Great players I watched when growing up

Frank Howard has passed away.
A literal giant in baseball.
www.mlb.com

Frank Howard, larger-than-life slugger, dies at 87

WASHINGTON -- Frank Howard, a hugely popular giant of a man who singlehandedly elevated Washington baseball from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, has died, the Nationals announced on Monday. He was 87. Though Howard never guided the Washington Senators to the postseason, he was an All-Star four...
www.mlb.com www.mlb.com
 
I remember Frank Howard hitting a long HR for the Dodgers in the 4th game of the 1963 World Series to help them beat the Yankees. Sixty years ago.

I recall a long HR by him in the 1969 All Star Game. Both I saw on TV. With Frank Howard the home runs were always long.
 
He wasn't a superstar and may not even qualify as great, but Elroy Face has passed just a few days short of his 98th birthday. Face set the MLB record for career wins by a reliever with 104 (which was eventually passed by Hoyt Wilhelm and now stands at 124) and the NL mark for wins in a season by a relief pitcher when he went a remarkable 18-1 in 1959 for the Pirates, who went 76-74 that season. He was a premier closer in the 1950s and '60s.

Face had a modest 191 career saves but he pitched at a time when relievers, including closers, often pitched more than an inning, sometimes several, which is why he won a lot of games. He played 16 years and pitched in 848 games. RIP

1-Elroy Face.jpg
 
I remember Elroy Face. He was a famous player in 1959-60 when he went 18-1 in 1959 and the Pirates won the NL Pennant and beat the Yankees in an exciting World Series in 1960.

I saw him in person at a Pirates-Reds game at Crosley Field in 1968. Face relieved Bob Veale but blew the save. The Pirates won in the 12th inning.
 
Hall of Fame member Bill Mazeroski, widely regarded as the best fielding second baseman in baseball history, has died at the age of 89. He's best known for his bottom of the ninth home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series that lifted the Pirates over the heavily favored Yankees.

"Maz" was always a humble man who shunned the spotlight and lived the rest of his life in a middle class Pittsburgh neighborhood. He's one of the most beloved players in Pirates history. There's been a statue of Bill Mazeroski outside PNC Park since 2010. RIP

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I was rooting for the Yankees and saw it on TV.

I saw Bill Mazeroski play in person in 1968 in a Pirates-Reds game at old Crosley Field. I'll never forget Mazeroski turning a double play, fast and smooth.
 
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