Garr said that he tried to avoid a collision with Messersmith by leaping over the fallen pitcher as he rounded first base. "I thought I was going to step on him. If I had run straight down the line instead of turning at second, I would have stepped on him. He tried to break his fall but he landed on his shoulder."
Garr, who knows Messersmith from their days in the National League, felt bad. "Oh boy, such a good pitcher to have such---I don't call it bad luck, but he's been unfortunate all the time. And he was throwing good today. Such a good pitcher."
Yankees' manager Billy Martin thinks that the injury will end Messersmith's season, an assessment with which trainer Gene Monahan agreed. Being hurt is not new to Messersmith. He pulled a hamstring muscle in the middle of the 1976 season with the Braves and shoulder miseries in August ended his season. In 1977 he pitched with a rib injury and then on July 3, he hurt his elbow while fielded a come backer to the mound which ended his season.
Martin emphasized that a team never has enough pitching. "You talk about pitching and all of a sudden, we're short one." He chastised those who have criticized the Yankees for "loading up" on pitchers. "Why do you think we say you never have enough pitching? You think we were joking?
COMMENTS:
Billy Martin and Gene Monahan were basically right. Messersmith appeared in only six games for the Yankees in 1978, losing three and winning none with a 5.64 ERA. The Yankees released him in November. Messersmith signed with the Dodgers as a free agent for the 1979 season but he was finished, winning two and losing four with a 4.91 ERA. The Dodgers released him in August, 1979.
Messersmith had been one of baseball's top pitchers in the 1970s with the Angels. In 1971, he was 20-13 with a 2.99 ERA, but something much more unusual and inexplicable occurred that season. Clyde Wright was the Angels top left handed starter and along with Messersmith, formed a powerful righty-lefty one two punch. In 1971:
Go To Page: 1 2
