Wednesday, July 8, 2015

#483 Camilo Pascual



Camilo Pascual  Washington Senators

Career: Pascual spent nearly all 18 big league seasons with the Senators/Twins franchise. He went 174-170 while spending a good portion of his time on some wretched Senators clubs. He won 100 of those games in a stretch from 1959 thru 1964. He made the All Star team in all but one of those season.

In 1960: According to SABR..."Including the Cuban Winter League, during a ten-month period, from mid- April, 1959, and culminating with the Caribbean Series in February, 1960, Pascual threw a stupendous 410.1 innings, recorded 363 strikeouts and compiled a cumulative 34-15 record." Didn't seem to faze him as he went 12-8 with a 3.08 ERA in 1960.

WikiFacts: In late December 1959, it was widely published that Senators owner Calvin Griffith “had looked one million dollars in the eye and expressed no interest.” It was an offer not for his Washington franchise but merely for two of his ballplayers, first baseman Harmon Killebrew and pitcher Camilo Pascual.. One of those published reports further explained the matter as follows: “The bidder was Gabe Paul, vice president of the Cincinnati Reds. ‘I offered Griffith $500,000 each for Killebrew and Pascual and it was a firm offer,’ Paul said. ‘I consider Pascual the best pitcher in the majors.’” -SABR bio of Camilo Pascual

"He'd come straight over the top with it and it would just dive off the table. The spin was so tight, you couldn't identify the pitch until it was too late. It didn't flutter, it didn't hang, it just kept biting. When Pascual was right, nobody had a chance. That curve was unhittable." -Tony Kubek

[Mickey] Mantle ...smacked plenty of long bombs off Pascual, whom he took deep 11 times in total, ...... "I hit those off Camilo Pascual, one hell of a pitcher." -Mickey Mantle quote via SABR

The Card: Pascual has an error free card! That's significant because in 1959 Topps butchered his first name on the front of his card and his last name on the back. And they stuck his face on Ralph Lumenti's card, just for more fun.

No comments:

Post a Comment