Ray Herbert--1963
He was an All-Star?
Intently staring into the mitt of a
non-existent catcher, Ray Herbert is
virtually invisible to the fans in the
background who are just milling
around. Not much respect for a
20-game winner and an All-Star from
the previous year.
Mired in the depths of the second
division Kansas City A's of the late
1950s, Herbert enjoyed one shining
season with the White Sox after
being obtained in an eight-player
deal during the 1961 campaign that
included the likes of Don Larson and
Bob Shaw and quite possibly even
the kitchen sink.
With a new lease on life in the Windy
City, Herbert would go 20-9, 3.27 in
1963 earning a spot on the American
League squad.
Handed the ball in the third inning,
Herbert proceeded to hurl three
shutout innings, besting future Hall of
Famers Stan Musial, Hank Aaron and
Frank Robinson along the way. For
his efforts, Hebert collected the
victory for the Junior Circuit, who
trounced the NL, 9-4 at Wrigley Field.
The 5'11" right-hander would go
13-10 in 1963, before falling back
into his sub-.500 ways in 1964 for the
remainder of his career as he
remained invisible to baseball fans.
Editor's Note: Like George Costanza
in Seinfeld, I ask... is it Her-bert, or
He-bert, with a silent "h" ? Because
they are spelled the same...
Intently staring into the mitt of a
non-existent catcher, Ray Herbert is
virtually invisible to the fans in the
background who are just milling
around. Not much respect for a
20-game winner and an All-Star from
the previous year.
Mired in the depths of the second
division Kansas City A's of the late
1950s, Herbert enjoyed one shining
season with the White Sox after
being obtained in an eight-player
deal during the 1961 campaign that
included the likes of Don Larson and
Bob Shaw and quite possibly even
the kitchen sink.
With a new lease on life in the Windy
City, Herbert would go 20-9, 3.27 in
1963 earning a spot on the American
League squad.
Handed the ball in the third inning,
Herbert proceeded to hurl three
shutout innings, besting future Hall of
Famers Stan Musial, Hank Aaron and
Frank Robinson along the way. For
his efforts, Hebert collected the
victory for the Junior Circuit, who
trounced the NL, 9-4 at Wrigley Field.
The 5'11" right-hander would go
13-10 in 1963, before falling back
into his sub-.500 ways in 1964 for the
remainder of his career as he
remained invisible to baseball fans.
Editor's Note: Like George Costanza
in Seinfeld, I ask... is it Her-bert, or
He-bert, with a silent "h" ? Because
they are spelled the same...
