
Though Neil Armstrong didn’t set foot on the lunar surface until 7:56 p.m. PT, he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin touched down in their module at 1:17 p.m. Because the game began at 1 p.m., the landing preceded Perry’s third-inning at-bat.
Perry declined to comment for this story, but he told MLB.com in 2009 that “over the loudspeaker, they were telling everybody to stand and give a moment of silent thanks for the astronauts who landed on the moon. And I'd say 30 minutes later, Claude Osteen grooved me a fastball, and I hit it out of the park."
Perry batted .131 during his 22-year career, which he spent mostly in the National League. So he relied less on designated hitters than he did on himself. Perry was probably a more proficient hitter than his batting average suggests; otherwise, he might not have amassed his impressive total of 303 complete games.
Starters who went the distance sometimes had to give their managers reason to keep them in ballgames by letting them “bat for themselves,” as the privilege was referred to back then. Pitchers who were truly ineffectual hitters would receive fewer chances to do that. Moreover, Perry’s homer was no fluke. He hit one in each of the following three seasons and finished his career with six.
Of course, Perry was the second-best hitter in his family. His brother, Jim, who won 215 games for the Twins, the Indians, the Tigers and the Athletics over his 17-year career, batted .199 before the DH benched him starting in 1973.
Several years before the moon landing, the Giants shared another memorable day with NASA: Oct. 3, 1962. While the Giants outlasted the Dodgers, 6-4, in the finale of a three-game playoff to win the National League pennant, astronaut Wally Schirra orbited Earth six times in his spacecraft, Sigma 7.
Bob Gibson hit over .300 in 1970
Steve Carlton had a .201 career batting average, 13 home runs, 140 RBIs, and 346 hits in 1,719 career at-bats.
Carlos Zambrano hit 24 career home runs including a grand slam against the Mets in 2006.
Bob Gibson hit 24 home runs and 144 RBI’s.
Madison Bumgarner hit 19 home runs including a home run in the 2014 World Series.
Gaylord Perry did not just throw spitballs, he openly admitted to doctoring baseballs with various foreign substances throughout his 22-year Major League career. While popularly known for the spitball, his arsenal of illegal pitches—often called “greaseballs”—primarily relied on substances like Vaseline, K-Y Jelly, and petroleum jelly. I think he used Vagisil too, and he hit a dinger.
“Major League”
Rick Vaughn: [Seeing Harris take off his shirt, revealing white stuff on his chest] What’s that **** on your chest?
Eddie Harris: [Looking at his chest] Crisco.
Eddie Harris: [wiping it across his head]
Eddie Harris: Bardol.
Eddie Harris: [wiping it along his waist line]
Eddie Harris: Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches’ drop on your curve ball. Of course, if the umps are watching me real close I’ll rub a little jalapeno up my nose, get it runnin’, and if I need to load the ball up, I just...
Eddie Harris: [wipes his nose]
Eddie Harris: ... wipe my nose.
Rick Vaughn: You put snot on the ball?
Eddie Harris: I haven’t got an arm like you, kid. I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too.
You might be surprised. Before the DH came into effect the use of the bullpen and keeping pitchers off the bases to conserve energy and protect them was a regular action.
But there were some reasonably good hitters in history from the circle. Some included:
Shohei Ohtani: While largely serving as a Designated Hitter and full-time outfielder due to two-way rules, his offensive power is historically unmatched, hitting 44 home runs in 2021 and 54 in 2024 to win MVP awards.
Wes Ferrell: Widely regarded as the best true hitting pitcher, he batted a career .280 with 38 home runs and 372 RBIs across 15 seasons with the Indians and Red Sox.
Babe Ruth: Before hitting 714 career home runs as an outfielder, he was an elite pitcher for the Red Sox, occasionally pinch-hitting and blasting a few home runs.
Bob Gibson: One of the most dominant pitchers in history, Gibson was equally dangerous with the bat, posting a career .206 average, 24 home runs, and a spectacular .303 batting average during his MVP season in 1968.
Carlos Zambrano: The ultimate modern “Big Z” mashed 24 career home runs—the most by a National League pitcher since the DH was introduced in 1973—and batted .238 lifetime.
Don Drysdale: An intimidating Hall of Fame pitcher who hit 29 career home runs, including two spectacular seasons where he slugged seven home runs each in 1958 and 1965.
Micah Owings: Known for extraordinary raw power, Owings boasted an impressive .283 career average with 9 home runs and 35 RBIs in just 205 at-bats.
Warren Spahn was an excellent hitter for a pitcher. Across his 21-year Hall of Fame career, he batted .194 but regularly contributed with power. He collected 363 career hits, including 57 doubles, 6 triples, and 35 home runs, making him one of the greatest power-hitting pitchers in baseball history. His 35 home runs tie him for fourth-all time among Major League pitchers, trailing only Wes Ferrell, Bob Lemon, and Red Ruffing. In 1958, he won the Silver Slugger equivalent for his prowess at the plate, and he was often used as a pinch-hitter by his managers.
