They Said It Couldn't Be Done by Wayne Coffey

Author:Wayne Coffey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2019-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

9

FARM FRESH

World Series Game Two

Baltimore, Maryland

Jerry Koosman knew only one way to pitch: you get the ball, and you throw the ball. There was no reason to dawdle, go for long walks, or overthink things. He hadn’t done it when he was pitching in the beer leagues in his native Minnesota. He hadn’t done it during his spectacular rookie year in the big leagues in 1968, when he won a then Mets-record 19 games, pitched to a Mets-record 2.08 earned run average, and threw seven shutouts, the most by a rookie in 55 years.

He hadn’t done it in the 1969 regular season or in the debacle of a start against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS.

Nothing was going to change because it was World Series time.

“I just have never found nothing to do between pitches,” he said. “I never threw a spitter, so I never had to figure out how to get my hand wet.”

When the Mets sought comfort after the Orioles had beaten Seaver in game one, they knew exactly where to look: Koosman was pitching game two. This was no slight to Seaver, the staff’s undeniable ace, nor to Dave McNally, the Orioles’ game two starter, who won 20 games during the regular year, including his first 15 decisions. It was just that they knew all about Koosman’s makeup and his competitiveness. He had proven it all season, never more than in the first game against the Cubs in September at Shea.

“To me Koosman was our toughest pitcher,” Ed Kranepool said. “You wanted him out there when everything was on the line. He didn’t get the credit he deserved because he was outshined by Tom Seaver, but he was a great pitcher. I wanted Koosman on the mound if it was a tough game or a knockdown situation. He would protect guys at all costs. Some pitchers would just throw over somebody’s head. He would throw right at a guy.”

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