The Monster of the Midway
During his relatively brief career, Dick Radatz more than any other pitcher in the 1960s redefined the emerging role of relief pitcher. His domineering presence on the pitching mound, as well as his blistering, almost unhittable fastball, ushered in the era of the relief specialist that has had such a profound impact on major league baseball in the second half of the Twentieth Century.
At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Radatz was an imposing figure on the mound. He threw hard and with less than pinpoint accuracy, keeping hitters off balance and often swinging defensively at his heat. There was no finesse to his pitching style. He entered the game with one job: to blow the baseball past the hitter. For three years in the mid-1960s, no one did it better.
Radatz was signed by the Boston Red Sox out of Michigan State University in 1959. He made the big league club in 1962 and his impact was immediate. During his rookie season, the right hander appeared in 62 games and finished 53 of them. He went 9-6 with a 2.24 ERA. He struck out 144 batters in 124 innings pitched, and led the major leagues with 24 saves. He finished third in the voting for 1962 American League Rookie of the Year. (Yankee shortstop Tom Tresh was that year’s winner.)
His dominance continued over the next 2 seasons. In 1963, Radatz finished 58 of the 66 games he appeared in, going 15-6 with a 1.97 ERA and 25 saves. That year he struck out 162 batters in only 132 innings, and finished fifth in the balloting for American League Most Valuable Player. In 1964, Radatz led the majors with 29 saves, finishing 67 games in 79 appearances, and posting a 16-9 record with a 2.29 ERA. He struck out 181 batters in 157 innings pitched.
Radatz never achieved those kinds of numbers again. As his fastball began to fade, so did his performance, going 9-11 in 1965 with a 3.91 ERA. Though he still recorded 22 saves in 1965, he struck out fewer batters (121) than innings pitched (124) for the first time in his career. He was winless in 1966, going 0-5 with a 4.64 ERA and only 14 saves in a season split between Boston and Cleveland. He hung on through 1969, making stops with the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos. In the last 3 years of his career, Radatz was a combined 3-6 with only 8 saves.
Without that sizzling fastball, Radatz couldn’t be effective. But when he had it, nearly every batter he faced became a strikeout waiting to happen.
