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How Necessary is the Groom?

© Harold Friend

The New York Yankees signed left handed relief specialist Buddy Groom to a minor league contract on February 7. No one doubts that the Yankees needed a left handed relief specialist last season, when Felix Heredia (6.28 ERA), Gabe White (8.27 ERA), Christopher John Nitkowski(7.62 ERA) and Donovan Osborne (7.13 ERA) were Joe Torre's options, but the game is so different from a few years ago that Buddy Groom, who will be forty years old in July and who has a lifetime 4.63 ERA, could actually help the Yankees.

Groom's scouting report is good, which may be a comment on scouting reports or on the state of pitching. "Groom relies heavily on a sharp-breaking curveball that makes left-handed hitters knees buckle. The cut fastball has allowed him to be more effective against right-handed hitters and keeps batters from honing in on the curveball. His move to first base is solid, keeping most base runners on their guard."

Twenty first century baseball has devolved into the era of the specialist. It is not unusual for a manager to bring in a pitcher to face one batter, which would be Buddy Groom's role if he makes the Yankees. But once upon a time, a long time ago, it was quite different.

The 1949-1953 Yankees won five straight World Championships. Their manager, Charles Dillon Stengel, once was a left handed dentist in Kansas City who gave up pulling teeth to pull fast balls. As the Yankees' skipper, he helped to popularize the platoon system. Stengel would play left handed batters primarily against right handed pitchers and right handed batters against left handed pitchers. And vice-versa. This upset many of the Yankees' players, except for the switch hitting Mickey Mantle, but cashing so many World Series checks assuaged most of the grumblers.

Among those most upset were outfielders Gene Woodling and Hank Bauer. Woodling batted left handed and played only against right handers while Bauer batted right handed and played mainly against left handers. But Stengel, unlike most of today?s managers, didn't rigidly follow the platoon system.

It was Game 7 of the 1952 World Series against Brooklyn at Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn right handed batters were so fierce that the great Warren Spahn was usually passed over when Boston (that's the Braves folks) visted the friendly confines of Ebbets Field. Lefty Eddie Lopat was Stengel's starter. The only left handed batters in Brooklyn's line up were Duke Snider and George Shuba, yet Stengel started the left handed Lopat against a strong right handed lineup in the most important game of the season.

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