(12-19-2022, 06:24 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: [ -> ]
Just saw this on FB. What a downer just before the holidays. RIP Mr. Perfect.
Went 20-9 as a rookie starter finishing 2nd behind Vince Coleman who won ROY. Tom was a 9th round pick. While his perfect game was his greatest achievement, he was very durable. Tom had a 12 year career, 11 with the Reds. In that career, he started exactly 300 games, and led the league in games started 4 times.
That's a tough one to hear.... Godspeed Mr Perfect.
He had a unique pitching style which Vin Scully described as "Pitching as though he's double-parked outside."
I have a signed baseball from him last summer. His wife died recently too.
(12-19-2022, 10:42 PM)guyofthetiger Wrote: [ -> ]I have a signed baseball from him last summer. His wife died recently too.
I was down at the ballpark the night after his perfect game. That game, of course was a really crappy weather game with delays. So there were a lot of unused tickets that scalpers were left with. I purchased two unused tickets from one of them, and got Tom to sign them later. They are untorn, which is cool and doubt they are worth much, but I value them.
(12-20-2022, 12:01 AM)Goalpost Wrote: [ -> ]I was down at the ballpark the night after his perfect game. That game, of course was a really crappy weather game with delays. So there were a lot of unused tickets that scalpers were left with. I purchased two unused tickets from one of them, and got Tom to sign them later. They are untorn, which is cool and doubt they are worth much, but I value them.
& even better than the actual autograph is the fun memory you have getting to meet him. I used to be one of those autograph-seeking kids in the '80s and now what I value the most is the memory of getting to meet ballplayers for a brief moment.
Browning and Mario Soto are the two Reds pitchers I can remember on the spur of the moment.