Steve Hamilton--1967
Conversation the other day at the
ballpark turned to Steve Hamilton, who
pitched 12 seasons in the bigs, primarily
with the New York Yankees.
Hamilton pitched collegiately at
Morehead State University and after his
pro career, returned to his alma mater to
coach the MSU Eagles. There many of
us scouts who covered Kentucky were
fortunate to hear the stories of his times
in the major leagues.
One scout recounted the story where
flamboyant umpire Ron Luciano crossed
paths with Hamilton in a Spring Training
contest. With the rookie arbiter behind
the plate, Hamilton fired a fastball on the
inside corner which Luciano called for a
strike. On the second pitch the lanky
lefty painted a fastball on the outside
corner for strike two. Hamilton’s third
pitch came in belt high, but the bottom
fell out of it as the batter flailed at the
pitch --- strike three!
As Hamilton walked back to the dugout,
Luciano remarked how easy it was
umpiring at the big league level and
asked the southpaw what was the last
pitch.
“That’s the best darn spitball you’ll ever
see,” answered a smiling Hamilton.
Known for his "Folly Floater" pitch, here's
a link on YouTube of Hamilton and his
legendary face-off with Cleveland's Tony
Horton.
Steve Hamilton's Folly Floater
Editor’s Note: Hamilton would go 40-
31, 3.05 with 404 of his 421 outings
coming in relief. The 6’6”Hamilton would
also play in 82 games during 1958-1960
for the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA,
averaging 4.5 ppg. He would say that for
those two seasons of playing both
professional baseball and basketball, he
probably stood for more National
Anthems than anyone in the USA.
(3/17/11)
ballpark turned to Steve Hamilton, who
pitched 12 seasons in the bigs, primarily
with the New York Yankees.
Hamilton pitched collegiately at
Morehead State University and after his
pro career, returned to his alma mater to
coach the MSU Eagles. There many of
us scouts who covered Kentucky were
fortunate to hear the stories of his times
in the major leagues.
One scout recounted the story where
flamboyant umpire Ron Luciano crossed
paths with Hamilton in a Spring Training
contest. With the rookie arbiter behind
the plate, Hamilton fired a fastball on the
inside corner which Luciano called for a
strike. On the second pitch the lanky
lefty painted a fastball on the outside
corner for strike two. Hamilton’s third
pitch came in belt high, but the bottom
fell out of it as the batter flailed at the
pitch --- strike three!
As Hamilton walked back to the dugout,
Luciano remarked how easy it was
umpiring at the big league level and
asked the southpaw what was the last
pitch.
“That’s the best darn spitball you’ll ever
see,” answered a smiling Hamilton.
Known for his "Folly Floater" pitch, here's
a link on YouTube of Hamilton and his
legendary face-off with Cleveland's Tony
Horton.
Steve Hamilton's Folly Floater
Editor’s Note: Hamilton would go 40-
31, 3.05 with 404 of his 421 outings
coming in relief. The 6’6”Hamilton would
also play in 82 games during 1958-1960
for the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA,
averaging 4.5 ppg. He would say that for
those two seasons of playing both
professional baseball and basketball, he
probably stood for more National
Anthems than anyone in the USA.
(3/17/11)
