Don Wert---1969
He was an All-Star?
In the 1960s, the line for third base at
the All-Star Game for the American
League squad formed behind
Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson. The
Orioles' third sacker was selected to
13 All-Star Games during the decade
(two games were played in 1961,
1962 & 1963), starting in seven as
the Junior Circuit’s staple at the hot
corner.
In 1968, Detroit’s Don Wert had the
honor of caddying for Robinson down
in Houston. Wert was known as a
defensive stalwart, as the wiry third
baseman logged a career .968
fielding percentage in nine major
league seasons. Quite impressive
compared to Robinson’s .971 fielding
mark during his Hall of Fame career.
Bringing his solid glove and a lowly
.220 average to the Astrodome, Wert
entered the game in the sixth inning
as Robinson’s replacement. Just
weeks after suffering a harrowing
beaning by Cleveland’s Hal Kurtz that
landed him in the hospital, Wert
lashed a double to right field off New
York’s Tom Seaver in the eighth
inning. It would turn out to be his only
at-bat, in what would be Wert’s lone
All-Star Game.
However, 1968 would also be a
bittersweet season for Wert. Many in
Detroit said the third baseman was
never the same after the beaning
that occurred on June 24, 1968,
which was also the stage for Jim
Northrup’s two grand slams. Wert
would finish the ’68 campaign with a
.200 average and hit just .118 for the
Tigers in the World Series as they
captured the ’68 Crown by downing
the St. Louis Cardinals. His career
would end in 1971 at age 32, as Wert
compiled a .213 average over his last
three seasons.
Yet, it was Wert who provided the
fireworks for the Tigers as they
clinched the ‘68 pennant. Here’s the
call for those who remember:
“This big crowd here ready to break
loose. Three men on, two men out.
Game tied, 1-1, in the ninth inning.
McDaniel checking his sign with Jake
Gibbs. The tall right-hander ready to
go to work again, and the windup,
and the pitch…He swings, a line
shot, base hit, right field, the Tigers
win it! Here comes Kaline to score
and it’s all over! Don Wert singles,
the Tigers mob Don, Kaline has
scored…The fans are streaming on
the field…And the Tigers have won
their first pennant since nineteen
hundred and forty-five! Let’s listen to
the bedlam here at Tiger Stadium!”
And yes, Don Wert was an All-Star.
(7/14/08)
In the 1960s, the line for third base at
the All-Star Game for the American
League squad formed behind
Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson. The
Orioles' third sacker was selected to
13 All-Star Games during the decade
(two games were played in 1961,
1962 & 1963), starting in seven as
the Junior Circuit’s staple at the hot
corner.
In 1968, Detroit’s Don Wert had the
honor of caddying for Robinson down
in Houston. Wert was known as a
defensive stalwart, as the wiry third
baseman logged a career .968
fielding percentage in nine major
league seasons. Quite impressive
compared to Robinson’s .971 fielding
mark during his Hall of Fame career.
Bringing his solid glove and a lowly
.220 average to the Astrodome, Wert
entered the game in the sixth inning
as Robinson’s replacement. Just
weeks after suffering a harrowing
beaning by Cleveland’s Hal Kurtz that
landed him in the hospital, Wert
lashed a double to right field off New
York’s Tom Seaver in the eighth
inning. It would turn out to be his only
at-bat, in what would be Wert’s lone
All-Star Game.
However, 1968 would also be a
bittersweet season for Wert. Many in
Detroit said the third baseman was
never the same after the beaning
that occurred on June 24, 1968,
which was also the stage for Jim
Northrup’s two grand slams. Wert
would finish the ’68 campaign with a
.200 average and hit just .118 for the
Tigers in the World Series as they
captured the ’68 Crown by downing
the St. Louis Cardinals. His career
would end in 1971 at age 32, as Wert
compiled a .213 average over his last
three seasons.
Yet, it was Wert who provided the
fireworks for the Tigers as they
clinched the ‘68 pennant. Here’s the
call for those who remember:
“This big crowd here ready to break
loose. Three men on, two men out.
Game tied, 1-1, in the ninth inning.
McDaniel checking his sign with Jake
Gibbs. The tall right-hander ready to
go to work again, and the windup,
and the pitch…He swings, a line
shot, base hit, right field, the Tigers
win it! Here comes Kaline to score
and it’s all over! Don Wert singles,
the Tigers mob Don, Kaline has
scored…The fans are streaming on
the field…And the Tigers have won
their first pennant since nineteen
hundred and forty-five! Let’s listen to
the bedlam here at Tiger Stadium!”
And yes, Don Wert was an All-Star.
(7/14/08)
