When Baseball Was Fun

I was checking through my 1945 Tiger scrapbook when I found myself
looking at a miracle. I was stunned to say the least. For there before
my eyes was a pitching feat that I could hardly believe. Other MLB
individual pitching masterpieces came to my mind, such as:
DON LARSEN’S WORLD SERIES PERFECT GAME;
JOHNNY VANDERMEER’S TWO CONSECUTIVE NO-HITTERS;
DON DRYSDALE’S 58 CONSECUTIVE SCORELESS INNINGS;
OREL HERSHISER’S 59 CONSECUTIVE SCORELESS INNINGS;
AND THEN ONE THAT’S OFTEN OVERLOOKED, BILLY
HOEFT STRIKING OUT EVERY HITTER IN A CLASS
A WISCONSIN !STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!

Then there was this one hidden away in my 1945 scrap book. It happened
on JULY 21 in Philadelphia when the Tigers played the longest game in their
history, and to this day still is. IT WAS TWENTY FOUR INNINGS AND ENDED
IN A 1-1 TIE. WITH THE TIGER’S PITCHER THROWING 19 2/3 INNINGS

WITHOUT ALLOWING AN EARNED RUN!!!

Today this tall right hander is a WBWF LIFETIME SUBSCRIBER and lives in
MILLSTADT, ILLINOIS. HIS NAME:
L E S L I E C L Y D E M U E L L E R.

It was his second year with the Tigers and he helped them win the WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP THAT YEAR.

Why hasn’t this amazing pitching achievement been remembered up there
with the others? Take three guesses and the first two don’t count. But it’s
not too late to drop him a congratulatory note/card at: PO BOX 294,
MILLSTADT, ILLINOIS 62260. Even if it is 65 years late! He’d love it.

In the SUMMER ISSUE OF WBWF we will run the actuall box score of that historic
game. In case your interested DIZZY TROUT finished this epic game with
4 1/3 innings and the A’s scored an unearned run on an error by RUDY YORK in
the 4th inning. ROY CULLENBINE scored Detroit’s run on an RBI single by DOC
CRAMER in the 7th inning.

filed by bobby hoeft on 3-23-10