Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale was a prominent American professional baseball pitcher, born on July 23, 1936, in Van Nuys, California. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball and is best known for his intimidating presence on the mound and remarkable pitching skills. Drysdale, standing at an imposing 6 feet 6 inches tall, gained notoriety for his hard-throwing style, leading to impressive statistics, including leading the league in strikeouts multiple times.
Throughout his career, he achieved significant milestones, such as winning the Cy Young Award in 1962 and setting a record for six consecutive shutouts, which later became known as "The Streak." His competitive nature often drew controversy, as he was sometimes accused of deliberately hitting batters. After retiring as a player in 1969, Drysdale transitioned to broadcasting, where he contributed to various teams and networks for two decades. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, a testament to his impactful legacy in baseball history. Drysdale passed away on July 3, 1993, in Montreal, leaving behind a storied career and a lasting impression on the sport.
Don Drysdale
- Born: July 23, 1936
- Birthplace: Van Nuys, California
- Died: July 3, 1993
- Place of death: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sport: Baseball
Early Life
Donald Scott Drysdale was born on July 23, 1936, in Van Nuys, California, a Los Angeles suburb in the San Fernando Valley. He was the only son of Scott and Verna Ruth Drysdale. He had a younger sister, Nancy.
Don profited from his father’s love for baseball. Scott Drysdale, a supervisor with the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, had been a minor-league pitcher and continued to play on semiprofessional teams in Southern California, often taking young Don along for the weekend games. Even at an early age, Don enjoyed the feel of a bat and ball in his hands. When he was old enough, he joined a youth baseball league, where he played just about every position but pitcher.
The Road to Excellence
Later, as coach of Don’s American Legion baseball team, Don’s father helped launch his son’s future career. When the starting pitcher did not show up for a game one day, Don got the opportunity to pitch. As luck would have it, visiting Brooklyn Dodgers scouts saw Don’s performance; were impressed by his strong, accurate arm; and invited him for a private tryout.
In his senior year at Van Nuys High School, and his first season as a pitcher, Don gained all-city honors and the notice of several major-league teams and two universities. Among the teams vying for his attention were the Dodgers, who had made Don’s father a part-time scout, partly in order to maintain contact with Don. In 1954, on his father’s advice, Don chose to play for the Dodgers. He was sent to the Class C team in Bakersfield, California, where he had an 8-5 record.
The next season, he was elevated to the team’s AAA squad in Montreal, where the lanky right-hander managed to salvage an 11-11 record after breaking his hand when he punched a soft-drink machine in a fit of temper. In 1956, the major-league club lacked pitchers because of injuries. Don was called up and proved to be a hard-throwing strikeout artist, gaining a 5-5 record. He appeared briefly as a relief pitcher in a World Series game; the Dodgers lost the series to the Yankees.
The Emerging Champion
During the club’s 1957 season, its last before moving to Los Angeles, Don began showing the intimidating form that became his legacy. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he was an imposing presence on the mound, especially when he hurled pitches at 94 to 95 miles per hour. He often pitched inside to scare batters away from the plate. Don was effective as well as fearsome, compiling a 17-9 record and a 2.69 earned run average.
The Dodgers’ new, temporary home field at the Coliseum in Los Angeles gave Don trouble. The stadium was not built for baseball, and its short left-field fence made it easier to hit home runs off a hard thrower. In the next four seasons there, Don won fifty-seven games and lost fifty, although he led the league in strikeouts in 1959, with 242, and in 1960, with 246. He also distinguished himself as a good hitter; in 1958, he hit 7 home runs to tie the record for National League pitchers.
Don’s temper often got the better of him. The home runs in the Coliseum rattled his concentration and hurt his pitching. By the early 1960’s, he was frequently accused of deliberately hitting batters with mean sidearm pitches. In response, he once threatened to sue the league for hiring umpires who said he threw “beanballs.”
Continuing the Story
Don never considered himself a “mean” player. He was determined to win, doing whatever it took, and most often his temper was directed at himself for making mistakes on the mound. In 1962, Don bounced back from several mediocre seasons with his best year ever, right after the team moved into its new home at Dodger Stadium. That year, with the help of a slight change in his pitching style, Don struck out 232 batters while winning twenty-five games and losing only nine, the best in the major leagues. He was honored with the Cy Young Award. His extraordinary effort came at the right time for the Dodgers, who had lost star pitcher Sandy Koufax for much of the season because of an injury. In the next three years, Don compiled sixty wins in helping the team to two World Series titles.
Don worked his way into the record books early in the 1968 season by pitching six straight shutouts and holding opponents scoreless in 58 2/3 consecutive innings. In 1988, the record was broken by another Dodger pitcher, Orel Hershiser. However, “The Streak” secured Don’s place in baseball annals and in the memories of fans.
In 1969, Don retired as a player and became a broadcaster. Over the next two decades, he was an announcer for various organizations, including the Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, California (now Los Angeles) Angels, Chicago White Sox, ABC Sports, and the Dodgers. He was married twice and the father of three children. His second wife was Ann Meyers, one of the best women’s basketball players ever. Don died of a heart attack on July 3, 1993 while in Montreal to broadcast a game.
Summary
Don Drysdale’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 was a salute to his famous scoreless-innings record and to his competitiveness during fifteen years as a player. The plaque in the hall of fame noted his “intimidating” style of play. Like his contemporaries Bob Gibson and Juan Marichal, Don gained fame by battling hitters with hard throws meant to hit or scare them. Although he was often overshadowed by teammate Sandy Koufax, Don enjoyed his own share of the spotlight. Handsome and gregarious, Don was perfect for Hollywood—he even spent time as an actor.
Bibliography
Drysdale, Don, and Bob Verdi. Once a Bum, Always a Dodger: My Life in Baseball from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.
Kahn, Roger. The Head Game: Baseball Seen from the Pitcher’s Mound. New York: Harcourt, 2001.
Roberts, Russell. One Hundred Baseball Legends Who Shaped Sports History. San Mateo, Calif.: Bluewood Books, 2003.
Snider, Duke, and Phil Pepe. Few and Chosen: Defining Dodger Greatness Across the Eras. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2006.
Vass, George. The Game I’ll Never Forget. Chicago: Bonus Books, 1999.