Don’t cut them short. Pitchers were used many times to create situation with their ability to sacrifice bunt putting runners in scoring position for leadoff hitters making managers react to it.
I was at Candlestick the day they landed and it was announced. That kind of overshadowed Perry’s achievement. But he was an innovator also. He created the puff ball and the country sinker.
And the next to the last switch hitter in the MLB American League that won an MVP was pitcher Vida Blue who won the American League MVP with the Oakland Athletics in 1971. Great trivia question.
wy69
Reading duplicate paragraphs in posted articles are a pain in the ass.........
The only sentence that I accidentally duplicated is:
“A version of this story was originally published in 2019.”
I should have looked it over more carefully before posting.
Sorry about that.
My cousin played D2 baseball in the late 80’s and his team went on the road to play Limestone College, where Perry was the head coach at the time.
He said Perry couldn’t have been nicer, talked to the guys on his team after the game, signed autographs, and just seemed like a good down to earth guy despite his fame and accomplishments.
I listed several Dodger pitchers who were decent to great. Sutcliffe was actually used a pinch hitter at times (.278 batting average, some power). A also acknowledged bunting to advance the runners.
My point was that if you were a good enough pitcher, you would be kept in the game even if you were a poor hitter. Yes, there were bullpens. Many teams just didn’t have the expansive bullpens for today. You had an occasional Rich Gossage or Bruce Sutter as a fireman or for the save, but many were just not just great. Many were Dick Tidrows or Lance Rautzhans who would be for long relief when the starter was getting shelled, or in case of an injury. Yes, in a close game a decent pitcher might be pulled for a pinch-hitter, but often not if there was no one decent in the bullpen or the arms were tired.
As a lifelong St Louis Cardinal fan and Stan Musial is the reason I batted (now golf) lefthanded even though I’m right-handed.
Bob Gibson was a hellava & feared pitcher AND batter...a few career highlights
MLB statistics
Win–loss record 251–174
Earned run average 2.91
Strikeouts 3,117
Career highlights and awards
9× All-Star (1962, 1962², 1965–1970, 1972)
2× World Series champion (1964, 1967)
NL MVP (1968)
2× NL Cy Young Award (1968, 1970)
2× World Series MVP (1964, 1967)
9× Gold Glove Award (1965–1973)
NL wins leader (1970)
MLB ERA leader (1968)
NL strikeout leader (1968)
Pitched a no-hitter on August 14, 1971
St. Louis Cardinals No. 45 retired
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction 1981
Vote 84.0% (first ballot)
Bob Gibson also played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 1957-1958.
As a kid, my Dad took me to many Cardinals games when they played in the old Crosley Field used by Cincinnati before their big Riverfront stadiums.
Once, we got under the stands where their locker rooms were and I met some of the players...alas, no “Stan-the-Man”, THE most underrated superstar athlete.
ping
“My point was that if you were a good enough pitcher, you would be kept in the game even if you were a poor hitter.”
You know the sport, congrats. But the real thing about the earlier years of the game when offense was hurt by nothing but good pitching was in the 50’s and 60’s. !968 was the year they decided to lower the mound, bring in the fences, and change the ball and the strike zone. Pitchers were over powering the hitters. So they didn’t need an extended bull pen. Just a couple of starters, one maybe two long relief, and a closer.
And the expectations of hitter has changed. According to batting average leaders at mlb.com only eight hitters in all of major league baseball that have enough at bats are hitting over 300.
https://www.mlb.com/stats/batting-average.
Home runs are up, batting averages are down. So the expectation of a hitter delivering is less as they don’t do it as often. It all balances out in the end and the game survives on hype rather than success.
wy69
Phil managed to have a higher batting average (.195) than on-base percentage (.193) in 1982. No walks and one sacrifice fly!
Since Ruth came up as a pitcher, they didn’t coach his hitting, they didn’t discourage him from swinging hard.
!!!!!!
Awesome time for baseball. I can’t watch now though. No pro sports for me anymore. I’m not mad about it either.
I came of age years after Yaz won the triple crown with a .301 batting average in 1968. Even after the changes you mentioned, bullpens were a secondary consideration for most teams except the Yankees.
Most teams had an ace, a solid number 2, a lefty, and depending on the team, one or two more starters with varying degrees of ability.
So, in 1975, Burt Hooten had a dozen complete games even though he had a paltry .125 batting average. These days, managers will pull a pitcher out a no-hitter if the pitch count is over 100.
Not a fan anymore since they kneeled.
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