Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Unlikely mark gets the right challenger

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 12, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- It was nothing Bill Fischer set out to do.

A journeyman -- "a very mediocre pitcher," in his words -- at the tail end of an undistinguished 20-year pro career, Fischer had only been called up in May 1962 and moved into the Kansas City A's rotation because two pitchers were injured.

So when he didn't walk anyone after leadoff man Bubba Phillips in an Aug. 3 complete game against Cleveland, he had no reason to think it was the start of something special.

But Fischer, now the Rays pitching coach, didn't walk anyone in his next game. Or the one after that, or the next one, or the next. It wasn't until 13 games and nearly two months later, with one out in the fifth inning of the Sept. 30 season finale, when he walked Detroit's Bubba Morton, an amazing streak of 841/3 innings without throwing four balls to a batter.

"The record was just something that happened," Fischer said. "You can't plan them. They just happen, and all of a sudden it's a record."

A record that has stood for nearly 40 years but now is being challenged by Atlanta ace Greg Maddux. Having surpassed the NL record of 68 innings shared by Christy Mathewson (1913) and Randy Jones (1976), Maddux goes into today's game against Arizona with 70 1/3 walk-free innings, and he could match Fischer's feat in his next start, Friday or Saturday in San Francisco.

Fischer has enjoyed the renewed attention to his feat, which is even more remarkable when you consider he was 2-10 with a 3.92 ERA in the 14 games for a last-place team.

There wasn't nearly as much emphasis on statistics and records then, and Fischer said he wasn't aware of the streak until he got to 50 innings and there was a notation on the scoreboard.

He jokes about getting a voodoo doll or sending threatening daily faxes to Atlanta, but he seems genuinely pleased that the challenge is from someone as talented as Maddux, whom Fischer got to know during his years as a Braves minor-league coach.

In a way, Maddux's streak is even more impressive because Fischer pitched with the advantage of a 15-inch mound rather than the current 10-inch hill.

"Maddux is doing it with the new strike zone and he's doing it with the lower mound, but he's a freak anyway," Fischer said. "But he's the one guy. I said that five years ago, that he's the one guy who could break it.

"I was a very mediocre pitcher and I got the record. Now we're talking about Maddux, who's going to go to the Hall of Fame. The only way I'll get into the Hall of Fame is if I go and buy a ticket and walk through the place."

Sadly, there is no display about Fischer's record in the Hall. But at least he won't have to buy a ticket: All former major-leaguers get in free.

FAN MAIL: In an Q-and-A session with season-ticket holders before Saturday's game, general manager Chuck LaMar said left-hander Bobby Seay is likely to be called up from the minors within a month; outfielder Jose Guillen, on the Triple-A disabled list with more knee problems, may not play again this season; top prospect Josh Hamilton appears to be healthy and will play in the Arizona Fall League along with Carl Crawford and Jason Standridge; Juan Guzman will be called up by Sept. 1 but isn't likely to pitch much; and the team will look to move its Class A team from Bakersfield, Calif., back to the Florida State League or to the Carolina League in the next couple years.

DOLLAR DAZE: At the same session, chief operating officer John McHale Jr. said financial savings from the recent trades were significant to the future of the organization. "The big hill we got over was the one Chuck got us over at the last trading deadline, and we're well-positioned now, even if attendance doesn't increase, which we think it will, well-positioned to finance the continued growth of this organization," McHale said.

DRILL SERGEANT: Jose Cardenal didn't seem to have many specific responsibilities as a Rays coach but, according to Pete Rose, Cardenal did have an interesting hobby.

"I did have a corked bat one time," Rose told ESPN.com in response to allegations in an upcoming Vanity Fair article. "You know who corked them? Jose Cardenal (a teammate on the '79 Phillies). I never used it in a game. But we'd come in the clubhouse in Philly, and Jose Cardenal would be corking bats. You'd hear the drill going -- zizzzzzzzzzzz."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright